by TNM49803
I have had 5 men over the last few months write to me online. They post photos that are usually too good to be true. They claim to have a Masters, or PHD. In the end they are scammers from West Africa. They claim to be the nationality of the photo they post, but say that they were raised in the UK in their email, or chat. I guess they think that they sound British enough. However, you will detect a strong West African dialect. After a day or week, they have emergencies and need your assistance because they love you. They want money! or they want you to cash a "fake" check for them.
Please read the article below, and protect yourself. This would also go for men, as I understand it, there are scams that these women are playing also.
•• Common Internet Scams - An Overview
The Internet is a wonderful resource that has revolutionized the way humans communicate and access information. Unfortunately, it has also proven to be a fertile medium for the unscrupulous and the morally challenged. Scammers regularly use email in attempts to steal money or personal information from unsuspecting victims. Those inexperienced in the ways of the Internet are especially vulnerable to these scammers.
Scam #1:
You meet a foreign man or woman on a dating website and within a couple of emails this person is madly in love with you and wants to meet you. The problem is this person does not have enough money to travel to see you and he/she needs your financial help. That is when he/she asks if will send travel money through Western Union. The scam is that this person has no intentions of meeting you. All the con artist wants is your money. Once he/she gets your money, you will probably never hear from this person again...unless he/she thinks you can be conned out of even more money.
Also realize that it can be very difficult for an unmarried foreigner to get a VISA to enter the USA. Many con artists will lie to you and say they have a friend who works for a government agency or travel agency and that their friend can help them get a VISA to enter the USA. THIS IS A LIE AND A SCAM! DON'T FALL FOR IT! These scams are very common with Russian, Filipino and Nigerian men and women. A key is to NEVER, EVER, EVER send a person money who you have never met. If you live by this rule, you will NOT be scammed.
Scam #2:
A man or woman, either foreign or living in the USA, asks you to cash a check or money order for them and then send the money back to them through Western Union. The person promises that the check/money order is real and to please send the money as soon as you deposit the check. The scam is that the check/money order is FAKE and after 1-2 weeks your bank will reject it and remove the money they deposited into your account. The problem is that you already sent the con artist money through Western Union. Now your money is gone, your bank account is empty, and you probably do not have money to cover personal checks you have written. You are now in a world of financial trouble and you could also get into major legal trouble with your bank for check fraud and money laundering. NEVER agree to cash a check or money order from a person you meet online, especially if the person is foreign.
If you have received a check or money order from a foreigner, use the resources below to learn how to tell if it is fake and how to report it.
** http://www.fraud.org/tips/internet/fakecheck.htm **
Nigerian Money Order Scam Information
Scam #3:
This scam is most commonly used against men. You email a woman on a dating site. She replies to you and asks you to go to a website to get her personal contact information so you and her can talk and you can see her on her free webcam. Once you go to the website you will see sexy and sometimes nude pictures of the woman. You will also see forms where you have to register using your credit card for adult verification. This is a SCAM so do not do it.
Scam #4:
You have been talking to a person for a couple of weeks and all of a sudden this person has a tragedy where he/she needs money quickly and you are the only person who can help. This is a classic romance scam so do NOT fall for it. You are talking to a con artist who wants to make a quick buck off of you. Stop talking to this person immediately. A way to handle this is to say you are sorry but you do not have any money help. When you do that something amazing will happen--the con artist will stop talking to you.
Scam #5:
You have a profile on a community website such as www.myspace.com or www.friendster.com and you receive an email from an attractive man or woman saying they want to get to know you. However, there is a catch. If you want to get her personal contact information, you have to go to a website that asks for adult verification using a credit card. Don't do it!
Scam #6:
You are going to be sick to your stomach when you read this. www.Match.com, one of the world's largest dating websites, is being sued for paying beautiful women to respond to men and go on fake dates to get the men to keep paying their /month subscription. And, if that was not bad enough, Yahoo Personals is being accused of creating fake profiles of attractive women to make it appear as if more women subscribe to its service than actually do.
Scam #7:
This is the stolen credit card scam. You meet a person on a dating site, usually a man from Nigeria, and he asks if you will ship merchandise to him that he recently purchased in the USA. For some odd reason, the company he purchased it from can only ship merchandise within the USA. So, he needs the company to ship the merchandise to you and for you to ship it to him in Nigeria. He even offers to let you keep some of the merchandise for your time and because he loves you and wants to give you a gift. The scam is that he purchased the merchandise using a stolen credit card (or multiple stolen credit cards) and you could be liable for aiding him in International credit card fraud.
IMPORTANT - PLEASE READ
There is new evidence that "some" of the Nigerian scam artists are terrorists and members of the Al Qaeda terrorism network. They are using romance scams as a very easy way to fund their terrorism activities. If the person you met online says he/she is from Nigeria and wants you to send them money, cash money orders for them, or send merchandise to them, there is a chance that you are talking to a terrorist. Immediately STOP all contact with this person and report them to the FBI.
General Scam Indicators:
The scams described above are some of the most common types of Internet fraud. However, these fraudsters are clever people who may use many variations of the above scams to achieve their nefarious ends.
In general, be wary of unsolicited emails that:
* Promise you money, jobs or prizes
* Ask for donations,
* Propose lucrative business deals,
* Ask you to provide sensitive personal information
* Ask you to follow a link to a website and log on to an account.
By taking the time to educate yourself about these common types of scam, and/or by sharing this information with others, you can make a valuable contribution to the war against Internet fraud.
The Administrator here is very good about kicking them off if they are made aware. So if this happens to you, please report them and have their profile removed by the Admin.
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