Online Dating Scam

I recently went on Christian Mingle.com and met a Sgt. Clayton Ramos, he seemed nice enough, we began by emailing each other. The email he used was [email protected]. the very first time we chatted, he used a video chat. I don't have Skype so I was using my cell phone to see him. He appeared in Army garb, appeared to be in some sort of Army tent, and we began to talk. He asked to go on instant chat because it would be easier. He immediately sent me pictures of himself, and we began chatting via IM. He said he was a Staff Sargent in the Army stationed in Kabul Afghanistan. Pretty early on he asked me to send money for the Oprhans there that needed food and water. He said that both of his parents were killed in a car crash, and his last girlfriend stole from him so he had his accounts frozen while he was overseas, so he couldn't get to his own money. I didn't have the money to send, he pressured me a lot, I kept saying no. Several weeks went by when he sent a picture of himself holding a sign telling me he loved me, I questioned him, because it looked like he was in a hotel room, he said he was really close with the General and was in the General's quarters. After about a week or so (he sent me love letters in between conversations daily!) he asked me to send money for him to come home, he desperately wanted to get out of there and come and be with me. He said he was 55 but he looked about 40ish, I don't look my age either so that didn't really bother me. He kept pressuring me to send him $3,000 for a plane ticket to come home, I kept telling him I didn't have that kind of money, he told me to borrow the money from someone and the government would reimburse me within the week. When he realized he wasn't going to get it, he finally stopped asking. He still continued to talk with me, but didn't ask for money anymore. He then asked me to send him a Bible, because he had given his to a soldier who had just accepted Christ. So I thought I can do that, if it's a scam I'm not out much, so I put together a little care package. He told me he didn't have an APO box and that I needed to send it through "The Diploma". I have a coworker who has family in the service and she checked out this information, they said yes the Army does use Diploma's to deliver things, depending on where someone is stationed and what their security clearance is. So I thought ok, he is legit. So I sent the package as instructed, the Diploma guy said he was in Ghana and leaving the following week, so if I wanted to get the package to him to deliver to Sgt. Ramos, I needed to send it 3day air and to wire 98.00 to his driver so they could pick up the package. So stupidly I did it, Sgt. Ramos emailed me immediately after receiving the package Thanking me, and telling me how much he loved me and on and on it went.Then several weeks went by and he said he got a hold of his accountant (He'd been drying desperately to get a hold of someone at the bank so he could get access to his money) and he was going to wire me money, once I got it, he wanted me to send it to "The Diploma" and then he could buy his plane ticket to come home. Again, because I had emailed back and forth with "The Diploma" and Sgt. Ramos had received the first package, I thought this was all ok, so I gave him my bank information and sure enough he wired the money, and then asked me to wire it to "The Diploma", which I did. I figured it's not my money, so I was safe WRONG!!! so after two wire transfers, I received a call from my bank a week later telling me the wire transfers were a fraud, I felt my world fall way, I was sick to my stomach. Fortunately, because wire transfers are guaranteed, I was not going to be held liable however I could have if I had been with another bank. I immediately closed my account. So I started searching this Sgt. Ramos, and I actually found his picture on this site, my heart dropped when I saw that it was the same guy that had sent me his picture, so I needed to share my story as well to any other women out there. Please, please be careful. I thought I had done my homework, I saw him on video to verify he was real, I checked with my co-worker about "The Diploma", I didn't send him anything of value right away, these people are really smart. He did get me form some money, but not a lot, I was definitely protected in this situation. If you are going to do online dating, date someone locally, so you can actually meet them in person in a very public place, and let someone know where you are!!

I wanted to post his picture here, but I cannot figure out how to do it, but he is the same guy that is on here I believe under Aaron Ramos. He used the name Clayton Ramos with me.

I am sorry that you went through this scam. By closing your bank account and cutting off contact with the scammer, you are taking proactive measures to protect yourself from further harm.

What you are describing is textbook African romance scammer. While we can say already with certainty that it is a scam, we would need to see some of the emails he sent you to say positively whether he is African, though.

For the sake of those reading this thread, I'm also going to address the things you verified, and why they did not work to detect the scammer, because many people are given the same advice you received.

Unfortunately, scamming is a big and constantly changing business. As people learn to identify and protect themselves against them, the scammers evolve to avoid detection.

When scammers first started invading dating sites, people quickly learned to identify them by asking the scammer to send a photo holding a sign. Many people were advised that this was a way to prove they were talking to someone real. Early scammers weren't prepared for this request, and many didn't have the skills to create a passable fake, so this advice helped many people. But as scammers found themselves losing money because they couldn't pass this test, they started preparing themselves for this request. They found photos online of men or women that could easily be edited to meet the request, or they hired other criminals with the necessary photo-editing skills to create these pictures and have them ready for unsuspecting victims.
As the scammers started passing this test, the advice to identify them changed. Soon potential victims were advised to demand to see their new love on webcam. Once again, scammers started losing business because they couldn't do it.

So once again, scammers had to evolve. They raided facebook pages, youtube, porn sites, and other video sites to find video with the person they were impersonating (or even someone who looks very similar.) They hired other scammers to create fake webcam, or they bought the software to do it themselves. And they gladly showed "themselves" using this fake webcam, for just long enough to reassure their victims. Then they simply followed with excuses as to why they couldn't do it again.

Right now, the advice is generally to ask them to perform a specific action while they are on webcam--for example, reach over and pick up an item in the background, hold up a specific number of fingers, etc. Most scammers don't have the technology to fake this at this time. But again, it is important to be careful because scammers will continue to change their techniques to get what they want.

As far as the "diplomat" goes, unfortunately your coworker only gave you partial information.
There is such a thing as a diplomatic postal service. It IS used to send mail to soldiers who are stationed where there is no APO service (for example, a soldier who is stationed at a diplomatic post.)
But that description is where the similarity between the scammer's story and reality ends. Sending an item via the diplomatic service is similar to sending to an APO, except that it is more expensive and more restrictive. You would address it to your recipient, but instead of their country/city, it would have a Dulles, Virginia zip code. This is because all mail using this service actually goes to a distribution center in Virginia, and from there it is distributed to the recipients at their various locations overseas. You do NOT send anything to a "diplomat."

[email protected]
Sargent Clayton Ramos

Getting To know you...!!!!

Hello XXXXXXXX
Thanks for your wonderful picture,i love it and can you send me more, Am new to this and i don't know how it works but i found your profile intrigued and that was i responded to your response. I am Sargent Clayton Ramos,single never married ,I am single never married ,I was born at Baptist Hospital of Tampa..I started A & A Children start 6 and later on continued from Calvary Baptist Church Schools, I joined the Military academy at the age of 16. .. My mom was a head teacher and dad was in the medical field of the army and later worked with the UN .And i have been working with the US Army for 30 years now and i am currently in Afghanistan now but stationed in Kabul,i spent most of my youth days in FLORIDA.I obtained my degree in the University of FLORIDA in USA.I moved to CALIFORNIA due to my career which is very important to me and I find very much peace and tranquility there and i was station in Fort Hunter Liggett in California...I`m 5`8" 220 with a athletic build , mentally stable, physically fit, a bunch of laughs, warm, caring, honest, good listening,and mostly God Fearing, and a positive person.I am real easy person to talk to and a good listener. I love to play golf ,I like going to the movies , or watching movies in my room , I like swimming ,listening to music and dance to any kind of music, traveling , going bowling and also a good cook.I am a family oriented person and There is more, but it would be better for you to find some things out for yourself..

I am really interested in wanting to know about what makes you the special person you are today, I want to know more about your family, your background, your life experiences, past relationships, your goals and dreams, your interests, and anything else you want to tell me. I even want to learn about the secrets you very rarely share with someone!. So come on and share it all with me.

I want you to know that am not here to talk to you about general things such as partying, the weather, sports, e.c.t. I want to learn about you and what makes up your heart and soul, as the friendship I want to build with you I want it to be like no other you have ever shared in or experienced. This friendship I want to build with you will be filled with substance, quality, spirituality and potential. And I'm using this medium to make you understand that I'm seriously seeking my Right woman, a Long term relationship and if its God's wish.
I look forward to hearing from you soon!.
I care,
Sgt Ramos.

**The scammer is also posted here. viewtopic.php?f=13&t=25968

Thanks!!

These are the exact pictures he sent me and the letter seems the same or very close to the same. I'm not sure how you found them, but I'm glad you did. I wanted to post them so other people could see what picture he is using. I'm so glad I found this forum and website, I wish I had known about it earlier.

But lesson has been learned.

Did you also read here? >> **The scammer is also posted here. viewtopic.php?f=13&t=25968

This scammer who is using the previously posted pictures and pretending to be in Afghanistan is actually in Accra, Ghana. **The scammer is also posted here. viewtopic.php?f=13&t=25968

Sargent Clayton Ramos
[email protected]
Accra, Ghana
41-218-229-149

Originating IP: 41.218.229.149
Originating ISP: Vodafone Ghana
City: Accra
Country of Origin: Ghana

Interesting. Thanks for the info. I was pretty certain he was somewhere in Ghana, since this is where I had to send the package,and the money to "The Diploma's" driver! I hope he gets caught soon, he is certainly a busy guy!