Consumer Alert
Is that person you met online really a military servicemember…or a scammer?
If you meet someone on social media or a dating website or app, how can you tell if their profile is real? They say they’re in the military — but scammers especially like to pose as military servicemembers stationed overseas. What’s the best way to spot a fake?
The short answer is this: if your online friend asks for money, for any reason, they’re a scammer. Everything about their posts and profile is designed to seem real. These scammers often steal real military servicemembers’ names and photos for their fake profiles. Their online chats can feel real and quickly turn to talk of love or even marriage. But they have reasons they can’t meet in person or on video. And the story ends with needing your “help” (= money) urgently. Which, you know, means this is a scammer.
Spot these signs of a scammer posing as a military servicemember:
- Their photo is in several profiles in different platforms. Check out who you’re talking to. Do a reverse image search of the profile picture. Search the name online with the words “scam” and “imposter” to see what comes up. If the details don’t line up, it’s a scam.
- They ask you for money. As soon as an online love interest asks for money, the scam bell rings. And if they ask for money through gift cards, a wire transfer, payment apps like Apple Pay, CashApp, PayPal, and Zelle, or cryptocurrency, all the scam bells ring.
If you think someone is a scammer, cut off contact. Tell the social media platform, dating website or app, and then tell the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. Share this post to alert your friends and followers to this scam.
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The purpose of this blog and its comments section is to inform readers about Federal Trade Commission activity, and share information to help them avoid, report, and recover from fraud, scams, and bad business practices. Your thoughts, ideas, and concerns are welcome, and we encourage comments. But keep in mind, this is a moderated blog. We review all comments before they are posted, and we won’t post comments that don’t comply with our commenting policy. We expect commenters to treat each other and the blog writers with respect.
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- We won’t post comments that include personal information, like Social Security numbers, account numbers, home addresses, and email addresses. To file a detailed report about a scam, go to ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
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June 20, 2024
I met someone who swore he was who he said he was and asked me to accept a package from him that contained money and documents via a diplomatic courier. I said no, because being a compliance officer, know that you cannot bring money back into the US without filling out documents for over $10,000 is illegal. He hounded me religiously to do this. I finally cut off my contact with him because he was relentless. I found that this was also a scam.
June 20, 2024
In reply to I met someone who swore he… by Cheryl
I had someone do that to me also. If I had agreed to help him I could have been arrested for being a money mule. But because I didn't feel comfortable doing this anyway I said no and cut contact.
June 20, 2024
In reply to I met someone who swore he… by Cheryl
I had someone try to send me gold to my home. That was definitely a scam.
People will do anything to rook you into trouble.
Thank you fir for sharing your story.
June 25, 2024
In reply to I had someone try to send me… by Mark
The name didn’t happen to be Rodriguez was it?
June 20, 2024
Such a joke, reporting it to the Social Media platform. All you get is," The content you reported was not removed as it does not go against our community standards "
June 20, 2024
In reply to Such a joke, reporting it to… by Ruth E Drummond
One military scammer literally had 40 (not kidding) profiles on Facebook with exactly the same pic and information. So if you blocked one, another would start to harrass you. I went through and blocked all 40 profiles.
As far as I am concerned, Facebook and other platforms are enablers and accomplices in this illegal behavior, especially since they choose to do NOTHING about it when people have complained. They know it's happening and yet they elect to blame the victims. Rather like blaming the victim who takes the shortcut through the alley and gets attacked. I may have used poor judgement, but it does not give somebody the right to attack me.
June 20, 2024
In reply to Such a joke, reporting it to… by Ruth E Drummond
That's why I left all social media sites and so did my husband. Pretty much YouTube only these days.
June 20, 2024
In reply to Such a joke, reporting it to… by Ruth E Drummond
That’s so very true. They just say you can block them. It seems like warm weather brings out more scammers
June 20, 2024
In reply to Such a joke, reporting it to… by Ruth E Drummond
One of them hit on a photo of me and my husband together and tried this scam anyway. I got the same response reporting it as a fake soldier scam. Don't bother reporting it to Facebook. That response is just offensive--that their community standards not only don't condemn scamming but also permit hitting on women.
June 20, 2024
In reply to Such a joke, reporting it to… by Ruth E Drummond
I’ve had that experience more than once when someone hacks my Facebook page and sends “friend requests” to those who are already my friends. It just happened again, and I got the above message. So someone who steals my name (and sometimes even my profile photo) does not go against Facebooks “community standards”? What on earth? I call it “identify theft”! (And I do limit access to my Facebook page to friends only.)
June 21, 2024
In reply to Such a joke, reporting it to… by Ruth E Drummond
Yep! Social media does absolutely nothing about scammers & the scammers know it. You're on your own, 100%. My mom got scammed, sent her rent money & almost lost her rental, with no money for another home. He/she was so convincing, my mom wouldn't talk to me because I was trying to educate her on what was happening.
June 20, 2024
I have been approached by a man that says he’s an admiral very high admiral and I learned like three days after I started talking to him that he is a scammer. be very careful, be diligent and very careful of who you talk to online because you never know who they really are specially if they won’t meet face-to-face or on FaceTime or something like that
June 21, 2024
In reply to I have been approached by a… by Raenetta King
I'm very concerned about the level and sophisticated deep fakes these days. Not sure you can even trust Face Time or anything not FOR SURE IRL, and never send anything much less money to anyone online like this. Idc what sob story they give. If it sounds too good to be true and/or entirely ridiculous (oil rig, military, inheritance, gold bars, etc etc etc) it is.
June 20, 2024
Thanks
June 20, 2024
They are all over Facebook in personating my husband with his pictures which are not his profile. I have reported him over and over and over again to Facebook. They refuse to delete the accounts.
June 20, 2024
In reply to They are all over Facebook… by Gin
Facebook is the worst.
June 20, 2024
In reply to Facebook is the worst. by Lance
AMEN!
June 24, 2024
In reply to Facebook is the worst. by Lance
Facebook is part and parcel to all scams..advertiser of scams...and the FTC ain't done nothing for it to be so bad as it is. It's all part of that wealth transferance the elite talk about online. It lies to get the poor to buy and no one does anything about it...it's allowed to keep your money on refund policies etc etc... the thieves are the elite....Facebook is on a military base...wake up
June 20, 2024
They usually have a picture with a cute kid and a beautiful dog. Oh, and standing in front of a nice looking house and expensive car in the driveway. Oh, and he just lost his dear wife. What a joke. Never reply to these fakers.
June 20, 2024
In reply to They usually have a picture… by Lynne
And the kid is at boarding school in England....and his mother has cancer.
I had one guy "Bob Jefferson" who tried to tell me he was an Archaeologist and was on an expedition in Egypt, but needed a $100 I-tunes card. It was all so ridiculous. I told him he was a scammer, cut him off and blocked him. He was on an an expedition all right, for my bank accountaccount.
June 24, 2024
In reply to They usually have a picture… by Lynne
You are so right! They are always widowed even if not in the military!
4 years ago I was so scammed by someone saying they are in the military costing me $6000 by the end. It's a hurtful story ending he's coming home from Nigeria to pick him up in Chicago O'Hare Airport. In which he never showed saying customs was holding him for fighting & sending him back if I didn't send $3000. That didn't happen, I was vulnerable after just ending a bad relationship & Western Union just paid out Millions to people from previous years to 2017 for the same fraud scams but though I filed complaints nothing happened, I tried telling Western Union what about scams that happened after this previous lawsuit, they said they will keep my records in the case another suit should open. I felt so hurt, used, stupid for letting this happen. This guy texted me every day for about a year. I think scamming should be taught at schools for teenagers to know about this.
July 02, 2024
In reply to You are so right! They are… by Peggy
I'm so sorry this happened to you. I fell hard for romance scammers due to complete ignorance about social media and the evil that lurks online. I just wrote a long post about my unfortunate experiences that ended with me filing bankruptcy. However I doubt they will post it because I revealed information that would not sit well with any government agency. No names were mentioned. No personal details about me or anyone was included but because my account was so raw, long winded and may have crossed their boundaries I feel the important story I have to share in the hopes no one goes through what I have doesn't happen to anyone.
June 26, 2024
In reply to They usually have a picture… by Lynne
You are so right!
June 20, 2024
I met a man who claims he was military and wanted gift cards for things. He's even using the picture of two kids who he says is his son's to ask for gift cards also.
June 20, 2024
Would it be possible for the FTC to create a Pass It On brochure based on the image above? It would be a great fraud resource to have available at our credit union.
June 20, 2024
In reply to Would it be possible for the… by Ryan Murphy
Thanks for your interest in sharing the message. Here are some ways to get information about romance scams:
> Order copies of the free print Pass It On article about romance scams here: https://www.bulkorder.ftc.gov/publications/have-you-heard-about-romance…
> Print copies of the blog to hand out
> Click on the image from the blog, save it to your files, and add it to your own message - there's no copyright so you're free to use and share.
June 20, 2024
I've seen these fake military scammers for years, mostly on Twitter/X.
I don't understand the auto appeal of, I'm military and serving in [fill in current war].
Like duh, there is nothing really special about us veterans, nor active duty either, so I just laugh at these.
I can understand falling for some of the romance scams, but this one has always felt like a really stupid, bottom of the barrel scam attempt.
June 20, 2024
In reply to I've seen these fake… by Crotalus
You're correct. Speaking for myself, I have so much respect and admiration for our Service Members, so it's kinda natural to be drawn to who we think are "true American Heroes". And every single veteran, and current military, have my undying gratitude.
June 20, 2024
Beware of Yankeetothemoon he has many names
June 20, 2024
In reply to Beware of Yankeetothemoon he… by Kathryn Riel
Facebook is the worst. The last man had 57 profile under the same name and was fake I turned then into Facebook and they did nothing. He instant message me to say he way flying stateside to kill me. Facebook did nothing
June 20, 2024
I was scammed by someone posing to be in the military! They used a guys picture! I was scammed out of a lot of money!!
June 20, 2024
Is it possible for US service people to make sure that only real profiles and viable matches are presented?
June 20, 2024
They don't even check profiles before trying to scam me! I state that I am retired military and it doesn't faze them. I tell them as soon as the chat starts that I am retired military and they keep trying! Criminals do tend to be stupid and this just takes the cake!!
June 26, 2024
In reply to They don't even check… by Dierdre Vans Evers
So True! They just keep trying no matter what! Yet, they are laughably unbelievable!
Don’t fall for it! And NEVER send them money!!!
June 20, 2024
I was scammed for a lot of money years ago (before i even knew about scammers). It was when I was going thru a rough time in my marriage. Boy were they good.
Ill nrver trust anyone again.
June 21, 2024
I was scammed for a lot of money years ago (before i even knew about scammers). It was when I was going thru a rough time in my marriage. Boy were they good.
Ill nrver trust anyone again.
June 21, 2024
thank you for he advice
June 21, 2024
I’ve met a number of these scammers; some claim to be military, others not. They have the most fantastical stories. I seem to ask inconvenient questions, LOL. I’ve been told their stationed at bases in city’s where there isn’t one and one man, would have been the youngest Admiral in the fleet😂 Ask where they’re stationed and their rank/job. And money. They all ask for money.
Please think about what you’re being told. For instance. why would a man who claims to own deep sea oil rigs need me to give him $$ for a SAT (satellite) phone? Don’t believe any of these men.
June 24, 2024
Facebook allows and welcome scams as well. I will not continue to send friend requests Facebook allows scammers to create false accounts in your name. Many people ‘s accounts are hacked because of individuals with too much time on their hands. This is the first attempt to retrieve your personal information is from social media! Why are we allowing innocent people to become victims of identity theft at its finest. May FTC continue to teach us! Thank you.
June 21, 2024
Often when I make a comment in a chat I get some man wanting to friend me. I check their page out and it is always someone who claims to be military and has photos of someone in uniform They also say they like all my posts and my profile which they can't even see because it is private. I just block them and of course a few days later another one comes up
June 21, 2024
When i get a message request, or replying to a post... I delete right away.
I don't respond at all... I already know their Scammers!
June 24, 2024
The military scam got me good! A year and a half of communicating and actually video chatting as well from over seas! He said he was on a special assignment and had been there for a year already! He said he had a daughter and that his wife passed away during child birth! His story actually checked out! 8 months into the relationship , he told me that he had lost his expense card and couldn't send money to his daughter now and ask me if I could loan him the money to send to the nanny caring for the girl! Reluctantly I agreed to help but it kept coming more often until the day he was flying home this March and wanted me to pick him up at the airport! He needed extra cash for travel expense and all together 2600.00 later , I went to the airport and waited for 3 hours and a flight never came! I called both airports that he was at and reported him! The customer service representative was really helpful and told me everything I needed to know! She took a further step for me and call the captain of the fl7ght and told him of the passenger, his name and what he had done! The pilot landed at an airport in Washington DC where police officers were waiting and arrested my guy! He promised to pay me back as soon as he was state side but instead he told me of the arrest but what he didn't tell me is that he was room mating with the arresting officer that picked him up at the airport! The guy was telling the truth the entire time except for the fact he was a lying, cheating, user! I got him back though because I reported him to the AirForce Inspector General and the Department of Defense Inspector General! I'm now waiting for confirmation that he has been apprehended awaiting for court proceedings and a checkfrom the AirForce refunding my money deducted from his pay!
June 25, 2024
Another clue to a scammed is a friend request on Facebook from somebody who already is a friend open the profile and when it says no post available report and warn your friend their hiding behind if you have to ask yourself why would a friend you know is sending a friend request that's a big red flag
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