Fake Profile Pictures

Online dating is now a very popular way to meet a partner. Match.com & eHarmony are very popular dating web sites and claim that 1 of every 5 marriage (in Western world?) are from dating sites.

But on thing that goes unsaid is the amount of scams that happen on these sites. There are many “romance scammers” on these sites. Below are examples of face profile pictures that these con artists use to lure you in.

http://ic-girl.blogspot.com/2009/03/cewek-cantik-dari-medan.html

I meet Simon on yahoo messenger. I was in the middle of chatting w my cousin who is in other country, when a message from a complete stranger pops up on YM. I was “Simone”.

His message said, “hi can you be my friend”. At first I disregard his messages but he continued to send message. Eventually, I start chat with him everyday. We introduced ourselves to one another and we became friends. We shared a lot of stories about family, life and everyday life. We talked everyday. After almost a month, we began to chat cam to cam.

He share a lot story about his life in India. He told me that the country is so poor that it has very little jobs and opportunity. He told me there is a lot of crime and a lot of robbery there.

For me it was very nice to talk to him. He made me laugh every time we talked each day. As time went on everyday talking to him, I had the feeling that he is more than my friend. He was my boyfriend. He seemed to care a lot. At the time, he was my the most special love since and I became so attached to him. He was so special in my life that I felt I would do everything he said. I would give him anything he wanted.

He ask for a little amount and I would find a way to give it to him cause I was so in love. He would tell me he needed money to chat with him in the Internet café. I would ask mom to send the money to him.

We do things that I will never forget. We were like a couple and we enjoyed every moment we had together on the web cam. We started to plan on seeing each other.

The plan was to meet at Manila Airport. I would fly from Cebu City in the Philippines and he would fly from India. Five days before the trip, I sent him money to get a plane ticket. I had saved up the money on my own just for him.

I was so excited to see him on that day. But when I arrive in manila, I waited for him the whole day. I waiting in the airport thinking maybe the flight was delayed from India to going here. I waited 24 hours at Manila airport. Simone did not show up. I checked the hotel we booked, I went to the café to check if he is online but he don’t get online anymore.

Onetime I catch him online but he did not responding my email. I felt like I was going crazy on that day. I didn’t know what to do. I want to die.

After that there was not a single night or day that I did not cry. I wanted to die. I felt I could rather die than live without him. I attempt to hurt my self. I tried to overdose on medicine. I felt everything is gone to me. My mom never left my side. She was there to cheer me up. It was months before I could move on. I was the first time I cried for love. The first time I would rather die than go on without love. He was my first and last love.

I want to protect my real identity so that I can protect my personal life.I will tell you how I was scammed out of a lot of money from Filipino cupid.
I have been going through a divorce from my wife of 15 years. Tragically our relationship feel about due to communication issues. Because of this, I have been very lonely and seeking a new life partner.

I heard Filipina women were very good, faithful women so I decided to try Filipinocupid.com. I was shocked to find a FLOOD of scammers, con artists, sex shows, liars, and desperate single mothers begging for money on that site. 1 out of every 3 ladies I talked to here trying to get money from me.
That should have been my first warning. Of all these ladies, I found one that seemed different. She said her name was Ludivina. She was loving, caring and very beautiful. We started to talk to her and I was immediately amazed by her. She seemed very sweet and that is just what I was looking for after having a hard time in my dwindling relationship with my wife.

If she needed something, I would happily provide it. I make a good living and I actually enjoy helping others. I just have a problem about people being ungrateful, liars, and being selfish. So I never want to give money to scammers. Sometimes I would even give scammers a chance to tell me the truth and just give them money, usually they don’t trust me so they keep lying, then I don’t give them money.

After about 8 months, Ludivena told me she had not given me her real name, or real picture. She told me that she had done it all initially to get money, but now she wanted to get serious about me.

I was heart broken. She totally crushed me. I was totally in love. I was willing to share my whole life with her. I would have done ANYTHING for her. Now I don’t trust her.

Despite all the scammers, I did meet a few life long friends. And I still believe there are great Filipinas there that would make the best wife.

How and Why I became a romance scammer on filipinoheart.com

*The following is a real event that has been re-written from the original for clarity with names changed to protect those who were willing to come forward… the real ludivina yasay is a lady that scammed me lol. The original author of this story is not named but she really did do this. I may post the original (and change the names) for now you get a simulation of a REAL event.. the emails in this post is real, the story is real.*

My name is Ludivina Yasay. I am from Cebu City, Philippines. About a year ago, I scammed an American named Matt T. I met him on a popular dating website called filipinocupid.com (filipinoheart.com in the Philippines). Over the course of 8 months, I took about $3000 dollars from him.

Why did I do it?
I needed money.

How did I do it?
I gained his trust, told him what he wanted to hear and he believed me. He fell in love then gave me money.

How it all began
After graduating college, I could not find a job. Jobs are REALLY hard to get in certain parts of the Philippines. Places like General Santos, Cebu City and many other places have many people and very little jobs available. Many families can barely afford to pay rent, utilities or even eat. Even with a college degree, I could not find a job for over a year.

I started searching for jobs online. While in the Internet café, I over heard two people talking about how they would get money via Western Union from a person they were chatting with. While I was trying to unsuccessfully get jobs each day, they were getting paid from some guys online.

Filipino Heart Scam Ring
I found out my friend was involved in the same people I had seen in the Internet cafe. She explained to me what was going on. She told me that they would find guys from the United States on dating sites. They used a fake profile on Filipino cupid, flirt with these men, start a relationship, then get money. This ring of Filipino heart scammers were mostly gay men.

They told me that they do it so much that they are actually able to buy home, cars and live very well in the Philippines.

Since my family and I were struggling, I decided to do it. I create a fake account with a picture of a model. I had a set of pictures. Very quickly I had a guy who was interested, Matt T.

We began to talk and I told him everything he wanted to hear. I told him that I was looking for a guy who is serious, I told him I was attracted to him. I told him anything to make him feel good. I didn’t care about him he is just a stranger. I just need money.

How I got the Money
Message to Matt:

hope you have a very nice day today… its have a wonderful today when i found you.. i fill always happy when you respond to my email.. and i fill that your a guy i that god given me and i know in my heart your the right one for me…. hope we could chat soon. i miss to chat w you.. take care….. love”

from MATT:

That is very sweet. I look forward to taking the time to know you better. I want to know the dreams and wishes of your heart.

After a short time, he started to trust me so we were starting to speak like friends. When I mention to him that my family does not have enough to eat he is concerned for me.. his “friend”. I did not ask for money directly. When I mention I am in trouble, he offered to send me money. I pretend to be reluctant, then took the money.

Falling in Love & telling the truth
Everytime I mention my troubles, he offered money. After a while we started getting closer and closer and he is giving me more and more money. The funny thing is I never even really asked him.. I just gained his trust and he offered when I said I am in trouble.

He told me about how he is getting a divorce with his wife. He told me He has two kids. He told me how he is lonely lately and all about his life. Over the months, he help me anytime I needed it. He helped me move to another city, find a job and even explained how I can help him with a business he runs and pay me!

We started to really get close and even fall in love. Over time, I realized that I really love him and do not want to live a lie. As a practicing Catholic, it was hard for me to accept this lie.

I went to church and did confession. The priest told me I should tell him the truth.

The closer we got the more I realize I cannot do this anymore to him. He thinks I am some other woman. One night he told me he wants me to be his girl friend. So I decided to tell him the truth.

I told him my real name, showed him my real picture. He was upset that I had lied to him for so long. I was not sure if he would ever talk to me again after I told him the truth. But I wanted him to know the truth.

I wonder if I can gain his trust back. I feel that I hurt the only man I will ever love.

I regret what I did to him. More than anything else, I don’t want to lose him.

DO NOT BE A VICTIM!

From The Victims Perspective
More important than the loss of money and time, you lost your hope in a dream of being with someone you thought you could finally connect with. For a short time there was no more loneliness. You took a risk with your heart and allowed yourself to believe in love. But you found out your love was for a false profile and a false identity created by a desperate person who is in a third world country on the other side of the world.

Why me? I was only trying to love, but instead I got betrayed by greedy, selfish people that only care for themselves.
Now who can I turn to? Who can I talk to? Anyone tell will just think I am a fool for giving money to a stranger online. No one will understand that.

These are the emotions of a victim of the romance scam.

eHarmony, match.com and other online dating sites claim to be the cause of 1 out of every 5 relationships. I believe it, but what goes unsaid is the larger percentage of scams there are on these sites. Romance scammers are people who get in close to you, get in a relationship with you than start asking for money. The hook is to make you care for them and their life, their situation. Then they take as much as they can from you. Their intention is NOT love, it is your money. So they probably have three or four “relationship” with people just like you. Their favorite is the one that gives the most cash.

Scam Warning Signs

Asks for money to see her on webcam?
Asks for money for education?
Asks for money for food or rent?
Asks for money for plane tickets or visas?
Asks for money for a medical emergency?
Professing love at first sight?
Multiple requests for Money?

Onlinedatingtips.com

Dear Friend,

Thank you so much for your response to my email. It is only natural that you be a bit apprehensive haven received such a mail from somebody that you barely know. Therefore I would want to start by properly intimating you of who I really am. My name is Ho Chen Tung Foreign operations Hang Seng Bank Ltd. (Hong Kong). Moreover, I believe that you will be anxious to know the kind of business proposition that I have in stock for you. Well, I am soliciting your assistance to be able to transfer a huge amount of money US$21,300,000.00 from my bank that is lying idle with no one ever coming to lay claim to it. Before I go ahead let me tell you how the funds came into existence in the first place.

We had a client sometime ago by the name of Mr. Fayez Abdulaziz Abiri from Iraq and he was a member of the Iraqi forces and also a business man. He made a fixed numbered deposit with a value of US$18,796,000.00 only for 24 calendar months in my branch and this was before the USA and Iraq war.

When the 24 calendar months elapsed, we sent a notification to him so he will advice if still want to extend his term of deposit or not but we did not hear from him. After sometime we tried contacting him again and still there was no reply from him. As his banking officer, I decided to carry out my own investigation as to the where about of Mr. Fayez Abdulaziz Abiri only to find out Fayez Abdulaziz Abiri had died of Kidney infection at Mukaradeeb where his personal oil well was.

It is obvious that you would now want to ask if Mr. Abdulaziz Abiri did not have a next of kin. Interestingly, he did not leave a next of kin on his official document. In fact I asked him some time ago if he was sure that he will not want to include a next of kin in our record and he told me that none of his relative is aware of the account and he wish that it remain so. And to date this money has accumulated interest. Therefore, nineteen million five Hundred Thousand United State Dollars is still lying in my bank and no one will ever come forward to claim it. However, according to the laws of my country at the expiration of six {6} years the funds will revert to the ownership of the Hong Kong Government if nobody applies to claim the funds. Against this backdrop, my suggestion to you is that I will like you as a foreigner to stand as the next of kin to Fayez Abdulaziz Abiri so that you will be able to receive his funds.

If you are interested in doing this business with me, please go ahead and contact me again with you full names, contact address and telephone numbers. I want you to know that I have carefully planned out the modalities of this business and I will be intimating you of it upon confirmation that you are willing to move ahead with me. You will be made the next of kin thereby putting you the position to inherit this huge amount.

Finally, I need you to know that I have evaluated the risk involved in this deal and I guarantee that if you follow my instructions religiously, it will be hazard free. As far as I am concerned it is worth undertaking and I implore you to come along with me because the reward will be great for both of us.

I anticipate hearing from you again soon and I hope it will be positive because I really want us to work together as partners in harnessing this once in a life time opportunity.

Regards.
Ho Chen Tung.

Thanks

Jim Ovia is a real person and Zenith Bank is a real Nigerian bank. There is a scam flooding the Internet using Zenith to profit.

Picture of Jim Ovia

Many scammers (definitely not all) on the Internet are from third world countries. The case listed below is a scam coming from West Africa. We can assume that the use of actual banks and people from Nigeria that this scam is based in Nigeria. The following scam alludes to a real bank in Nigeria called Zenith. It also mentions Jim Ovia, a real person, who is a former CEO of Zenith bank.

From Reader:

I have been sending money by Western Union a very large sum of money to a Jim Ovia of Zenth Bank for help in geting 2.5 millinon dollars. Now if I have not been dealing with this man someone else has beeing using his name and title.

I have read a Biography of Jim Ovia on the internet and after learing what
a wire transfer is I feel like I have been scamed bad cause I have been sending the money through Western Union.

nmw

Always research and double check unsolicited (and solicited) claims of wealth on the Internet and in your inbox. Most things are not what they appear to be on the Internet. Your trust should be hard earned especially on the ‘Net. Some signs of the foul play will include (but will not be limited to):

Use of free email such as .gmail and .hotmail: Remember scammers do not typically have the resources to devote to setting up an email box and website that looks legit so they will use everything free that they can.

BAD ENGLISH: If they have very poor grammar, it is an indication that they probably don’t have the education to be put in a place where they would be responsible for other people’s money particularly an English client.

Check the links of the email: Some emails look like the come from the real “paypal” or the real “Zenith Bank” but it is actually what is called “phishing”. The email has all the official logos and letterhead but the links lead to fake sites. If you look “under the hood” of the email, you will find the real URLs and IP address. You may also see the use of free email. If you go into the email and “Show Original” or “Show source” you will see where email actually came from, where it is being forwarded to and where the links go to.

If it looks to good to be true, it probably is. This is an axiom that is an unfortunate truth due to human greed and selfishness.

FROM THE OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR
CENTRAL BANK OF NIGERIA
MALLAM SANUSI LAMIDO SANUSI.

Dear ROGERICK SEE,

I received your mail and the information. The information is correct with the one before me on my desk. Your ATM Card shall be taking to the company in charge of delivering your ATM Card for official registration and finally dispatched for onward delivery. Note that the limit of daily withdrawal is $2,500 till you withdraw the total sum of 7.5 Million US Dollars loaded in the ATM Card, the PIN Number will be released to you immediately your card is registered. Find attached the copy of your ATM Card.

Based on the successful verification of your data, you are to pay a delivery fee of $220 upon the confirmation of reciept of payment your ATM Card will be dully registered and delivered to you within 48 hours.

Below is the payment information:

Receivers Name: John Okafor

Destination: Lagos Nigeria

Amount: $220

Text Question: Urgent?

Ans: Yes

Expecting your quick response.

Yours faithfully,

Mr. Adams Philip
ATM Account Officer
Foreign Payment Due Process Unit
+234 813 050 1106

— On Tue, 6/15/10, ATM CARD OFFICE wrote:

From: ATM CARD OFFICE
Subject: Your ATM Visa Card Is Ready For Pick Up
To: atm@msn.com
Date: Tuesday, 15 June, 2010, 7:22 PM

Instruction has been given by the Office of the Presidency and United Nations (UN) and International Monetary Fund (IMF) to transfer Your funds through International ATM Debit Card valued at Seven Million Five Hundred Thousand US Dollars ($7,500, 000.00) being compensation funds from the World Bank as detected on our data base which you can use it in near cash point,shopping mall or banking hall.

You can withdraw money from your International ATM Debit Card from any ATM MACHINE location or center of your choice nearest to you, in any part of the world. You are advise to reconfirm your address with your mobile/cell phone number included, where Diplomatic Courier service will dispatch your ATM Card to you within 48hrs.

Yours Faithfully,

Mr.Adams Philip
ATM Account Officer
Foreign Payment Due Process Unit

this email was sent to me thanks

ANTI-TERRORIST AND MONETARY CRIMES DIVISION
FBI HEADQUARTERS IN WASHINGTON, D.C.
FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION
J. EDGAR HOOVER BUILDING
935 PENNSYLVANIA AVENUE, NW WASHINGTON, D.C. 20535-0001
Website: www.fbi.gov
DATE: 10/11/2008

ATTENTION FUND BENEFICIARY,

THIS IS AN OFFICIAL ADVICE FROM THE F.B.I. FOREIGN REMITTANCE/TELEGRAPHIC DEPT., IT
HAS COME TO OUR NOTICE THAT 49.5 MILLION DOLLARS HAVE BEEN PAID INTO THE UNITED
STATES OF AMERICA IN YOUR NAME AS THE BENEFICIARY, BY INHERITANCE MEANS.

ACCORDING TO RECORDS, THE SECRET DIPLOMATIC TRANSIT METHOD OF PAYMENT S.T.D.P WAS USED
TO COMPLETE THESE PAYMENTS, THROUGH WIRE TRANSFER, BECAUSE THEY DO NOT HAVE ENOUGH
FACILITIES TO EFFECT THIS PAYMENT FROM THE H.S.B.C BANK IN LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM TO
YOUR ACCOUNT.

THEY ARE STILL, WAITING FOR CONFIRMATION FROM YOU ON THE ALREADY TRANSFERRED FUNDS
WHICH WAS MADE IN DIRECT TRANSFER SO THAT THEY CAN DO FINAL CREDITING TO YOUR ACCOUNT.
SECRET DIPLOMATIC PAYMENTS ARE NOT MADE UNLESS THE FUNDS ARE RELATED TO TERRORIST
ACTIVITIES. WHY DID YOU NOT RECEIVE THE MONEY DIRECTLY INTO YOUR ACCOUNT, WHICH IS A
PURE CODED MEANS OF PAYMENT?

RECORDS WHICH WE HAVE HAD WITH THIS METHOD OF PAYMENT IN THE PAST HAS ALWAYS BEEN
RELATED TO TERRORIST ACTS, WE DO NOT WANT YOU TO GET INTO TROUBLE AS SOON AS THESE
FUNDS REFLECT IN YOUR ACCOUNT IN THE U.S.A, SO IT IS OUR DUTY, AS A WORD WIDE
COMMISSION TO CORRECT THIS LITTLE PROBLEM BEFORE THIS FUND WILL BE CREDITED INTO YOUR
PERSONAL ACCOUNT.

DUE TO THE INCREASED DIFFICULTY AND UNNECESSARY SCRUTINY BY THE AMERICAN AUTHORITIES
WHEN FUNDS COME FROM OUTSIDE OF EUROPE AND THE MIDDLE EAST, THE F.B.I BANK COMMISSION
FOR EUROPE HAS STOPPED THE TRANSFER ON ITS WAY TO DELIVER PAYMENT OF $1,500,000.00 TO
DEBIT YOUR RESERVE ACCOUNT AND PAY YOU THROUGH A SECURED DIPLOMATIC TRANSIT ACCOUNT
(S.D.T.A). WE GOVERN AND OVERSEE FUNDS TRANSFER FOR THE WORLD BANK AND THE REST OF THE
WORLD.

WE ADVICE YOU CONTACT US IMMEDIATELY, AS THE FUNDS HAVE BEEN STOPPED AND ARE BEING
HELD IN OUR CUSTODY ,UNTIL YOU ARE ABLE TO PROVIDE US WITH A DIPLOMATIC IMMUNITY SEAL
OF TRANSFER (DIST), WITHIN 3 DAYS FROM THE WORLD LOCAL BANK THAT AUTHORISED THE
TRANSFER
FROM WHERE THE FUNDS WAS TRANSFERRED FROM, TO CERTIFY THAT THE FUNDS THAT YOU ARE
ABOUT TO RECEIVE ARE ANTI TERRORIST/DRUG FREE OR, WE SHALL HAVE CAUSE TO CROSS AND
IMPOUND THE PAYMENT. WE SHALL RELEASE THE FUNDS IMMEDIATELY WE RECEIVE THESE LEGAL
DOCUMENTS.
—————————————————————————————
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We have decided to contact you directly to acquire the proper verifications and proof
from you to show that you are the rightful person to receive this fund, because of the
amount involved we want to make sure it’s clean and legal money you are about to
receive. Be informed that the funds are now in the United States of America in your
name , but right now we have asked the bank not to release the fund to anybody that
comes to them , unless we ask them to do so, because we have to carry out our
investigations first before releasing the funds to you. Note that the fund is in the
BANK OF AMERICA right now, but we have asked them not to credit the fund to you yet,
because we need solid proof and verifications from you before releasing the funds.

So to this regards you are to re-assure and proof to us that what you are about to
receive is a clean money by sending to us FBI Identification Record and also
Diplomatic
Immunity Seal Of Transfer(DIST) to satisfy to us that the money your about to receive
is
legitimate and real money. You are to forward the documents to us immediately if you
have it in your possession, if you don’t have it let us know so that we will direct
and
inform you where to obtain the document and send to us so that we will ask the bank
holding the funds the Bank Of America to go ahead Crediting your account immediately.

This Documents are to be issued to you from the World Local Bank that Authorized the
transfer, so get back to us immediately if you don’t have the document so that we will
inform you the particular place to obtain the document in United Kingdom U.K, because
we
have come to realize that the fund was Authorized by H.S.B.C Bank London, United
Kingdom.

An FBI Identification Record and Diplomatic Immunity Seal of Transfer (DIST) often
referred to as a Criminal History Record or Rap Sheet, is a listing of certain
information taken from fingerprint submissions retained by the FBI in connection with
arrests and, in some instances, federal employment, naturalization, or military
service.

THIS CONDITION IS VALID UNTIL 20TH OF NOVEMBER 2008 AFTER WE SHALL TAKE ACTIONS ON
CANCELLING THE PAYMENT.BENEFICIARY FUNDS WILL BE RELEASED ON CONFIRMATION OF THE
DOCUMENT.

—————————————————————————————
–
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FINAL INSTRUCTION:
60F CREDIT PAYMENT INSTRUCTION: IRREVOCABLE CREDIT GUARANTEE
61E BENEFICIARY HAS FULL POWER WHEN VALIDATION IS CLEARED
62 BENEFICIARIES BANK IN U.S.A., CAN ONLY RELEASE FUNDS-
62 UPON CONFIRMATION FROM THE WORLD BANK/UNITED NATIONS.
64 BEARERS MUST CLEAR BANK PROTOCOL AND VALIDATION REQUEST

—————————————————————————————
–
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NOTE: We have asked for the above documents to make available the most complete and up-
to date records possible for the enhancement of public safety, welfare and security of
Society while recognizing the importance of individual privacy rights.. If you fail to
provide the Documents to us, we will charge you with the FBI and take our proper
action
against you for not proofing to us the legitimate of the fund you are about to
receive.

The United States Department of Justice Order 556-73 establishes rules and regulations
for the subject of an FBI Identification Record to obtain a copy of his or her own
Record for review. The FBI Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS) Division
processes these requests to check illegal activities in U.S.A.

Julie Bennett
Federal Bureau of Investigation.

–
No virus found in this incoming message.
Checked by AVG.
Version: 7.5.549 / Virus Database: 270.9.0/1779 – Release Date: 11/10/2008 7:53 AM

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