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While plenty of successful relationships begin online, scammers also use online dating sites, apps, and chat rooms to trick you into sending them money. These imposters create fake profiles to build online relationships, and eventually convince people to send money in the name of love. Some even make wedding plans before disappearing with the money. It’s a big problem: reports to the FBI about online romance scams tripled between 2012 and 2016, and imposter scams were among the top reports to the Federal Trade Commission for both the general population and the military community.

These scams can take a military angle with imposters stealing servicemembers’ photos to create phony profiles. They might claim to be servicemembers who can’t get into their accounts overseas or who need money fast. The first sign of a scam is an online love interest who asks for money. But the Army’s Criminal Investigative Service (CIS) says that the military doesn’t charge servicemembers to go on leave, get married, communicate with their family, go online, or feed and house themselves on deployment. We have also heard of scammers re-using servicemembers’ photos again and again, so it can be helpful to do some online research on the love interest’s name, photos, and details to check the story out.

If an online love interest asks you for money:

  • Slow down and talk to someone you trust. These scammers want to rush you, often professing love right away; or pressuring you to move your conversation off the dating site.
  • Never wire money, put money on a gift card or cash reload card, or send cash to an online love interest. You won’t get it back.
  • If you sent money to a scammer, contact the company you used to send the money (wire transfer service, gift card company, or cash reload card company) and tell them it was a fraudulent transaction. Ask to have the transaction reversed if possible.
  • Report your experience to the dating site and to the FTC.

For Military Consumer Month, share this video to help military consumers steer clear of online romance scams.

 

 

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Unwanted Calls, Emails, and Texts
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Confusedgirl
November 25, 2019
Hi. I wanted some advice. I started talking to a guy on a dating website a month ago. It all seemed to be going well and we chatted every day. He said he was in the marines and that he had to go away for a few weeks. When it came to him arranging to come back he asked me to email his person in command to ask could he come home and not stay anymore. His email address ended in Europe.com and the person in command USA.com. Very early on he said he was falling for me and kept jokingly I thought asking me for my ring size. He started to say his bank was declining his flights back to the UK but never actually asked for money. Although I found it strange that being in the services for 10 years why would your bank be declining. Then when it came to his flight details he messaged to say he was flying back but the flight information he gave me said the flight had landed. I did confront him about things not adding up and he then turned around and said he didnt want to meet me anymore but would still message for now. Do you think this person was being truthful and I've accused the wrong person or was he grooming me for the bigger scam to come? I asked him to call me ince when he was on base and he said his phone kept cracking up so we never actually spoke but the tiny bit of cracking up convo we had I had my doubts over his accent but was too hard to tell.
so dumbfounded
November 28, 2019
I am currently in the middle of a scam and do I feel like a real idiot! At first I was skeptical, but then it took only 3 weeks and David Schultz Martinez started asking for money. I tried to Google his name, but nothing showed up. He’s very romantic, handsome and claims he loves me. I did wire some money for him to take a leave off of the oil rig in Poland-he’s originally from Australia but is a US citizen. But now he is asking for more money so he can get air fare to come and see me-claims he has lots of money and will reimburse me. I am sure I will break his heart when I tell him I can’t get the next wire transfer to him! Boy do I feel stupid! Now I will have to try to get my initial wire transfer money back! How can I report this guy to the authorities?? He found me on Instagram, and quickly wanted to email and use the Hang Out app. Help!
Mrright
February 28, 2020

In reply to by so dumbfounded

Aaron1 Joe smith in instagram with photos of his children and he got blue eyes possible scam been asking me to buy him Steam card
Simona
March 08, 2020

In reply to by so dumbfounded

Block him they alwats want to talk on hangouts because they can hide the email info and I think once they get money they will just dissapear
Adriana
November 28, 2019
Hi my name is adriana I had a guy named marcus raymond on Facebook and I found out he has other names with the same pic goes also as omar laquidara he scammed me fro 2, 350. Recently I saw him on the 6 news he did the same thing to as n older women but she caught up to him and told the 6 news. Idk where to go to say this and aware alot of ppl.
Cekquist
November 28, 2019
Anyone hear of Sgt Bradley Snyder on IG he is snyderburges. I've been talking to him for couple of weeks. Says his wife and parents are deceased. He's stationed in West Africa. He's just started asking me to get him a gift card.
Helpless
November 29, 2019
Hello everyone, I have also used CMB online dating and if you guys come across a guy name JAY NGYUEN job as a Pilot located in Richmond but his profile say Centreville age is 45. RUN! he is a scammer. I almost fell for his scam until he asked me for money. I wont be scammed and I don't want to see anyone else getting scammed as well.
OMG
December 26, 2019
Has anyone talked to someone “name” was David Dave, very handsome says his wife died 3 years ago in a car crash and he has 3 boys. He is in Afghanistan right now on a peacekeeping mission and wanted to come home. I have to “pay” for him to come home. He had me email ‘department -of- defensebase @ ’ telling them I was his fiancé and wanted him home for his kids. He said I needed to wait for an email to see if he can come back and how much it would be. I told him I had read up on paying for application fees for leave and that there is no paying bc army takes care of it all..he told me that they were different. I also was able to do a video chat and it was him in the video but as others stated it was very broken and you couldn’t hear anything. He would not do it again Bc he didn’t have access to anything. (hangouts found me on fb) I did some digging and found that some of the pics were on sites that said they were stolen and apart of a romance scams. Since he was “falling in love” so fast and had already asked me to send $50 in a game card for his kids, after I told him I had no funds he got upset and said I wouldn’t be a good mother bc I couldn’t help him with something so simple. And that I wouldn’t use my money to help him when he needs it most. Also got upset that I told him I would like to talk to his kids and give them the info of the card. He said they were in orphanage and he o my had access to them. Just be careful..I did make the mistake of calling him out and he got so mad and told me he will find where I live just to show me he is “real” and that he didn’t want to lose me bc he would be lost without me. *eyeroll* His email on hangouts was military base 3910 @ on fb his name was bu jay what his mom called him..oh and his parents died when he was young and was the o my child..be careful
Used the same …
December 03, 2019
I think the scamer is from India. They used this guy s pix and create a fb account. Says to text one on one bcause not safe to text on messenger because the army does not allows it. He said he was low on minutes n needed an amazon card to charge for the phone. He sent poems n compliments my friend. Then one day he said their camp was attacked n he got hurt. He has one son n dont want him to be an orphan. He got an exception to switch with another guy but someone had to buy a ticket for the other guy to return so he can leave home. After that he will.retire having 1 million. But he has no access to his account. He was sly and said he needed help. When askednto take a pix of his hurt leg he refused yet had no prob sending photo of him when he was at camp. Showed in full uniform with his deceased wife b kid. Said his wife died n when he is in deployment the son stays at the base. The story was so real. So my friend asked to send the bank account so she can log in for him n he got mad. After going to fb his profile is back ok again trying to scam another person. When she confronted him that he stole someone elses pix he got nasry n said all kinds of bad things. What a waste of my friends 1 month of life let alone the feeling of betrayal. The picture he stole was a 45 yrs old Vietnamese man. I wish we know the real guy s name so that we can alert him.
ElfGirl
December 03, 2019
I was conversing for about 8 weeks with a supposed Dr. Steven Handerson. Claims to be Senior Surgeon in Afghanistan. Is widowed, daughter Jane in a boarding school Miami Fl. Professed love at first sight, schmoozing day and night. Then keeps asking for Steam cards and or $1250 to send daughter Jane on an excursion else she will be so disappointed. Claims he has $350 million but the Taliban hacked his account and can’t get money til he’s back in Washington to fix his account. Upon research he has 9 Instagram accounts, some private, some not, same photos he has sent me. Two Facebook accounts. Ladies run for the hills from this jerk. I’ve archived our conversations in Hangouts. He prefers that because the Taliban are hacking e everything else.
normaw730
December 26, 2019
I don't know what this person is real or He don't ask me for no money at all so I really don't know if you realize are you playing games or he's scamming but he said he's a commander in Africa they transferred him come in Egypt to Africa so I do got this picture his name is Frederick Allen
Cale
December 05, 2019
My wife has been scammed by a man who claims to be turkish military doctor and have to go to Afganistan. And if my wife loves him and don´t want him to be killed in Afganistan she should send money to him. At least 3000 $. He use the money to pay somebody else to go in Afganistan instead of him. My wife haven´t yet send any money yet but when I saw their messages so full of love in Instagram it might be only a matter of time. She denises everything about the money. Saying he is just a loving surgeon who needs help moneywise. They have now been writing each other already six months promising their love to each other and bright future together. The scammers phone number is +1(347) 433-8971. Is it in USA? I just don´t know what to do. She is really in love with this man and won´t stop writing. She enjoys compliments and his confession of love. And doesn´t believe me that he is an imposter. Must just divorce her because she won´t come to senses. Sad but true. We even have six children and 26 year of marriage together. Why those scammers are allowed to ruin whole family´s lives? Is there any moral left in this world?
Helpingout
December 06, 2019
My mother in law has been continuously scammed by this John Robert / Robert John / Judge David guy - So now Im stringing this idiot along pretending to be a lonely, wealthy widow. He is salivating. After 3 hours of basic chatting - professed his love for "me". 1 day later he asked me to email his UN Secretary so he can come home to me early in December. Mind you - the email is comical, spelled incorrectly, and his answers when i questioned it were that of a 6 yr old. He claims to be a "surgeon doctor" (who the hell talks like this? Especially when claiming to be from NY) who is on a peace keeping mission to Jordan. (which happens to be 1 of the LEAST conflicted states in the middle east). I am enjoying it thoroughly and will keep wasting his time as much as possible. I told him i wanted to buy him a car, spoil him rotten, etc when we finally meet and can spend the "rest of our lives" together. I'm such a lucky guy..err Lady!
passionateDon'…
December 06, 2019
is there a link to follow where stolen profiles are posted. i would like to find the "real" gentleman who had his identity stolen. some of the pictures posted was a gentleman in switzerland in front of a watch factory, wearing a red pullover type golf shirt. also several pictures sitting in front of a desk in a serious thinking pic
deeemm
December 07, 2019
Any one hear of Davidson Daniel.?
heyguys
December 08, 2019
What if i already told him my address and phone no.?? Because he said he’s gonna send me something but turn out to be a scam.help
Bea
December 11, 2019
Does anyone have an oil rig engineer named Christian Bernard who works in the North Sea of of Aberdeen Scotland?
Gullable
December 12, 2019
I think I am being scammed by someone. She is a lesbian soldier actively deployed in Afghanistan. Her mom needed surgery and she supports her mom financially. She ask for money to help pay for the surgery (what insurance didn’t). She said she has money but no access to it. That she will pay me back after deployment. She also said she and her colleagues saved a rich merchants’s daughter’s life (held hostage) and he rewarded the team there in. She is trying to get the gold transported to states using a courier (she said she needed 11,500. A Security company there has stored her gold 3 months. She didn’t pay them and now owes them money. She gave them her passport as collateral. Now she is saying i at least needs to pay half so she can grt her passport and come home
emma12
December 13, 2019
Anyone speaking or heard of a Dr Young Martinez, In a secret mission in Syria. Been asking for money. Saying he has just been attacked out there and wants to come hone
JohnB
December 13, 2019
Anyone deal with a Patricia Aplin? Attractive mid 30s Female claiming to be from San Antonio. She claims to be stationed in Kabul, Afghanistan. She sent me a message on IG. I responded and we seemed to hit it off well. Day 2 claims she feels comfy with me and professes she could see something long term and switches conversation to Hangouts app. Day 3 asks for gift card for $150 to buy books. I got upset and didn’t feel right about it. I’ve continued the conversation but I’m very skeptical. I said I would need time because in my mind I have to guarantee she is legit before I do anything. Any doubt is a NO so I’m just playing along for now. I thought I could delay just to test her some more. Day 4 and she mentions the card again. I asked for a short video stating Hello and my name as a keepsake. It was simply an attempt to see if she is real. Video sent has blonde streaks in it and no audio. Pic she sent just yesterday had dark hair. I’m just thinking more and more that my gut feeling is correct and she is fake.
JohnB
January 03, 2020

In reply to by JohnB

Follow up: person was fake. They actually admitted to me that it was a scam. They said I was a nice guy and they felt guilty and admitted it was all a lie. I later googled some of the pics sent to me and it showed up with many more profiles just like hers with the last name Aplin. All fake. I’m glad I trusted my instincts.
Dumb blonde me
December 16, 2019
Met a guy on WWF. Oil rig. Wife and daughter died but had another daughter in boarding school. Michael Anderson was his fake name from Manhattan on oil rig in the gulf. Believed him until he asked for 100 in gift card. Just be aware. He sent me pictures...eent too fast emotionally...i am his soul mate...no one like me. Oh and a twist...he was a Christisn, God fearing man who said things like God Bless you. I am so mad at myself!
Moxy
January 19, 2020

In reply to by Dumb blonde me

They move fast he was talking to me at this time as well.
Mrs t
April 10, 2020

In reply to by Dumb blonde me

Makes you feel like an idiot for sure, especially when you go back in your head and review and the picture sent is always like wow....makes you feel sad for the soldiers who are there.
Cade walker
December 17, 2019
Using this person Cade Walker name and pictures does speaks good but when questioned or asked to do video call rejected. Claims he’s in Norway with a 7 yr child. That a nanny takes care of him. States he’s from Orlando, FL Didn’t get anything from me but when confronted erased his account immediately has two other accounts on Instagram.
Info
October 07, 2020

In reply to by Cade walker

Happend similar to me. He wanted money. Then I blocked him. Pay attention with Cade Walker.
sp625
December 18, 2019
Be careful of a man named Matt Aaron Kester. He is charming and very loving right from the start. I met him on Tinder and like everyone else, he claimed he could only use WhatsApp . He claims he is a Chief Security Officer working for the US Govt. on a cargo ship. We talked for days which turned into weeks. He sent pictures of himself on a cargo ship and with fancy cars. Claims he bought a mansion in Colorado. Even forwarded his bank account balance. So many red flags went up but I was patient and once he asked for a lot of money, I knew it was what I had thought. Claimed his child was in the hospital in London and couldn’t get thru because they were at sea. Asked me to call the child’s caretaker in London , which I did. He too would only speak on what’s app and the fun began. Forwarded all the messages to Matt and then he started begging for money to help his child. As a mother of twins, it hits you hard. I played along. My last straw was I had told him this whole thing is literally making me sick and that I was at an emergency room because I thought I was having a heart attack. Of course I wasnt, and his first response was to go to a bank and take out a loan to help his son! He said it would relieve my stress! One can only imagine my response . Be careful. He is fairly good. He is using a popular Russian artist’s photos. I’m still getting more information from google searches.
flying monkekeys
December 20, 2019
Someone asking me,for money $ 900. To buy PPE. HIS NAME WAS HARRY MORGAN HUFFMANsaid he worked for justiss oil. Contract for 4 million,dollors and needed my 900
me@2468
December 26, 2019
My scammers name is Michel Ben With a so called German accent He also went by Ben Huck
ScammedBy james
December 23, 2019
I think I've been scammed by sgt. James bradley.,, who first followed me on Instagram at first he seems to be legit because he always sends me a picture and he told me that he's in syria and he is a US army. Since then ive watched syrian news and etc to know what's going on there, he is sweet and promised to love me and marry me, so fast forward to the day where he told me that he supposed to go in my country but suddenly they've been attacked and he wants to escape there so he told me the only way for him to exit is to ask his commander for the permission to exit but he said we need 300dollars for an exit payment so i thought its a little bit sketchy so i search online if there is payment for emergency exit and turns out that a soldier doesn't need to pay.. I still chatted him and told him i dont have money And now he is upset...and even told me if he cant message me it means he's gone and was killed in war. This is so depressing. This has to stop
Anna hicks
December 24, 2019
I been talking to a guy Name: Rodney Ramsey Panda works for Marathon out in the north sea for a year on the oil rig and needs money to get home to he's daughter Naomi Panda in Columbus Georgia , he need 400.00 to get back home and i told him i don't have the money to help him out and he said he needs to get back right now . I'm trying to find out if this guy is trying to scam me out of money or not ! he is on hang out use to have facebook and then shut it down after a few months on hang out , he's on instagram under the name Rodney ramsey panda ! I think he's trying to scam other women on there to and he needs to be stopped now before he scams someone out of a lot of money. I stopped talking to him and block him on hangout and instagram please be very aware of who you talk to on instagram and hangout ! Rodney Ramsey Panda scammer
Juliana holub
December 27, 2019
a guy asked me for money to pay his dad hospital bill
Unicorn4jaci
January 08, 2020
Anyone else here been contacted by a man claiming to be Lionel Richie?!? My mom and thinks she is in a relationship with Lionel Richie. They talk a lot. Started out on What’s App and moved quickly to phone and text. She has been sending him money. Not to him but to these other names of people and I am like” Don’t you know that this is a Scam?” PayPal even shut down one of the accounts that she was sending money to. She got all pissed off because the transaction wouldn’t go through and she started fussing on me asking if I did something to her PayPal account. Later she said that PayPal had shut down that person because people were being scammed out of money!!!!! I was like “ SEE!!! It is a SCAM!! “ She is still doing it. She has paid for a piece of luggage to be shipped to MY house. I am terrified. Although I am not convinced that the luggage will really come. I think it’s just another scam. Please anyone let me know if Lionel Richie is contacting you too.
Kjay
December 31, 2020

In reply to by Unicorn4jaci

Lionel Richie, supposedly contacted me through Instagram. Said he liked to talk to his fans. Sent me to WhatsApp...to continue conversation but wanted to talk to me about investing in bitcoin. This guy is smooth. I fell for it. I invested 4,ooo$ when it came to get the profit he said I took out to much money, so before I could get it I had to pay 25k for taxes. He and this bitcoin manager, set up a phony bank called United Credit Holdings Bank. They sent me a letter about why I had to send the 25k to get profit. The so called wired created such a problem at my bank that they don't trust me. Since this guy contacted me I have identity theft and been scammed 3 times. Someone has tried to open numerous bank accounts in my name and tried to secure several credit cards. I have saved all the documents and text. All three credit bureaus have a fraud alert and identity theft on my account. Plus someone is now using my photos on dating sites and Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn.
Northern lass
January 09, 2020
I have been contacted on Instagram by Scott Wilson, working on a platform in the Irish Sea, desperate for money to send to his son aged 14, at school in USA. Apparently his MasterCard has expired and his son is on the point of starvation. Scott admits to being Spanish...and a widower as his wife died in childbirth. He has sent me a copy of his ID card..I will try to check it out when I have sent this msg. Beware!! I haven't sent any money and won't ever...I recognised it as a scam as soon as the request for money was made. Keep secure everybody
tstang
January 12, 2020
I believe I have a good one here! He’s in the military in Syria. Born in Spain raised in the US. Divorced, kids are with his family. I asked him to produce a picture of himself holding a sign with my name on it & the date. He did as I asked. He has sent me 5 different pictures over the last 2 weeks of himself. What has me puzzled is his birthday is this week. He told me that his cell phone broke. He didn’t ask me to buy him a new one, he actually asked if I had a old one. He’s in a area where he can’t have a phone. He claims to be a doctor in the us army. The background pictures show a medical building & I can see only a little bit around the sign he’s holding with my name & date on it, that he is in fact wearing medical scrubs. He has answered every question I have asked him. I need some advice on this one.
lonely heart e…
January 13, 2020
Has anyone been talking with a man who says he is William Duncan Smith, goes mostly by Duncan claims he’s high profile military.
Wonder Woman
January 17, 2020
Thanks for posting about Cade Walker the marine engineer that’s working in Norway! Complete fake and I can tell his pictures were photoshopped said he’s half French. So when I started messaging him in French he said he doesn’t speak it lol says he’s American but can’t spell or write proper sentences! Anyhow, he reached out through Instagram and was trying to chat for a little bit. He was even getting angry that I didnt respond quickly! so many red flags and beware he’s fake
Stressed
January 17, 2020
ive net this guy online and I fell in love with him over a period of two and half years since then till now he has ask me for money . though he knows I don't work anymore and that I'm completely down and flat he still ask . I'm at the point where I don't know if this is real. I have quiet a bit of information on him but I do love him but not sure about his love for me. yes I want to believe with all off my heart but he made alot of promises and never come through.
Tiffgabby
January 17, 2020
My sister has been scammed by someone named Aliodu Stephen he says he's in NY and she sent him money cause his bank account where he gets his pay is Frozen. Please help me she says he is coming to get her and her daughter the 24th and both of them have mental disability. I don't think he will show up but with all this sex trafficking going on I can't help being worried. He also wants her bank information so he can put his pay in her account but really so he can take her money.
Cutegirl
January 18, 2020
I had a guy on Instagram said his name was Miller David and he was in the military deployed to Iran! He said his phone was dying and his MasterCard wasn't working. He said he couldn't get WiFi. My blood ran cold when he magically changed his Instagram picture without WiFi in a foreign country. He also asked me to go to Hangouts, so no one else would be there. Plus, he couldn't answer any of my questions, like his rank. ASK QUESTIONS!!!!! He didn't ask me for money yet because I asked questions, he said I asked too many questions it ended quickly. He tried video calling me, couldn't hear him, but his phone magically kept hanging up! He couldn't spell, but I did get to see who he really was during the video call. I am thankful for military friends and God's amazing protection!!!!
Embarrassed bu…
January 25, 2020
I was wanting to know if anyone has been talking to an oil rig contractor that says he is in The Shetland Islands? The name he uses is David Frank. 49 y/o from San Antonio Texas. Son named Christian. Says his middle name is Browning. I have gone in debt for about $8000. He was trying to get home. No access to his bank account till he got home. We talked over a month 1/2 through Hangouts but met on POF. He has sent plenty of pictures. 2 video messages. But we hadn’t spoke on the phone yet. Now he’s mad because I didn’t send him another $380 for his moms meds. Any body heard of him?
Dancer
January 30, 2020
A guy on Instagram pretending to be military sergeant and wanting me to send a thousand dollars so he can have leave .
HateScammers
February 02, 2020
I met someone on Tinder. He said his name is Paul Heinrich, a doctor working for UN military in Syria. He’s a widower, his wife died from cancer 6 years ago and have a daughter in boarding school in the UK. He said he’s from Kentucky, but lived in Canada for past 15 years before he was deployed to Syria about a year ago. We used Skype messaging( as he insists) , no video calls because it’s not allowed for security reasons. He said he’s very much in love with me that his daughter needs a Mom. I fell for that. He said he does not have any family because he was adopted and his adoptive parents were both killed in a car crash when he was 8. He would sent me photos of him...really gorgeous guy. Long hair with beard and muscular body. I started to doubt he’s identity when we first chatted. He has this heavy South African accent. Which does not match his description of American born from Kentucky or Canadian. I questioned that and he got upset. Saying it’s German because of his background. I didn’t buy it of course. so he tried to convince me that he is legit and sent me picture of his US passport , which I know was photoshopped. The names, birthdays and birthplace were all photoshopped. Because I was lonely and stupid. I let it continue for 5 months until he started to say that his daughter’s birthday is coming up and that she needs a laptop and phone for school. He tried to transfer money to her in the UK but the bank had frozen his account because of suspicious transactions. He said he wants to terminate his contract so he can start a new life with me. But couldn’t buy ticket because the trouble he was having with the bank. I don’t know how to make him stop. I did not send him money, but he’s been trying to call me and I was trying to ignore his calls. Any suggestions? I don’t want to upset him as I’m afraid he will blackmail me with my photos I sent to him.
alysem
February 02, 2020
A guy named Ben Clark on Instagram has contacted me and sent me lots of military pics and 3 kids. All the same guy. He is asking for google play cards and I said I can’t. I asked a military friend of mine and he says they never would do that. Do I confronted him and he’s very defensive. I’m not going to do it. I reported him to Instagram and blocked him. These people are scum.
SmartyPants
February 07, 2020
Met a guy on a dating app Bumble, he claims to be Jeremy Vince a US Marine from Lehigh Acres, Florida but now lives in San Francisco.
Babygirl
February 15, 2020
Im trying to figure out if the guy im talking to is a scammer goes bye the name james says he lives in texas has a 2 year old his wife passed during child birth and his parents passed in a car accident has tattoos on the upper arms back and down his side does any one have a story like this says he is american Columbian and greman i have lots of photos
Interesting
April 27, 2020

In reply to by Babygirl

Also texting with this guy via telegram the story sounds familiar also goes with the name James
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