scam

please can you help me i am currently involved with a man who is in the army going back some time ago he requested i wrote to his general for permission for leave i did this and was told that i would have to make a payment of 750 pound for a repacement soldier so i did this then it just continued they asked for more money then at the end of it all when finally i was told he was due to fly here he was sent to another country on deployment my question here is when asking these people for leave his general do you have to pay money i really need your help here coz im still talking to this guy
thank you

mandy 36

Welcome here Mandy 36.

I am sorry to tell you that you are in contact with a scammer. This scammer is impersonating a soldier, and it is likely that the "general" part is also played by this scammer. A real soldier will never ask someone else to pay for leave, a phone card, or anything else, as they can and have to arrange these things themselves. These scammers are very good at convincing their victims that all they say is true. If he has send you some photos of a soldier, then the scammer has stolen these photos from the internet. I am sorry that you already lost money to this scammer, and that money is gone, it is very unlikely that you ever can get it back. Please read more about these kind of scams here:
viewtopic.php?f=13&t=6527

The best thing to do now is to stop writing to this scammer, and ignore all incoming emails from him.

If you have any questions about this, just ask!

David beat me to it. Can you post his first email here please, less your email address and other personal info. It may help alert other victims.

thanks for your answers i have the name and address of this general who sent me these e mails reguarding this sgts leave i have saved every e mail from this general also all reciptes of the money i have sent
mandy36

Welcome here Mandy 36.
dear sir i know in my heart what your saying is right but i fell for this man and he phones me constantly as i do him id hate to think that he has scammed me i have belived everything he has said to me he has sent me photos of himself and his son im trying very hard here to convince myself hes telling the truth why would anyone be so cruel
I am sorry to tell you that you are in contact with a scammer. This scammer is impersonating a soldier, and it is likely that the "general" part is also played by this scammer. A real soldier will never ask someone else to pay for leave, a phone card, or anything else, as they can and have to arrange these things themselves. These scammers are very good at convincing their victims that all they say is true. If he has send you some photos of a soldier, then the scammer has stolen these photos from the internet. I am sorry that you already lost money to this scammer, and that money is gone, it is very unlikely that you ever can get it back. Please read more about these kind of scams here:
viewtopic.php?f=13&t=6527

The best thing to do now is to stop writing to this scammer, and ignore all incoming emails from him.

If you have any questions about this, just ask!

Mandy,

Unfortunately there is absolutely no doubt that this is a scam. PEOPLE WHO ARE NOT IN THE ARMY CANNOT REQUEST LEAVE FOR A SOLDIER, AND THERE ARE NO FEES TO BE PAID FOR LEAVE, EVER.

The photos you were sent are a real man (who is very likely married or in a relationship) and a real boy (who may be the real person's son or may just be a child model if there are no photos of them together). But the man who is talking to you has no connection to either one of them and doesn't even know them. He just found their photos on the internet and copied them so he could use them in his scams. The man who is talking to you is a young African man, who has no connection to the US Army, and is writing the same kinds of lies to several women at the same time.

The general is not real. He is an African man, and is either the same person as the soldier, or is part of the same scamming gang.

I know this is difficult to hear, but it is the truth. The scammer will continue to lie to you. He will claim that he is real, he is innocent, that we don't know what we are talking about. He will try to make you feel guilty for doubting him, and pretend that he is hurt and sad and will love you forever. In the end, he may even "confess" and say that he did it all because he loves you. The fact is, he will say ANYTHING he thinks is necessary, if he thinks there is any chance he could get more money from you.

why would anyone be so cruel

Because he doesn't care, plain and simple. His goal isn't to be cruel--it is to get money from you. He doesn't care if he hurts you (or his other victims, because there is no doubt he is scamming other women too--maybe under the same name, maybe under another.) He copies romantic poetry; he calls you "babe" or "honey" or something like that; he says whatever is necessary to convince you that you are in a relationship. He doesn't care what he has to say--his whole goal is to convince you that he is real, and to make you believe that you are in love enough to send whatever money is asked of you.

You need to cut off contact with this person and anyone associated with him immediately. There is a link in my signature with more information for victims--I strongly encourage you to read it. I know this isn't easy, but hanging on is only going to hurt you more in the long run.

Mandy,
i have photos of this man and his son together i dont know what to think now im so confused
Unfortunately there is absolutely no doubt that this is a scam. PEOPLE WHO ARE NOT IN THE ARMY CANNOT REQUEST LEAVE FOR A SOLDIER, AND THERE ARE NO FEES TO BE PAID FOR LEAVE, EVER.

The photos you were sent are a real man (who is very likely married or in a relationship) and a real boy (who may be the real person's son or may just be a child model if there are no photos of them together). But the man who is talking to you has no connection to either one of them and doesn't even know them. He just found their photos on the internet and copied them so he could use them in his scams. The man who is talking to you is a young African man, who has no connection to the US Army, and is writing the same kinds of lies to several women at the same time.

The general is not real. He is an African man, and is either the same person as the soldier, or is part of the same scamming gang.

I know this is difficult to hear, but it is the truth. The scammer will continue to lie to you. He will claim that he is real, he is innocent, that we don't know what we are talking about. He will try to make you feel guilty for doubting him, and pretend that he is hurt and sad and will love you forever. In the end, he may even "confess" and say that he did it all because he loves you. The fact is, he will say ANYTHING he thinks is necessary, if he thinks there is any chance he could get more money from you.

why would anyone be so cruel

Because he doesn't care, plain and simple. His goal isn't to be cruel--it is to get money from you. He doesn't care if he hurts you (or his other victims, because there is no doubt he is scamming other women too--maybe under the same name, maybe under another.) He copies romantic poetry; he calls you "babe" or "honey" or something like that; he says whatever is necessary to convince you that you are in a relationship. He doesn't care what he has to say--his whole goal is to convince you that he is real, and to make you believe that you are in love enough to send whatever money is asked of you.

You need to cut off contact with this person and anyone associated with him immediately. There is a link in my signature with more information for victims--I strongly encourage you to read it. I know this isn't easy, but hanging on is only going to hurt you more in the long run.

i cant take all this in at the moment am in shock i looked up the name of this general and he is real i know the name of the camp where he is stationed. the name of the general is general lloyd austin this is all a shock to me i have paid a lot of money to these people

Mandy,
i have photos of this man and his son together i dont know what to think now im so confused
Unfortunately there is absolutely no doubt that this is a scam. PEOPLE WHO ARE NOT IN THE ARMY CANNOT REQUEST LEAVE FOR A SOLDIER, AND THERE ARE NO FEES TO BE PAID FOR LEAVE, EVER.

The photos you were sent are a real man (who is very likely married or in a relationship) and a real boy (who may be the real person's son or may just be a child model if there are no photos of them together). But the man who is talking to you has no connection to either one of them and doesn't even know them. He just found their photos on the internet and copied them so he could use them in his scams. The man who is talking to you is a young African man, who has no connection to the US Army, and is writing the same kinds of lies to several women at the same time.

The general is not real. He is an African man, and is either the same person as the soldier, or is part of the same scamming gang.

I know this is difficult to hear, but it is the truth. The scammer will continue to lie to you. He will claim that he is real, he is innocent, that we don't know what we are talking about. He will try to make you feel guilty for doubting him, and pretend that he is hurt and sad and will love you forever. In the end, he may even "confess" and say that he did it all because he loves you. The fact is, he will say ANYTHING he thinks is necessary, if he thinks there is any chance he could get more money from you.

why would anyone be so cruel

Because he doesn't care, plain and simple. His goal isn't to be cruel--it is to get money from you. He doesn't care if he hurts you (or his other victims, because there is no doubt he is scamming other women too--maybe under the same name, maybe under another.) He copies romantic poetry; he calls you "babe" or "honey" or something like that; he says whatever is necessary to convince you that you are in a relationship. He doesn't care what he has to say--his whole goal is to convince you that he is real, and to make you believe that you are in love enough to send whatever money is asked of you.

You need to cut off contact with this person and anyone associated with him immediately. There is a link in my signature with more information for victims--I strongly encourage you to read it. I know this isn't easy, but hanging on is only going to hurt you more in the long run.

i cant take all this in at the moment am in shock i looked up the name of this general and he is real i know the name of the camp where he is stationed. the name of the general is general lloyd austin

He's the Commanding General in Iraq; far too senior to be dealing with routine matters such as soldiers' leave.
Scammers do use the identities of real people in their scams.
You can report this to https://reportfraud.actionfraud.org.uk/fraudreport/ who can put you in touch with Victim Support.

David beat me to it. Can you post his first email here please, less your email address and other personal info. It may help alert other victims.

dear sir
i wrote a post a while ago as i think this sgt im involved with has been scamming me and i paid a lot of money to him you asked if i could send you any letters i have from him well yes i have got some but what i want to know is i have also got e mails from this general about the money i sent for his leave if i send you this e mail would you be able to tell if this is an official letter from this general or not please
thank you mandy36

Hi mandy36!
I'm so sorry that you have been scammed.
Please post an email or two, with the headers, here on this thread. Then we can take a look and show you the things that are proof of this scam.
If you need help finding the headers go here: http://www.ip-adress.com/faq/view_email_header/ scroll down and then click on the email company that you use. When you get the headers, copy them and paste the whole thing here: http://www.ip-adress.com/trace_email/ This will likely tell you where the scammer was emailing you from.

would you be able to tell if this is an official letter from this general or not please

I'm sorry to say that I don't have to see the letter to tell you it's fake.

Scammers take advantage of the fact that their victims don't know how the US military works, so the scammers make up their own stories about the military to explain why they are demanding money. They also frequently use the names of real soldiers and military officials that they don' t know and have never even met.

Generals have major responsibilities, and they do not include dealing with individual soldiers' leave requests.

In addition, the US military does not recognize anyone as family who is not an immediate relative or legal spouse. In other words, if the soldier is not your father/grandfather/brother/son, and you do not have a legal marriage certificate, as far as the military is concerned, you are nothing more than a pen pal. You are not entitled to any military benefits and the military is not going to contact you or discuss the soldier with you in any way. There are rules about privacy, and discussing a soldier with you or giving you any information about him would actually be against those rules.

But, even more important,
The US military does not contact ANYONE about a soldier's leave except the soldier himself. Leave is handled inside the military. The soldier applies for it internally, and approvals stay within the military. Not even a legal wife can apply for a soldier's leave. Whether leave is approved has nothing to do with the person the soldier is going to see. If you are writing to a "soldier" and he asks you to contact the US military for ANY REASON, then you are dealing with a scammer. If you receive a letter that is supposedly from the US military about a soldier you have been writing to, it is FAKE.

Please do post the letters the scammer sent you, as well as the fake General letters--they may help someone else this scammer is trying to steal from, as it is likely he will use the exact same letters.

would you be able to tell if this is an official letter from this general or not please

here is the generals e mail add=ress ?
gen.lloydaustin@usa.?com is this any help t to you
I'm sorry to say that I don't have to see the letter to tell you it's fake.

removed some of the quoted text in the next few posts to make posts a little easier to read - dotti.

would you be able to tell if this is an official letter from this general or not please

This is to notify you that your request for Three (3) month vacation has been granted by the US Army and your vacation starts from 07/03/2011 and it will end on the 06/06/2011.

We really appreciate your partner’s contribution and effort in Iraq towards a better America, the 2rd Infantry SF Base Division wish you a happy vocational trip to the United Kingdom under Defense Section B of Decree 202 on absence from Duty with Voluntary Permission from the services duty.

Unfortunately the Military Travel Card of SGT. Martin Lauseng limit is less than the required limit, at least his Military Travel Card should worth Ten Thousand United Kingdom Pounds (10,000.00 GBP) and the available balance on his card is Nine Thousand Four Hundred United Kingdom Pounds only (9,400.00 GBP). In order for the State Defense Authority to schedule SGT. Martin Lauseng's flight from Iraq to United Kingdom, He is advised to top up his Travel Card up to the State Defense Authority requested limit.

Moreover according to the SF recommendation vocational decree, He is also requested to secure/purchase a refundable Military Returning Notary Stamp worth 120.00 GBP (One Hundred Twenty United Kingdom Pounds Only).

A money order has been written on your name and address on behave of SGT. Martin Lauseng. The Money Order can only be cashed at any Post Office in the United Kingdom or in the United State of America. This will cover for his Vocation leave allowance and all the money you’ve spent during these Transit process. You are requested to make a payment of 120.00 GBP for a safe delivery of the money order to your door step by a Military Dispatcher Unit.

The total amount will be 720.00 GBP (Seven Hundred and Twenty United Kingdom Pounds) must be paid to the previous agent information (Sharon Grant) and you should get back to me as soon as the transfer is made via Money Gram so that we can proceed with the transit.

Hence, He shall be given an authorization on Exit confirmation approval from the War/Duty Zone once all these payment are been made and you confirm the safe receiving of the Money Order.

However, US Army has restored peace in Iraq since the war in Iraq started through the contribution of the US Army, on this occasion we remember our fallen soldiers that have served well.


Regards,


Lt Gen Lloyd Austin
Multi-National Corps – Iraq
Public Affairs Office, Camp Victory
APO AE 09342

would you be able to tell if this is an official letter from this general or not please

This is to notify you that your request for Three (3) month vacation has been granted by the US Army and your vacation starts from 07/03/2011 and it will end on the 06/06/2011.

We really appreciate your partner’s contribution and effort in Iraq towards a better America, the 2rd Infantry SF Base Division wish you a happy vocational trip to the United Kingdom under Defense Section B of Decree 202 on absence from Duty with Voluntary Permission from the services duty.

Unfortunately the Military Travel Card of SGT. Martin Lauseng limit is less than the required limit, at least his Military Travel Card should worth Ten Thousand United Kingdom Pounds (10,000.00 GBP) and the available balance on his card is Nine Thousand Four Hundred United Kingdom Pounds only (9,400.00 GBP). In order for the State Defense Authority to schedule SGT. Martin Lauseng's flight from Iraq to United Kingdom, He is advised to top up his Travel Card up to the State Defense Authority requested limit.

Moreover according to the SF recommendation vocational decree, He is also requested to secure/purchase a refundable Military Returning Notary Stamp worth 120.00 GBP (One Hundred Twenty United Kingdom Pounds Only).

A money order has been written on your name and address on behave of SGT. Martin Lauseng. The Money Order can only be cashed at any Post Office in the United Kingdom or in the United State of America. This will cover for his Vocation leave allowance and all the money you’ve spent during these Transit process. You are requested to make a payment of 120.00 GBP for a safe delivery of the money order to your door step by a Military Dispatcher Unit.

The total amount will be 720.00 GBP (Seven Hundred and Twenty United Kingdom Pounds) must be paid to the previous agent information (Sharon Grant) and you should get back to me as soon as the transfer is made via Money Gram so that we can proceed with the transit.

Hence, He shall be given an authorization on Exit confirmation approval from the War/Duty Zone once all these payment are been made and you confirm the safe receiving of the Money Order.

However, US Army has restored peace in Iraq since the war in Iraq started through the contribution of the US Army, on this occasion we remember our fallen soldiers that have served well.


Regards,


Lt Gen Lloyd Austin
Multi-National Corps – Iraq
Public Affairs Office, Camp Victory
APO AE 09342