Internet Dating Scammer Paul Smith on TAGGED.COM

We set up an account on an internet site and were contacted by scammers almost immediately. Here is one of the scammers who has contacted us and within 4 days - he asked for money!

Here is the first email smith p (Paul Smith) sent us along with the photo the scammer is using on Tagged.com.

smith p on tagged.com

Hi Baby, My name is smith paul and I will really love us to know each other better. Please, hit me up on YM. my ID is smithpaul5839@yahoo.com so we can have a chat. You may also leave me your Yahoo Id or hot mail Id for me to also add you to my list. i am on line now on yahoo u can buzz me if u get my mail so we chat on yahoo I await your reply. Regards, smith paul

His email address is smithpaul5839@yahoo.com

Over the past four days he has sent various letters professing his love. Most of them with poor spelling and bad grammar. Then he starts copying and pasting stupid love letters from God knows where...He is of course traveling for work, in AFRICA - what a surprise but will be back in the US soon. Within 4 days - JUST 4 DAYS - he asked for money in this email:
hello
my love hope u got all my mail i have been sending to you i am just here to ask for ur help and hope u will not let me down on this due it new how love is going fine but i need u to help my friend it name is Justin Francis Stockheimer right now he is have a big problem is son is so sick and he lost is job i feel for him cos he is the only person that as been nice to me all my life he got me this job i am doing now and u no what it mean that when he is in pain now i can not help him out............my company ask me to travel to a country to work there just for two week and i have use some money to get some paper work done i do not have much in hand to help him with and u no i am not too rich like u do but i do not mind if u can help me with the small have i to send to my friend i have about $2500 to give to him but he still need more like about $1500 i do not no if u can help me with this .....i will be happy is u can help now cus i need to make my friend happy do u no what i told him about both of us the new love i have fine u and he was happy for me and u..but pls if u can`t help me that is ok but u can help me that will be fine
if u can`t help me just let me no but i will love u with all my heart and soul but my friend need help ok

Yeah, we are sure you will love us with all your heart - when we don't send you the money.

John Wilson offers to help catch a scammer, too bad he IS ONE

We recently recieved an email from a reader who was already scammed for thousands and was talking online to a new man she met supposedly from Tennessee. She told him about how she was scammed before, etc. They wrote back and forth and then he told her he wanted to help find her scammer for her. Then came this email, where he wanted her to send 650 dollars to Nigeria to have his "friends" find him. He is a scammer too, and had NO intention of finding anyone. Here is the email from John Wilson to her where he goes in for the kill to seal the deal. Note how at the end he has to go and "read his bible." Yeah right! From: John Wilson <johnwlsn42@gmail.com>Subject: Re: what a wonderful talkTo: XXXXDate: Monday, July 6, 2009, 8:39 AM
hey XXX,
Firstly, I give thanks to God almighty for His mercy that endure forever upon us. You are one of a kind and i so much appreciate that. Lord I thank you father for sending this woman to me. I know she is an heaven sent and it is your world that say where two are join together in your name, you will be there with them. Lord I thank You for your wonderful shower of blessing upon us. It is such a blessing moment for me to meet you. Sweetie, i understand why you are feeling insecure but i want to assure you that i will get on hold of the guy, but i have contacted the efcc and they ask me a little information about you, i also gave them your number, maybe they will call you soon for a little interview on phone. Because when i talked to them i was told that you have to pay them for workmanship first and i let them understand that the guy have ripped you a lot that you have nothing left and they also feel concern about that too. But they said never the less that you need to pay, which if i have here i would have help you out. I was told that they need $650.00 for this. But baby if you don;t have i understand and if there is a way i can help you out i will okay, so that they can start as soon as possible. They will trace and catch him in every possibility because that is their work and job, to stop curruption.
Back to your question baby, i have a DL but do not have scanning machine to scan over here. But my address in state: 128 Mill Circle, Smyrna TN 37167. I understand that you want to feel safe with me and you want to feel safe on there baby. Now I believe I can do anything with you, cause you are my family in Christ. Baby I want to go to any lenght with you. To travel together and do things together, I want to meet your dad and i want him to know that I have Jesus in my life. And despite because of all what has happening to you, i promise i will treasure you and i will not break your hurt. I don't understand why people think money or materials things is the major thing in life, instead to be seeking the kingdom of God first and all other things will be added unto us. I feel for you for everything you hav gone through...But i know there is a reason why we met and God will keep us safe to be together soon sweetie. It is when i became a believe that i believe that there is nothing God can not do. Sweetie, I got divorce about 4yrs ago and since then i have not met any woman for sex. Because I know it is a sin to my soul. I also want you to know that I have struggle financially before God turn around things to a better way in my life, when i became a photo journalism. Today I thank God for this position i am. So I believe that if you know God He will surely meet all your needs and you have nothing to worry about. Please feel free and don't be hesitate to ask me anything that is not clear to you. Have a wonderful day ahead at work.
I think i have to stop here and read my bible. May this day be a blessing to you and always.
Hope to hear from you soon
Love always
John

Soldier Scam on Tagged.com

A reader alerted us to a scammer she met on tagged.com, who calls himself Christopher Phillips. Christopher Phillips claims to be a soldier in Afghanistan and needed her to pay to get him deployed early so he can come back to the states. She called him on his scam and thank goodness didn't send him the money. His email address is crichardphillips@yahoo.com
She sent an email to the email address he gave her to send the money to with nothing in the subject and nothing in the body of the email. She received an email back from a supposed government agency asking her if she wanted to send money for the soldier. Wow, wonder how they knew? (Of course it is because it's the scammers email address, not the us governments!)

Tagged.com Scammer Mike Bill Forgets Which Sex He Is

A woman just sent us the 2 letters she received from a "man" on tagged.com. Read both letters and you will see in one "Mike Bill" writes that he is female, the other, male. In one he works in hotel/rest. management, the other, a certified chef. Watch out for Mike Bill with the email address : mike.bill001@yahoo.com because they are a scammer. This is also shows how many male Nigerian Scammers post as both men and women.

From: Mike Bill <mike.bill0001@yahoo.com>Subject: TO THE ANGEL OF MY LIFETo: XXXXDate: Sunday, October 4, 2009, 3:12 PM
Hello

Am from Los Angelos, but right now in Lagos Nigeria. I am single i have been married before with 1 kids, am an Italian - grew up in Troy NY - Went to catholic schools to the age of 13-Troy High school. Went to local 2 year college HVCC. Transferred to Plattsburgh were I graduated with a degree in Hotel Rest. Management. I am a very laid back and fun loving gentle man. I have many varied interests, and can hold a conversation on many different subjects. I try to be as honest as possible, can find humor in almost any situation.Love being outdoors also either by the river or the lake.I was raised with a strike Christian background and taught from a young age to always respect myself and other people. I have decided to specifically state where I stand about religious faiths. The Bible says do not be unequally yoked. I'm not into a bunch of the different doctrines that are out there. I am a Christian. I live my life as a Christian. I would love to raise children in a Christian atmosphere. Just as I stated earlier, Jesus is the head of my life. He is my Lord and Savior, and I can't thank him enough for all he has done for me. He has blessed me so much that I would never want to disappoint him, because you never know, the blessing it may cost, is our love. The Bible says (KJV) Matthew 6:33, But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteous; and all these things shall be added unto you." and that includes MEMost of all, I am a Christian and I strive to live according to how GOD wants us to live. His word says "Extra-marital sex is Fornication." That is an abomination of God. So, having said that....when we meet, I'm not having sex with you! I am saving myself until the next time I get married. Don't take me lightly on that, because you will find out the hard way, I mean what I say.I am a sassy, smart, strong-willed female. I enjoy doing just about anything outside. I jog/ride bikes on a regular basis. I grew up in the state, so I am not afraid to try just about anything. I am not afraid to get dirty, love riding four-wheelers. I am quite adventersome and enjoy learning new things. I am an animal lover, in my life I have had many different animals as pets, from Raccoon to horses. I currently have a cat. One of my quirks/traits is that I can coax up almost any animal. Most animals are drawn too me. And its hard for me to resist wanting to keep them.I would say that my biggest fault is that I have no use for lazy people. I am not looking for a coach potato or a person who does not work. Occupation really doesn't matter to me as long as you work hard. I am seeking an active, quick witted, strong minded, woman who is not afraid to be a woman. I like somewhat cocky, self-assured women who are active.I'm a quiet, kind, loyal. A great meaning for me is a human's soul. Circle of my interests is various. I like the literature, music, and cinema. personality traits are; calm, honest, kind, loyal, flexible, elegant, sociable, sensitive, gentle, cheerful, optimistic, romanticAm very understanding,open minded with a heart of forgiving, loving and caring with sense of humor, hard working with cheerful character,honest,sincere,kind, warm and intelligent with good lookI am an energetic and sociable person. I appreciate decency and sincerity in a relationship between a woman and a man. The inner beauty is more important for me than the beauty of appearancehave fully decided to be a role Model to my children when i have them and a good, loving and caring husband to my wife.But I doesn’t want to mess myself with the wrong woman.I am a man who possess these qualities: loving, faithful, ki nd, compassionate, honesty, trustworthy, caring, sincere, loyal, friend, morals, easy to talk to, and passionate I have no problem in communicate about feelings, needs, wants, hopes, dreams, problems, solutions, and other things that can make a relationship work. I know communication is part of a healthy relationship. Without it relationship is doom for failure. I have no problem listen to someone I love.My perception of an ideal , I would like to see near me clever, intelligent, and reliable man. Which would require my emotional heat, capable to like and respect the woman. I have to let you know aswell, that am an honest person as i have said, and i have to be honest with that, i don't have any boyfriend at present now and am not in any serious relationship. am a great giver because I so much believes in the Multiplied returns and that's why I doesn’t lack anything. I never speak negatively about people, I take less and listen more to people and does not jump into other people's affairs. I wish to open a new world in the world of your soul. And if I understand you are the Only whom I am seeking, i share with you all your sorrows and joys, Ii will be your best friend and life partner I like to travel very much. It is very interesting to get more knowledge about the new countries, new people and traditions. It's great to have such a possibility.

--- On Sun, 9/27/09, Mike Bill <mike.bill0001@yahoo.com> wrote:
From: Mike Bill <mike.bill0001@yahoo.com>Subject: HELLO TO THE ANGEL OF MY LIFETo: XXX>Date: Sunday, September 27, 2009, 9:54 AM
Dear Love,My Dearest XXX, I met you some weels ago on the Internet, and since that time, I have grown to love you so deeply. I have heard it said that online romances don't last, but I disagree. I know that what we are doing may be considered wrong by some, but I also know what I feel in my heart, and I know that it's real.I lay awake at night, sometimes, and I cry 'cause I miss you so much. I know that we can't change the past, and I know that we can't predict the future, but my heart does not lie ... I am so in love with you.When you kiss me so tenderly, my heart skips a beat. When I look into your beautiful eyes, I can see how much you love me. When we make love so sweetly and passionately, I can feel the emotion just by holding you closely... we may not be together now in person , but our love still goes on, and I just want you to know that you are precious to me and no matter how this story turns out, I will always love you, now and forever.
I am looking for someone who wants a relationship based on being equal partners.Some one who believes that communication is what helps a relationship endure.I am looking for a woman that is as tired of playing games as I am. The past several relationships that I have been in move along fine to a certain point. It seems like once you near that serious commitment stage that people tend to turn tail and run. This is what has happened to me. People say they want a serious committed relationship but when you get to that point, they bail out. The woman I am looking for should know what she wants and be very good in communicating. she should be good at expressing her opinions and feelings to her mate as well as be good at listening. Communication is very important in a relationship. Also, she should be able to put her relationship first as it should be the one of the most important things in her life.I am a certified chef so I love to cook. Myself cooking a nice dinner with candle light, a little wine, and some soft music would be a great evening to me. It would give us time to share and talk and get to know each other.I am an old fashioned romantic and tend to be a touchy feely kind of man. I enjoy quiet times with that special someone, holding hands, hugging, cuddling up to each other. I also think that the sexual part of a relationship is very important and you must be on the same wave here also. I know and believe that this part of the relationship comes in time and is not rushed into, but thought I should mention that I am both a touch feely and sexual person, and that these parts of a relationship are important to me.I am Looking for a woman that need Love and a woman that is Ready to be Loved..a woman that will be loving and caring..a woman that is responsible and a woman that is hardworking..a woman that has love in abundance and is Ready to give it out..a woman that needs care and support in Life..A woman that will be there for me In The Good and Bad time of my life..a woman that we will live together and Bear children and a woman that will Love our Kids and take Good care of them and a woman that we will like happily.I'm not looking for a woman from this or that part of the world, I'm looking for a special woman to come into my life, someone I could give my life and care to… Maybe I simply wasn't lucky to find the right person here , but honestly speaking, woman in our country are just another story: generally they are not family-oriented, they don't know how to treat men right, many drink alot, they don't know how to support the family and just "enjoy" the chance to put all the responsibility on men’s shoulders… I don't want to say that all of them are the same, but the main tendency is just like this…I think life can be full only when there is someone to share it with, and I'm looking for a woman who will understand me, care of me, who will trust me and whom I will trust, who will treat me as a Loving man, as a man, and if she does this - I will do anything to make her happy, I will always be by her side, I will share all good and bad times with her no matter what happens in life…
I'm looking for a loving, caring, fair woman to give her everything I have, all the life I possess, all the feelings I have inside… I'm very understanding, loving and affectionate person, and I'm seeking for the same qualities in my future mate, I want her to be family-oriented, with traditional values and serious attitude towards life, marriage and general relationship between a man and a woman. If she was in the company of other man I trust she will be faithful and I'll be the one to please her in any way, not some other man, in public or in private. I'll satisfy her every need.I know about the stories of the girls making so-called "Marriage for convenience", marrying foreign women just to get citizenship. It seems to me that every country, every nation has good or bad people - on our TV screen they often show programs about foreign women who marry Ukrainian boys and then force them to work as gay. Is this true? Or it’s not? The only thing I'm sure of - there could be some bad guys marrying women "for convenience" and there could be some foreign woman earning money on their spouses, just as there could be woman from Thailand, China and woman from Canada or Germany, and it seems to me its not fair to make any generalization about it…I would never consider myself as looking desperately for any woman to get married with and to leave my country, of course its not a secret that Ukraine is having financial, economical problems, the level of life is not high here comparing to other countries, but the materialistic side of life will never be a priority for me, I do need to love a person and to feel his love with me, what will be the one and only reason for marriage. I think it is a natural desire for a woman to be always with her man, to feel his presence, his love…So, what do I want in life… I simply want to be happy, I want to love my Woman and to be loved by her, I want to live all my life together with her, life full of mutual care and support, devotion and faithfulness, understanding and trust, to be there for her no matter what life's darkness casts upon her…

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Internet Dating Sumitted Story

I met this guy on one of the dating site and we seemed to hit it off right away. We wrote to eachother on the internet dating site for a while and then exchanged numbers. I thought I was taking precautions by meeting him at public places for a while and not letting him know where I live. After a few "dates" he told me he was having some money problems and would I mind stopping over his house and watching movies we would rent instead of going out? I thought it wouldn't be a problem, I would be going to HIS house, and I could leave whenever I wanted to. He knew I would know where he lived, so he wouldn't do anything stupid or that would put me in danger. We picked out some movies over the phone that he would get before I got there. I went in, said hello, and sat down on the couch with him to watch a movie. He asked me if I would like a drink and I said yes, and he went to go and get it for me. I was engrossed in the movie when he handed me my drink and I just so happened to look down at the drink just as I was about to take a sip. I saw a weird powdery substance in the drink that made it look a bit cloudy. My alarm bells went off and I excused myself and said I needed to use the restroom. In the restroom I know I had to get the hell out of there, and thank goodness the restroom was right by his front door. I left his house shaken and upset. I drove home and called a friend of mine whose husband was a cop. He got on the phone with me and told me I did the right thing. He said that what most women do not realize is that many women who are raped and killed KNOW where their rapist or murder LIVES. He said that is why they call it DATE rape, because it happens to women that are dating someone, and not always on the FIRST date. He said that if there was a drug of some kind in my drink and I drank it, I may not have remembered what happened. If I didn't know what happened I may not have went to the police in a timely manner either. He made me realize that I was not as careful as I thought I was. I hope this helps someone, I consider myself very very lucky.

Yahoo Scammer Danny Wills Victim Story

Danny Wills
I met this Danish man on yahoo, he viewed my profile and contacted me as I was not a member. His email address is willsd77@yahoo.com. We met and of course hit it off immediately. He told me he was a goldsmith he was self employed out of his home and worked at night making jewelry in his home why would I doubt him. He said he was 56 years old and he was a god fearing god loving man, of course I believed everything he said. I was very sick and was at home off work for three months and a lot of medication he was so concerned and said he wanted to take care of me. We were on the phone all day long he would leave me lovely e-mails poems with a lot of art. He claimed to live in Yucca Valley. Two months into our relationship he said he had to go to you got it Accra Ghana for a shipment of gold he had ordered he was going to be gone for maybe three days. A couple of days after he had arrived, he got robbed and beaten his passport and all of his investments were stolen. I told him immediately that I was not going to send him air fare back home. He was insulted and said he did not need my help, he just need my love and understanding. Two weeks later I broke down and sent him $1,000.00 on my VISA via Western Union. It was not enough. I did not hear from him for about a week. The next call I received was from a Dr. from a hospital in Africa that my husband was dying and that they found my name and number on his cell phone. I stopped answering the calls. A week later he called outraged the I did not love him he had been on his death bed that he needed blood and that they had to shock him back to life. A week after that, which is about a month of drama I finally sent him $600.00 via Western Union these were sent to Michael Nykrao the manage of the hotel where he owed money but the message on the wire was that the money was for Danny Wills. He c alled me the day he received the last of the money he needed to get home and told me he was going to come home and make amends so that we could start our life together. He arrived back in the US on a Saturday and called me to tell me that he was going to come down the next day to pay me and to finally meet his wife. I have not heart from him again. I tried calling his cell phone and it is off. I am a small town girl, very trusting and honest and it shocks me that people could do things like this. I also forget the Satan can also quote the bible. It scared me that I could not tell the difference between god and satan. I can never tell my family as they would never understand, but I really did fall in love with this man, he always was too perfect. I can blame some of my stupidity on the heavy doses of medication I was on along with chemotherapy. I am glad to say that I am back at work and my days of getting so caught up in computer land I hope are over. I learned a very hard lesson and I hope this story will help someone else. This man is Danish and has a beautiful accent. He is very articulate and can be anything you need and want so please be careful!!! I don't know if I will every trust again. Thank you

UK Readers and Scam Victims PLEASE Sign This Petition!!

I recently came across a website that I wanted to share with you all. The owner of this site is working very hard to stop the scammers (and help the victims) and has a petition that can do just that. Western Union is one of the scammers main tools that they use to successfully con innocent people out of their money. Western Union refuses to give the victims the information they need like the address at which their money was collected. I urge anyone that is reading this and is a citizen of the UK to please sign this petition to help make the company more accountable and helpful to the victims of fraud. You can find the petition here : http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/InterFraud/ The Petition reads as follows: "We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to Ensure that Western Union and other payment service providers will inform Internet fraud victims of the address at which criminals collected their money.Internet fraud and associated junk mail flourish because Western Union and other payment service providers offer anonymity to fraud criminals. Western Union handles most Internet fraud transactions, but will refuse to give victims information about the agency office used by the criminals for cash collection. It is impossible for victims to obtain the information which would allow us to identify the agency offices concerned, publish details and to alert law enforcement agencies. It seems inconceivable that victims (who are paying customers of Western Union) should not be able to know the exact location of the offices used by the criminals to collect stolen funds. If action is not taken, Britain will remain a safe haven for fraud criminals - and more of them will seek to settle here.The Euro Payment Services Directive must soon become part of UK law, but it has nothing to say regarding transparency in the case of fraud conducted via Western Union and other payment service providers. Our government must act to protect the vulnerable." The website itself can be found here http://www.data-wales.co.uk/nigerian.htm

Getting Your Money Back and/or Your Scammer Arrested!

So many people who have been victims of sweetheart or Nigerian dating scams have asked us two main questions:

1. How can I get my money back?
2. How can I get my scammer thrown in jail?

There are reasons these scammers are so successful and never get punished. The first is jurisdiction.

A cop from New York can not go to Florida and arrest someone on the street. He is out of his jurisdiction. He is a cop in New York and in New York ONLY. So for a police officer in your state to take your case of a scammer living outside your state or in Nigeria is a problem. How can the officer investigate someone in Nigeria? Who is going to pay for him to go there, and would they even do it? Nope. Have you heard of someone murdering or raping someone in this country that fled to another country? Why do they flee to another country? Because it is hard to get then BACK into this country, and with some countries IMPOSSIBLE.

The second issue deals with where was the crime actually committed. In the USA or Nigeria? Yes you sent the money from the states but you sent it to Nigeria. So which is it? If it is decided it is Nigeria, then it is up to NIGERIAN law enforcement to prosecute, not the United States. (People in the UK are also big-time victims of the Nigerians as well.) So now you can see what you are up against when it comes to punishing your scammer.

The next is getting your money back. I wish more than anything there was an organization to help you, but so far I really haven't FOUND one that has shown results. If anyone reading this HAS gotten their money back with the aid of an organization please let me know. There are thousands of FAKE emails from FAKE organizations offering to help you, but they got your info from your scammer, to scam you AGAIN. The scammer has most likely already spent your money, so even if by some chance they were found, how would you get your money back? Wouldn't you have to sue them? How do you find a lawyer in Nigeria to take your case? Do you have to go to Nigeria? What if you go through all that, win, and the scammer has NOTHING to pay you back with?

Most of the scammers use internet cafes because they don't even have a computer or internet access. In this country you can sue people, win, and SOMETIMES you can get your money back, or some of it. Quite often, you DON'T (case in point - o.j. Simpson). I hate to say it, but the odds are not in your favor of getting your money returned to you. What you can do is stop the scammers by putting their email address, name, photos, and emails out there for others to find before THEY become victims as well. If at any time we can direct you to someone who really can help you, we will. For right now, we will create a list of things you CAN do.

OMG - The Scammers are Now Using Obama's Name!

And now, just when you think it could not get any more ridiculous - the Nigerians are sending emails on behalf of Obama's Foundation (even though they are so stupid they did not realize The Obama Foundation just sounds better and more official..but whatever) to 'help' those who have been scammed by scammers. Hmmm, they must be running out of ideas.

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: OBAMA'S FOUNDATION <info@atlanta.us>
Date: Wed, Sep 16, 2009 at 8:01 PM
Subject: Beneficiary
To:


--
Greetings to you,

On behalf of the Obama's Foundation, we wish to notify you as a beneficiary of
$200,000,000 USD in compensation of scam victims.Do contact HSBC INTERNATIONAL
BANK, United Kingdom Branch for verification and release of your $200,000,000
USD that we have deposited with the HSBC BANK,UK.


The account log on will be presented to you by the bank in order to access the
funds before releasing into your nominated bank account. You will transfer the
funds into your nominated account on-line as the HSBC BANK,UK will provide the
necessary information to you. We have taken care of the cost of transfer
(C.O.T) and the VAT.Please if you are willing to accept the funds, do contact
the Managing Director of the HSBC BANK,UK with the following details: You are
to fill the appropriate form and submit to the bank.

[1] Full Names:________________
[2] Contact address______________________________
[3] Direct Telephone No: ________________
|4| Occupation : _________________________
[5] Age :_______________

Managing Director of the HSBC BANK,UK
Name: Mrs. Roseline Wood
Private Email:mrsroselinewoods@i12.com


Yours Faithfully,
Dr.Caravan Marvis
Co-ordinator.
OBAMA'S FOUNDATION

Once you Respond to a Scammer They Email You Forever!!!!

Several weeks ago, I decided to respond to one of the stupid scammer emails just to screw with them, get them all hopeful and then WHAM-O... let them know they were duped. After sending that one email to them, I get at least one thing from them on a daily basis. So far:

1. I have won the lottery
   
   
2. Designated as the beneficiary of a doctor who died in a plane crash in 2003
   
   
3. Asked to help some US soldiers removed stolen money from Iraq
   
   
4. Asked by a dying man in Portugal to be his bride so I can help get the money away from his evil family (he even sent me photos of his coloscopy - so I got to see this inside the asshole of this asshole - I am sure they were stolen photos by the way)
   
   
5. Contacted by an attorney to help transfer $8.5 billion of an Egyptian official who died in the EGYPTIAN AIRLINE 990 crash
   
   
6. Contacted by the FBI
   
   
7. Contacted by some women who told me to stop talking to 'her man who she was giving all her money to'
   
   
8. Contacted by a businessman in Hong Kong for a business deal where they want to give me USD 19,500,000; Contacted by Nimaat Mohammed 27 years old from Zimbabwe whose mother was recently murdered in the countries elections who has $12,500,000 in diamonds and gold
   
   
9. Informed that I won the EURO MILLONES LOTTERY INTERNATIONAL PROMOTIONS PROGRAM
   
   
10. MRS. YOSHIKO ISHII in Japan wants me to go into business with her
    
    
11. Mr Song Lile wants to transfer $19,500,000 out of his Hong Kong bank into MY bank account
    
    
12. Mrs. Susan Derrick of New Braunfels, Texas to stop contacting those people because they were trying to steal from me to but contact Mr Scott Daniel instead, "who only charged $500 for the paper works to transfer your Fund into your account, instead of dealing with those liars that will be turning you around asking for different kind of money to complete your transaction"

Only one of these was a 'dating' experience, the one where I got to see the photos of my 'true loves' rectum, but once they got my email address my in-box was flooded with emails coming in from Portugal, China, Japan, Uruguay, Columbia, Nicaragua, Spain and Texas; the funny thing though is that the IP addresses although they tried to mask it, were all coming from guess where? NIGERIA or The Ivory Coast. The point being, they are relentless in their quest to get some money, any money from the uninformed.

Tagged.com : Scammer Central gives my MOM the boot but not the scammers!

TAGGED.COM has been brought to our attention numerous times because of the constant and consistent barrage of Nigerian scammers on their site. So many people have written in to us to share their experiences with TAGGED.COM and the scammers that fill their inboxes with emails in an attempt to establish a rapport. The Nigerian scammers have made TAGGED.COM a playground for themselves and use the site as the perfect place to meet their victims.

TAGGED.COM has reached a new low. My mother asked me to help her set up a TAGGED.COM account for her, and I did. I made her aware of the fact that there are many many Nigerian scammers on the website and she said she would be careful and if she got any suspicious emails she would let me know. This past weekend my mother returned from a cruise and decided to check her TAGGED.COM inbox while she was playing on her computer. She alerted me right away that there were 17 emails in her TAGGED.COM inbox and that they ALL looked suspicious. She told me how they pretty much were all from men under the age of 40 (she is over 50), they all looked like male models, and they all gave their yahoo messenger names wanting her to chat with them.

She said the emails were very similar to ones she had seen as scammer letters on my website. *DING*!! Scammer alerts! Suddenly out of no where she was bounced out of her account and when she went to log in the site said her account was canceled!!! TAGGED.COM gave my mother the boot but the scammer accounts were all still there!!

Can you believe this?

My mother is legit. She got HER account canceled. I was super pissed. My mom tried to write to TAGGED.COM to find out why she was given the heave-ho and found there was no way to do it without having an account!!! How could she write them if her account was canceled? She couldn't.

Well, I could. I set up a TAGGED.COM account immediately with my email address and wrote to them on her behalf. I explained the situation in detail and demanded an explanation or a re-instatement of her account. Two hours later TAGGED.COM requested an email sent to them from my mothers email account, which she did immediately. Guess what happened? NOTHING.

TAGGED.COM was given more then enough time to handle this matter, and they chose instead to do squat. My mother had an account for a very short time and other than one email every single person that contacted her was a scammer. EVERY SINGLE ONE. Whatever set off the alarm bells at TAGGED.COM to cancel her account is obviously not working properly, because it doesn't catch Nigerian scammers (or any other scammer) it catches my MOTHER instead.

If TAGGED.COM wants to become Nigerian scammer central, so be it. That is their choice. I for one choose not to use their service and warn everyone who does have a TAGGED.COM account to be very very cautious. If you want to internet date use an internet dating SITE (not that they are safe either necessarily) and avoid TAGGED.COM like the plague.

Nigerian Scammer posing as American Soldier in Afghanistan

We received this today also from one of the visitors to our Dangers of Internet Dating website. Looks like they really like this 'newer' scamming tactic. Detailed below is the actual IM Yahoo session (the Nigerians like to use Yahoo for chat sessions with unsuspecting American ladies on the dating sites). This guy wants her to sent him $445 for some TS2 phone so he can call her and talk to her in person. Hmmmm...

This guy is telling me he is a Capt. in the Army over in Afganistan. And this is what he wanted me to do so we could talk on the phone.... I guess he never heard of Skype.

Christopher Phillips: this is the ts2 phoning service used by the troops
innocent woman: I have a sultry voice
Christopher Phillips: i was told it is a paid service...i can't wait to hear your voice in person
innocent woman: so will it still cost me at this end?
Christopher Phillips: bet you must have a sexy voice
innocent woman: it might since I dont have an international service
innocent woman: Ive been told I do .. but I have also passed as a guy before on the phone when I need to disguise it
innocent woman: lol
Christopher Phillips: i was told is $445 to get the service...No if the money for the service is a paid...i will be the one to call you
Christopher Phillips: so i wnt you to get this done for me boo
innocent woman: I sang in rock groups for years and I taught prisoners for the State of Florida and I would come home hoarse every day and messed up my vocal chords..
Christopher Phillips: are you there Honey???
Christopher Phillips: lol
innocent woman: Are you trying to telll me I have to pay $445?????????????????
Christopher Phillips: Yes for the Ts2 phoning service...that the amount it is been done
Christopher Phillips: i want you to do this so we can talk in person Honey...aia'm with the inf Batt Babe...in afghan here
Christopher Phillips: Honey???
Christopher Phillips: u there
Christopher Phillips: where r you?
Christopher Phillips: come and talk to me Babe
Christopher Phillips: Kiss
Christopher Phillips: Angel

Information used with permission.

American Army Captain finds GOLD in Iraq - New Nigerian Scam

Well it appears the Nigerian Scammers have reach a new low by using American Army Captains as the bait for the email, that the receivers of those emails will more likely fall for it. I guess they think we will just fall for it since they are using the US Army as their new scam?

Well I had a little fun with this guy today, CAPT. EDWARD JONES [chinajy@vip.sohu.net] who sent me the following email. I wrote him back and asked for a higher percentage and although he didn't like it and told me so, he agreed...after he checked with his ringleader. He is still sitting in his little lean-to shack internet cafe somewhere on the Ivory Coast, based on his IP address.. My comments in RED.

Dear Friend,

I am an American soldier, In foreign service with the Third infantry Division in Iraq, I and my superior moved part of discovered funds belonging to fleeing regime leaders in Iraq, the total amount is $50,000,000.00 US dollars.

This money is being kept safe in a secured location we would disclose to you later.You can go through this web link to understand events that took place in Iraq. oh very nice, they even included a link to the BBC web site and that article and site ARE legit, nice touch.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/2988455.stm

Basically, since we are in government service and we are not allowed to have or keep discovered looted funds around us, we have decided to look for someone to help us relocate and keep this funds for us, that is why I have contacted you, so that you can keep it for us in your safe account or custody untill we complete our foreign service in Iraq. really shitty spelling there Cap'n and by the way, don't you have to go to West Point to even be considered for an officer? and if you are a West Point graduate, WTF happened to your spelling and grammar?

You will take30%, while 70% will be for me and my partner.This business is confidential, and it should not be discussed with anyone. There is no risk involved whatsoever as it is only me and my partner that knows the present location of the money. I aked him for a 40/60 split and they agreed.. whoopty whoooo

If you are interested I will send you operational details, YOUR PHYSICAL ADDRESS, YOUR FULL NAMES,YOUR OCCUPATION, YOUR TELEPHONE NUMBERS AND FAX,YOUR MARITAL STATUS AND AGE. my job is to find a good partner that we can trust and that will assist us.see now it sounds to me like he is saying he will send the operational details as well as all my personal data. yeah ok, again, West Point graduate? don't think so.

Can I trust you? To ensure confidentiality, when you receive this letter,kindly reply me via e-mail:signifying your interest including your phone and fax numbers for quick communication and also your physical locational address.

Yours Truely <---- you would think they might even use spell check to sound more intelligent?

Capt Edward Jones

NigerianScam Victims Submitted Yahoo Messenger Session

Here is an actual YAHOO Messenger exchange between Nigerian Scammer “John Baker” with one of our readers. Read toward the end to see how totally mean he gets with her because she has not sent the money! And this is the fake license the scammer used to present himself as John Baker...because all Tennessee driver license photos are taken in front of the ocean - especially since Tennessee has NO COAST!

john_baker625: call again honey

innocent woman: busy signal

john_baker625: call again pls

john_baker625: you only missed call me

john_baker625: I just thank God for having you. We are meant for each other and no one can change that. I love you with ALL my heart

innocent woman: 011 2347032669145?

john_baker625: yes honey

innocent woman: well its busy

john_baker625: it's okay

innocent woman: I gotta go my love.. My heart is heavy right now..

john_baker625: pls don't leave me on here baby

john_baker625: So they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, no human being must separate. Mark 10 2-16

john_baker625: ...Love comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith

innocent woman: I had a image of you.... I held you up above the average guys I meet. But right now I do not know what think about all this and my eyes are cloudy and my heart is aching...

innocent woman: I gotta go John... I cant be on here tonight...

john_baker625: : good night

john_baker625: don't cry anymore honey

john_baker625: you are making me feel bad right now

john_baker625: cause you are crying

inocent woman : not as bad as I am feeling... i don't even know what to feel now ... what to think and what to trust..

john_baker625: If I cannot love ... I am nothing

innocent woman: I gotta go..

john_baker625: Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up. Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? The one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves

john_baker625: ok good night

john_baker625: hug and kisses for you

innocent woman: I want to hear what your intenions are.. I do not want to read other people's words... I want your OWN words

innocent woman: I want facts and honesty

innocent woman: and some type of reassurance of who you are

innocent woman: THATS what I want

innocent woman: can you give me that??????

john_baker625: my intetion is to get some money, so that i can be able to get home soon

innocent woman: good night

john_baker625: gud night

innocent woman: you let me down.. made me lose my faith in this.

innocent woman: am soooo damn sad now... I am never ever going to give my heart to another man...

innocent woman: I until I look into their eyes and can feel the love through our veins when we hold each other

innocent woman: no more blank sceens, big stories that turn out to be false, and waiting for someone to call or come on the IM to talk to only to find out that they were just saying things for their own benefit or personal gain...

innocent woman: and that is why I cry

innocent woman: I cry for the false hopes and enpty promises

john_baker625: ooh i see

john_baker625: i am not going to talk to you again

john_baker625: please do me that favor

john_baker625: don't talk to me again and again

innocent woman: OH WHAT EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

innocent woman: WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO CHANGE MY FEELINGS...Nothing!!!!

innocent woman: to get money so you can come home..... ?????????

innocent woman: what is that supposed to mean???????

innocent woman: Why wouldnt you already HAVE the money to COME HOME?????\

innocent woman: ]FINE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Nigerian Scam Vicitms Submitted Story

One of our readers sent her story of recent contact from yet another Nigerian scammer from tagged.com Don't they have anything else to do over there in Nigeria? Seems like they should be growing crops or something rather than whiling away the day at the local internet cafe. Yeah OK James you are God's gift? REALLY? So if you are God's gift why the hell will you be begging money from her very shortly?

To:Me

Date:Aug 12, 2009 8:10 PM

Subject:Hi pretty woman

Message:

I'm God gift. I am totally single and looking, searching through some Profiles suddenly I came across yours it Seems Very Nice to Me...Well am James by name, and I Hope you are doing Great Today and Your Day went as You have always wished...I'm Open minded,Caring,Respective,Easy going,Compassionate,Tender Loving, affectionate ,Trust Worthy ,Honest and God Fearing. Am looking forward to meet an Intelligent, Honest, Caring, and Faithful, loving Affectionate, loyal and understanding woman and I don't know maybe it's you? I was always told that beauty is in the eyes of the Beholder. Today, I can truly say if I was asked to define beauty I'd say it's you. I'm not referring to your physical beauty NO. The minute I saw your profile , It is as if God opened my soul, my spirit , my heart , my very essence of being, Just so I can truly comprehend the glory of your Inner beauty. I pray that my words are touching the depth of your heart because It’s the only way you will truly know and believe that we maybe Soul mates. If you really believe in LOVE at First Sight, if you want to have a future with a man of God who naturally knows your heart, then take my heart and let embark on a journey of bliss pleasure, companionship, friendship, growth, love, and beautiful Moments. I would like to know more about you? ...You can email me J.Sean76atyahoo.com

Take good care Of your self and God Bless you,

Nigerian Scam Victims Submitted Story

We agree with our reader who sent in her story of being scammed by Nigerians. Why is the US allowed to send money via Western Union into Nigeria, but Nigeria forbids money to be sent out? WTF Western Union?


ROMANCE DATING SCAMS
In August 2008 I was approached by a young man claiming to be a soccer scout who was traveling in Nigeria to recruit players for his team here in the US. His name was Mark Donovan from VA. He swept me off my feet with his letters and accent. We began what is considered "internet dating" and I thought this guy was "It". Having been out of the dating realm for 15+ years,

I was taken by his compassion and gentle spirit with me. After a while he began to ask me for money, saying that he had used up his resources buying players and their contracts and that he had a check for $450,000 that he was bring back to the US. But he could not cash it overseas. He even sent me a copy of it.

Long story short, I have sent him over $8800 through Western Union, lost everything I had in my storage unit, my credits, bank accounts, clothing credit line, and numerous other things, from letting my responsibilities fall behind while trying to help him. It has now been 8 months and I still have not seen his face on a cam (but he has seen me), and he is still not here. How he says he is in Amsterdam and needs $2,000 to get home. This, after I had sent him $3,000 for planes tickets for his son and him, in November.
Beware!!! EVERYONE!!

If they sound tooo good to be true, they probably are!!! I have gone on CBS in Atlanta and have a web page warning women (and men) that these people are on these sites and they are looking for kindhearted, gentle people like me, to prey upon. The "Pig Buster" got a hold of my guy on here and he has recently deleted his profile from here. But he is OUT THERE!! Somewhere!! He probably has numerous unsuspecting women sending him money on one of those other singles sites.

He goes by "Barclayplayer, M.Donovan, or Barclaycard. If the picture of him is real, he is very good looking, age 42. I plan on going national with this and need as many women who have been taken as I have to come forward. I know it's embarrassing -- BELIEVE ME! I did things I am very ashamed of on my cam, in the name of "love". But if we don't get this out in the open, they will continue to use us and we will continue to go under financially from these bottom feeders.

I have written to Oprah, and Ellen D, and my next letter goes to "The View", and 20-20. My cover letter is being used on various "Cyber Dating Scams" sites now. My mission is to change the laws for sending Western Unions to Nigeria... Their law forbids them to send money to us!!! Well, that just doesn't seem very fair, now does it???!! Why should we be able to send our hard-earned money to them, but they can't send any BACK to us????!! I have had many women come forward who thank me for being strong enough to do this.

This story was used with permission

Nigerian Scammers post-scam email (the next scam)

After you have been scammed by a Nigerian Scammer, what is sure to follow is a letter from either Nigerians pretending to be an organization (like the United Nations) or from an alleged attorney, who of course does not know how to spell to save his life or create sentences that make sense. They use big words like prolific and effidential...? WTF? Guys really, WTF?



Here is an actual letter sent to someone who had been scammed by a Nigerian Scammer:

From: Collins Collins Subject:
Re: Fund RecoveryTo: XXXXX@yahoo.comDate:
Monday, July 20, 2009, 11:23 PM
REAL CHAMBER & LEGAL FIRM
20TH JULY 2009,

From REAL CHAMBER & LEGAL FIRM.

Attn : XXXXXX

I had the instruction of on said Mr. Tunji regarding the prolific scam act via the internet and the world at large to contact you as your legal counsel and image maker in our chamber here for recovery of the money scammed and frauded from you and also your colleagues. We are capable to handle such issue here in our legal firm.

We request for your effidential proof like a valid ID such like dtriver's lincense or front page of your international pass port or any valid ID to be scanned to us with out no further delay for immediate and effectiveness of the matter and all the transaction details including the western union receipt to be scanned for the establishment of the case.. Due to our commitment and obligation, we have an engagement rule and polict which reuqest for an engagement and retainer fee to be paid as we shall open a file here for you in our firm. This require you to send $ 380.00 ( THREE HUNDRED AND EIGTHY DOLLAR)

Bellow is the account clerk details for pick up of the money which must be sent by western union money transfer.

NAME : YOMI AKALA ADDRESS : 22 CLEM ROAD LAGOS NIGERIA. ZIPCODE : 23401

Letter from Nigerian Scammer from Tagged.com

This is an email someone received from a Nigerian scammer on tagged.com. This is a very typical letter they send out to everyone. Once again notice the misspellings and lack of ability to put together complete thoughts and sentences. And they are always looking for God fearing women because they are so religious themselves and love God. They need to step away from the computers and stick to planting crops.


Date: Aug 12, 2009 3:41 PM
Subject: Hello Pretty, How are you...


Message:
Hello Pretty, How are you doing ? I saw you on this site and wanted to introduce my self , my name is Kelly Brown and i have been in California for just 5yrs, yes i am working but not under any company, i only work based on contract , i am expecting a big contract soon. yes i live in my own home , yes i like boating but not much time for that maybe when i get to know you and we are together, i like sea food ,chiness , and MC Donal , Hummm Honest woman ? Babe i want you to know Love is the greatest of all things , if you have money and you have no love then , where is your happniess , i am not looking for a rich woman , but a woman that is rich in Love , but is good for the two partner to be there for each other always, think there is nothing bad if my partner need my help and i do it for her , love is worth dieing for and i can do anything for love , yes i like to travel as i told you that i am going to have a new experience soon , i want you to pray for me so i can get the contract. I am German,but my mom is from california, and i have been single for years now, my ex wife dumped me and get married to another man,i have a daughter that is 13 yrs old, her name is Tessy. I am ready to find a good woman and when I ran across you on the site God lead me to you. You are a beautifl woman i am sure many men hit on you. I am not looking for a woman to do everything for me, I am able to help the women. I would really like to get to know you more?. I am retiring this year and I want to settle down with a good and God feaaring woman. I do have enough money to take care of me and her for the rest of my life. I think you are very smart looking and fun to be with. please write me back if you interested in me?. I will be happy to read from you .. my IM ID is kelly_brown980 Kelly

Nigerian Online Dating Scams

The Nigerian Scammers are everywhere, they are in chat rooms, on MySpace, almost every dating website online, Facebook, tagged.com, you name it. The way these con artists operate is under the guise of wanting a mature long term relationship, that they are just "looking for love". In truth though, all they are looking for your MONEY.

The Nigerian relationship scammers are a big business, which is very lucrative, and is run just like a business. There is an office filled with people, who come to work to scam you out of your money. They operate with scripts, fake documents to use as "proof" and use each other to answer the phone or call you when need be.
They start off with some sob story about either being a widower, or their wife left them for another man. They usually say they have at least one child. They say all the right things, but you should be realistic and see that they are saying them ALL TOO SOON.


This is a business, they don't want to waste MONTHS getting a payout from you, the longest is usually 4-5 weeks and then they start asking for money. They claim to be businessmen traveling to Nigeria for work related issues, or simply say they work in Nigeria. (Some are getting smarter now and not even telling you it is Nigeria). They seem well educated, funny, caring, and pay you so much attention!

Once they profess their love and you return it, they know they have you hooked and the money scam falls into place. At this point they may either talk about needing money for plane tickets to come and see you (of course they will pay you back, they have the money, and often will offer proof that they do have it) and one of the many excuses is because they can't cash their check in Nigeria;the check is late; or it is coming any minute. Of course, when you go to the airport to pick them up, they never show, and while you are crying and upset, they either call and tell you they had missed the plane, there was a problem with their paperwork and weren't allowed to leave the country, or a sudden illness/accident occurred!

Now they need MORE money, and the scam continues until you stop paying. You would think after getting some money from you they would be on to the next, which is wrong. Their motto is "bleed them dry til they have nothing left". I cannot tell you how many people have become victims to this scam, and have been left with not just a broken heart, but in financial ruin as well.

Could You Fall Victim to a Con Artist? Part 2

Con Artist Red Flag 6:
Promises - you make them and must keep them or else, yet they always break them.
If you are constantly forgiving them for not coming through with their promises, you have shown the con artist what they can get away with, and believe me, it will escalate, and escalate. But if YOU don't keep YOUR promises, you are in BIG trouble with the con artist!! If you are always being forgiving (and they are the ones always screwing up) but they are sooo unforgiving when YOU "supposedly" screw up take a step back, and ask yourself "Why do they always expect ME to be understanding when THEY never are!" This is not healthy, and is not a part of a good relationship.

Con Artist Red Flag 7:
Selective Amnesia and other tricks of the con artist
Notice how when you bring up promises the con artist made to you they deny having ever said it or have forgotten they have said it? This is the con artists version of "selective amnesia", where they hold you to every thing you have said, but when you call them out for what they said, or promised you, they have "forgotten", or you misinterpreted them, or misunderstood. No you didn't. It is their manipulation of their words, they can take them back at any time, change them, however you cannot.

Speaking of words, another word game of the con artist is to promise but never deliver. Keep the victim on the string by promising them or talking about what will happen "someday". (Someday is never going to come, by the way.) You have heard it all, but what have they DONE? What have you really SEEN? Anything? If their words say one thing, and their actions another, you are being conned. People seem to feel words are more important than actions, when in actuality, it is the REVERSE. And, if the actions and words don't MATCH, then the WORDS are LIES. If they tell you they love you, do their actions show it? No? Then they don't love you. If all the promises they make and plans they make are for the future, not NOW, the reality is you have NOTHING now. You get so caught up in what is going to happen "someday" that you don't focus on what is happening TODAY, and that's how they string you along with such ease, and you are like the hamster on the wheel, never getting anywhere.

Con Artist Red Flag 8:
The con artists version of "proving your love"
If the con artist is implying that by not investing money, letting them use your credit card, loaning them money, buying them gifts, footing a bill, that you don't love them, ask yourself this question: Would every member of your family or all of your good friends loan you money, invest with you, foot your bills, etc? No? Does that mean your friends and family don't love you? NO. And since this con artist has a family of his OWN and friends of their OWN why is it always YOU bailing them out? With everything you have done for them, said to them, etc already, why doesn't any of THAT prove you love them? Why must YOU continually prove YOUR love?

Con Artist Red Flag 9:
The military career, the government job with the C.I.A, F.B.I., or undercover police officer, etc
I am not saying that ALL internet daters cannot legitimately work any of those jobs, but way to many con artists use these lines of work to avoid answering your questions, keep from meeting you, hold them unaccountable if they don't call/write/show up, and afford them the luxury of an excuse for just about anything. Please, use your head, an undercover police officer cannot tell their FAMILY and FRIENDS but they are going to tell YOU, someone on the internet that they don't KNOW? Get real.

How many of you has heard of someone talking to an employee of the F.B.I that is awaiting "clearance" so they can meet in person or meet them at work? We have heard this so many times, and wonder how people can believe this! You really think an F.B.I. employee is going to ask his bosses to check into someone they met on the internet so they can meet them or meet them at work? Gee, that could be a great career move, don't you think? Use your head!

Con Artist Red Flag 10:
They would be rich/successful/or not in trouble if.....
Here is the "woe is me" part of their script. There is always someone that "supposedly" screwed the con artist over. (actually, they may give NUMEROUS examples of being screwed over) This is because they do not accept responsibility for anything and blame someone else, and also to illicit sympathy from the victim.

All content and images copyrighted by dangersofinternetdating.com and cannot be used without permission.

Could You Fall Victim to a Con Artist? Part 1

Con Artist Red Flag 1:
Con artists have many friends and family members but you never seem to meet them
Con artists know that to be effective they have to hide their past. They are smart enough to know that if they come across as "loners", this may raise a red flag with their next victim. They will often go into great detail describing their friends, family members, co-workers, and experiences they had together. In a way, this makes them (the friends and family) "witnesses" to the lies they are telling you, and give the victim of the con artist a false sense of security. They wouldn't lie about their experiences or who they are if you can easily verify their lie by speaking with their friends and family and associates, right? Wrong. You will NEVER meet these people!

Con Artist Red Flag 2:
Con Artists know that you won't give your money to someone that has none of their own so they brag about how much money they have, or will soon have.
The con artist will try to show you how intelligent they are, make you believe they have an education that they don't, have a career and experience that they don't, and have money that they don't. They then, after convincing you of these things, ask you to pick up a tab (of course they will pay you back, they have the money, it is just tied up right now), invite you to join them in a money-making opportunity (they know what they are doing, they are successful, right?) and present it as if you would be a fool to not take this opportunity.

If you are going to be a couple, you have to have trust them, right? They make you feel that if you don't trust them and do what they ask, the relationship is doomed, and it will be YOUR fault because you didn't trust them. They also want to create the illusion that they are always busy, because they have so many things going on, because then it won't seem so strange to the victim that the con artist isn't available to talk, email, phone, or meet. The only thing they are really busy with is another con, involving another VICTIM, who is being told the same things you are.

Con Artist Red Flag 3:
Con Artists make you feel bad or guilty for questioning them.
There is a big difference between making a decision with your head or your heart. They are smart enough to know that if they win your heart, you money will be a piece of cake to snatch from you. The problem with most people is once they have given their heart, they make all decisions following that with their heart, not their head. Always remember money is a BUSINESS decision and must be made with your HEAD.

The nanosecond money is discussed, a background check should be the first investigate tool you use. The con man knows that most people feel guilty or "bad" for doing such things, and count on you not to do it for that reason. There is no harm in verifying the information being given to you, especially where money is concerned. You have a RIGHT to have that information. If you are considering "investing" financially (or with your heart) in a relationship, invest in a background check as well.

Con Artist Red Flag 4:
Inconsistency At the beginning the con artist will come on strong.
They will try to achieve a "fast sell" very quickly. They will talk for hours on the phone, email you constantly, chat with you on the computer, have kind words and compliments and "warm and fuzzies" by the bucketload. As you get closer to giving them what they want, they will pull back on that behavior. First of all it wasn't genuine in the first place, but the con artist knows that by pulling away and being inconsistent they will make you begin to feel insecure, and this would make you more likely to give them what they want! They take the stance of "I have done everything in my power to show you I am genuine, now it is YOUR turn to step up to the plate". In actuality, what DID they really DO??? Nothing, they just talked the talk. It's what they are good at, not how they REALLY feel about you.

When you catch a con artist in a lie he will get VERY angry with you and turn the tables on you. It is not YOU that is allowed to be mad at THEM for lying, it is THEM that are mad at YOU for questioning them. (THIS IS A HUGE RED FLAG) They will also make you all these promises for the future, of how they are going to take care of you, help you, marry you, etc, yet when you bring these things up further down the line they will DENY having ever even SAID it.

Con Artist Red Flag 5:
You are keeping information or lying to friends and family.
If this person IS such a wonderful person, why can't you tell people the truth about them? Because they would get mad? Yes, they would, because they REALLY DO love you and don't want you hurt. If you ever have to hide your relationship or details about it from those who have PROVEN to be trusted, you are actually HELPING the con artist to succeed! The best and easiest way to con is to separate the victim from friends and family that would HELP them, or WARN them. You should be able to tell the truth about your relationship, and if you cannot, it is because you are being conned, taken advantage of, and mistreated. It is time to face the facts.

Background Report Background Report

Internet Dating / Sweetheart Scams

THE SWEETHEART SCAMS

The sweetheart scam is one of the most devastating scams of all. The victim will not only lose money, a car, property, a business, be left responsible for enormous debt, they will often suffer psychologically and emotional.

The sense of betrayal one feels after being a victim of a sweetheart scam can lead to trust issues (and who can blame them?) and feelings of embarrassment, often so bad they won't report the crimes against them. The internet has been a huge help to sweetheart scammers. The internet has helped them cast a much wider net to "catch" their victims, while they use the cloak of anonymity the internet provides to hide their secrets and schemes, and move on to the next victim.

Many men and women have found themselves the victim of a sweetheart scam, and the come from all backgrounds, races, ages, and education levels. Don't think you have to be incredibly nieve to fall for a sweetheart scam, or that it couldn't happen to you. No victim went into it thinking it could happen to them.

These con artists are professionals, and often make these schemes their sole source of income! Most sweetheart scammers are pulling numerous scams at the same time with multiple victims! Almost every victim of a sweetheart scam has found out, after the con artist "disappeared" that they were not alone and that several others were being duped at the same time.

The term "con" comes from the word "confidence". These people are only as good as their ability to make people believe them, trust them, fall in love with them, and give them money. The con artists in these sweetheart scams will either use a "quickie" scam to get short-term fast cash or the more elaborate scams, that take more time and often will even marry the victim! The time they will invest with each victim depends on how much they can get, and how fast, if ever, the victim begins to catch on. They will do, say, or promise you anything because they want you to trust them and believe in them so it is easier to part you with your money.

They will promise you the world - love, marriage, children, dream homes, lifestyles, and business partnerships, anything. The only catch is all the money used to pay for all these things (and so much more !) will have to be provided by you and you alone. They make promises, YOU are required to deliver up front. There are many common scenarios of how the sweetheart scammer will operate, and here is the most common:

Step 1. They will come on strong in the beginning, have tons of time for you, want to speak with you first thing in the morning, and even right before you go to sleep. There will be numerous long phone calls, emails and chats. They will listen to you, size you up and know just what to say to steal your heart. They will often tell you of their dreams, and of course how they either "had it all" or could have had it all but "something" went wrong which is never their fault. (This done for you to feel sorry for them.) They will tell you all about how they never felt this way about anyone, never felt so much so fast, and will talk about being in "love" way too soon. It will be a complete whirlwind romance!

Step 2. They will ask you to help them out financially, whether it is for a loan on a check that is coming "any day" (but never does) or a business deal that is coming through "any minute" (that never does) or a hospital stay, sickness, or some other "emergency". They can also discuss with you buying property to build your "dream home" (isn't that romantic?) or get you to go into business with them because they have been "burned by so many others" but they feel they can totally trust you. (Nope, all part of the scam.)

Step 3. If you don't hurry up and give them the money they want they will pull away, have to focus their attention on making money (since YOU aren't helping) and can't give you the same attention as they did before (and it is all your fault). They will accuse you of not believing in them, trusting them, loving them, and not full-filling your promises. (But they haven't either, have they?) They will offer contracts to protect you, which in reality cannot protect you. If you sign a contact with them, YOU are responsible to pay the debt, they just run. They don't care about their credit! But yours will suffer. And sue them? Now you are going to pay for a lawyer on top of it? And what will you get from them? They often have NOTHING. Even if you win the lawsuit, who will make sure you get paid? It often becomes a CIVIL, not criminal matter, and you wind up with nothing. (If you can even find them after they disappear.

Step 4. When they do get the money, and feel there is nothing else to take or their victim is getting close to the truth they will either vanish out of the blue, or pick a fight with the victim and vanish. Please don't think if you marry this person that it means they are not sweetheart scamming you. Being married to a sweetheart scammer also does not mean they are not married to other people!! (You would be amazed how often this happens!

This story below was sent in and permission given to print to warn others ahead of time so they don't go through the same thing that they did.

All content and images copyrighted by dangersofinternetdating.com and cannot be used without permission.

Internet Dating Gone Wrong Story #5

I Had been writing with "Jeff" whom I met in a gameroom chatroom. We had started just exchanging jokes back and forth and then started writing on a more personal level. He asked a lot of questions, seemed very interested in getting to know me, and I felt flattered. He seemed to really listen to me, and was always quick to write back, which made me feel as though I was important to him. He told me he had tried blind dates and joining groups to meet someone special but had had no luck. He remarked about how suprised he was to have met someone like me in an internet chatroom! Once again, I felt very flattered. He said his computer was going in for servicing and that he may not be able to email me for a while, and I instantly, without thinking, sent him an email with my phone number.

We began to chat on the phone almost daily, and by the second week he told me he was developing some feelings for me, and had to tell me because he wanted to "be honest and up-front about everything, because that was the kind of guy he is". After another week we agreed to meet for dinner. We met at a restaurant at the halfway point between the two of us. He showed up at the place 45 minutes late, looking a bit disheveled, and told me he had come straight from the gym. We ordered dinner, had nice conversation, and it seemed we were both enjoying ourselves. When the bill came I offered to pay my share and he said "No, it was on him". He then went for his pants pockets and realized his wallet was not there, and told me he must have left it in his gym bag in the car. He said he would be right back and went out to get it. After about 15 minutes I started getting nervous thinking he was out there rummaging around trying to find it but having no luck so I told the waiter I was going to look for my date. In the parking lot he was NO WHERE TO BE FOUND.

He left me with the bill, and never returned my messages either through email or phone and I never heard from him again! I decided to try tricking him, and set up a new account and went to the gaming website under a new name to see if he would engage me, and lo and behold he chatted with me for a while, and asked for my email address, and started sending me jokes! I realized that this man was trolling this websites chatroom to pick up women, so I went into EVERY chatroom for a few months and chatted with as many females as I could and warned them of the game he played with me so he could not do this to another woman!

Story used with permission

Internet Dating Gone Wrong Story #4

My internet dating experience was one I will never forget, and has opened my eyes to how anyone can get conned. I was browsing through the internet dating sites, and came across a few men that interested me. I was sending emails back and forth to several of them, taking my time to get to know them, and one by one they all fell to the wayside. One was really "all about sex", one lived too far away, and another just dropped off the face of the earth. All except for Stu*.

Stu told me all about himself, how he was divorced and was looking for someone to be a real partner to him. He sent emails regularly, we had many phone chats, and he made arrangements to meet me in a diner close to my home. We met, hit it off, and the romance blossomed. He told me he never felt like this with anyone before, he felt he had finally found someone he thought he could spend the rest of his life with, and I was on cloud 9!

One day I opened my email and my mouth hit the floor, it was from his email address, but it wasn't from HIM. His wife, who was suspicious, decided to do a little "research" on her own to see what her husband was up to and came up with not only MY emails but emails from 4, yes FOUR, other women!!! I asked to speak to her personally, and she agreed. She realized I had no idea he was married, so although she was mad at him she wasn't mad at me. She sent me the emails he sent the other women, and all of us got together through email and by phone and were shocked that this man had conned us all, and did such a good job! His wife left him and divorced him, I never spoke to him again, but have seen his profile still on the major dating sites, so be warned, he is out there!!

Story used with permission