Please report romance scams and dating scams here. We accept reports on Russian scammers and Nigerian scammers.
Disclaimer regarding pictures posted on the board: please understand that you are NOT looking at the pictures of people who are actually scamming you. The people portrayed on these photos are innocent men and women, NOT involved in scamming in any way and have nothing to do with scammers. The scammers are using their images without their knowledge or permission to deceive their victims and steal their money.
This is a scammer profile used to romance scam, a victim, widow, senior citizen, US, close family member. Scammer used Words With Friends to initiate the connection on Google Hangouts. Over eight months and courting, grooming and motivating the victim to mule fake bank transactions, credit card use and all along the promise of marriage, "I'll be there in two weeks", countless times. The Google Hangouts conversations are largely emoticons, with lots of praying hands to show "Christianity". They also use near hostage psychology to turn a victim against friends, neighbors and family. Even the closest of lifelong family members have been cast villainous.
This group with this profile is insidiously cruel.
Incredulously, 18-mo and still scamming a continued victim. Promises of marriage over and over. Even sending cheap flowers and fake jewelry. Several fraudulent checks have been sent/cashed, leaving overdrawn accounts. Asks for money continually with the excuse of frozen funds or payment at the end of a gas repair contract, which never comes, of course. Money from the victim deposited in a Bitcoin ATM (major red flag). Such persistent messaging in the face of intervening family, there is no end in sight. The brainwashing, manipulation and deceit can only be described as pure evil. The spiral of lost trust in everyone around the victim and reliance on only the word of this scammer is truly remarkable and overwhelming sad.
2-1/2 years and the romance scam continues. An ongoing weekly 'need' for $50 visa cards has been where this has landed. With a disabled, elderly widow, continued promises of marriage and the 'easy life' has her delusionally convinced it will happen. Time seems to mean nothing and family is scolded and then ignored for any words to the contrary. Seemingly most of the communication is purely emoticons and repetitive simple questions, week in and week out. Almost seems like software or AI for most of the messages. Such a cruel brainwashing.
Insidiously, this scammer has continued beyond the 3 year mark now. Settling on getting a couple $50 i-Tunes cards a month from the scarce monies this widow has. His victim is mentally unable to detach, hooked on getting praying-hands emoticons or heart gifs every few days and promises of coming to be with her. It is a delusional disorder for sure, and preying on it by this scammer is unusual cruelty.
