Another Victim of the US Army Scam

I have been scammed and want to share my experience so that others reading this can protect themselves from being scammed themselves.
I live in UK and joined Fish Dating online dating site. I was contacted by Jack or John Moon, who said he owned his own home in London, was divorced with grown up twin sons and a grandchild. After a week of exchanging messages he told me he was a Major in the US Army currently serving in Afghanistan. He told me that he was due for retirement, that he had a family business importing wood from Africa to Europe and US. We began communicating by text, emails and yahoo messenger. His phone number - 07542153372 and email address [email protected]. What followed was a constant barrage of text messages, emails, ecards, poems, chats online, a ruthless determination to capture my heart with words of undying love. I was told all the things already posted on this site - can't make voice calls, no access to funds, etc. How can someone hoodwink an intelligent woman to such an extent? Well, it seems it was all too easy.
After several weeks, Jack told me that he wanted to come back to the UK to meet me but as he had a further 5months in Afghanistan, the only way this could happen would be if I applied as his fiancee, for compassionate leave. He provided me with an email address to write to submitting my request - [email protected]. I followed instructions and received paperwork similar to that already posted on this site together with a request for 2500pounds to be paid into a diplomats account in the name of Sharon Kingston, for processing and admin charges. Jack said that he could not access his own funds so I had to take care of it. I was suspicious at this point but he assured me it was all kosher, and this was followed up with many declarations of love, so I foolishly did as I was told. All was going fine until I received another request for money for the leave warrant from Homeland Security of 3150pounds. At this point, my brain started working again, alarm bells were ringing, so I ended the relationship with Jack, accusing him of scamming me, and began notifying various organisations in the UK alerting them of the problem. The dating site immediately rejected his profile, I informed Consumer Direct but got no reply. Jack came back with the response that he was innocent, that he would prove it to me and that he had meant every word he had ever said to me. This is where it gets really stupid on my part, cos I I took him at his word. He said that the fraud was being investigated within the army administration and that his leave request was to continue. As things stand, he supposedly got taken from Afghanistan to a medical facility in Germany for routine medical examination where has has remained for 4 days. I am supposed to be compensated the 2500pounds and to receive Jacks leave bonus and benefits of 216,000pounds, but I have to end it all now for once and for all, because the scammers must not get my bank account details. I have read the postings on this site and others and know that I have been made a victim of a viscious evil scam and the whole relationship was completely fictious.

Hi Shewolf,welcome to Scamwarners

I am very sorry for what you have been put through, unfortunately you have been found by a professional liar who was able to use his well rehearsed scam on you.

Please dont think that makes you foolish, just unaware, we would all liek to think that we lived in a world where you can believe people, where you can meet new people and have meaningfull relationships without being worried about the other person telling lies about every single detail, unfortunately, the world where we could trust others has long gone and these vermin have caused that without any remorse.

Everything you have been told is a lie, everything you are told in the future will also be a lie and it all has a single purpose, to steal your money.

Now, you need to ignore everything from this person or any of his identities, do not take his calls and do not answer any emails, it will take some time but if you completely ignore him he will see that you are not going to send any more money and he will leave you alone.

You also need to be aware of a recovery scam, these scams target those who have previously been scammed and offer to get your money back or to compensate you, there are a range of false storylines they will go by but the main point is that as some stage you will be asked to send money.

Please know that you will not be reimbursed or compensated regardless of what you may be told, any information suggesting otherwise will be after your money.

When you are ready, could you please post the emails from the scammer with any identifying information removed, the more we have on this scammer the more likely it is that this post will keep others from being scammed.

If you feel more comfortable, you can forward pictures, documents and emails to me and I can post it for you but it may take a little bit longer.

Either way, any information you can provide will be appreciated.

If you have any questions, please dont hesitate to ask

Thank you for your kind response - I will do as you suggest. There are a lot of emails and documents so I will send only a selection.

You have to understand that the scammer plays mind games with you. I wouldn't call them clever, but hyenas aren't clever though they do what they do with ruthless efficiency and success.

You've dealt with this person operating to a set of moral rules that he had no intention of operating to, so it was like taking on an armed criminal with a feather duster.

Anyone who asks for money off a dating site is a scammer. He won't let go of you easily, and he'll set up new identities to come at you again if necessary. You've invested money in him and he knows you've got money, and he was never after anything else.

Anyone asking you for money is a scammer, and anyone who now contacts you saying they can help you get the money you've lost back will only be the same scammer coming back for more, wanting you to pay an up front fee for his services.

How right you are - I've just had an email requesting a further 5450pounds this morning!!!

Don't worry, I have broken off all contact and will not be communicating again.

Hi Shewolf.

We will help you all we can - if you have any questions or concerns please post.

Also thank you for providing information to alert and save others from being scammed. Well Done

Stolen photographs used by this scammer;

Shewolf,
I am soo soo very sorry for your experience with scamers. I know how you are feeling now. Please, report everything what you have on this SOB as it my help someone to recognise this scamer when he come along.
In mean time do take good care of yourself as you need to recover and get your life back ... at some point. For now just take rest if you can, make sure you take care of your phisical and mental health, take holiday if you can or go for at last for a short break. You are confused now and tend to think that it is yourself to blame and all your confidence is nearly nonexistant. You are kind, gentle soul and you have been taken advantage of.
You have been helping someone who needed help and you have been made feeling loved and being in love. It all is at times difficult to comprehen as a one big lie - that's all what it was. You have been a victim of skilled criminal and now you have to recover from this experience. It will take time but there is a life after scamer. You have friends here and any support we can give to you.

Eve,

Thank you for your very kind caring words but I want you to know that rather than feeling upset like most victims I am sure do, I feel angry but calm, determined to share as much as I possibly can. I can't grieve the loss of a loved one because he never existed. The way I see it, the only thing I can do is try to protect myself from this scammer, share with others to help prevent them from being scammed and get on with the rest of my life. I've made one big mistake but I'm not going to beat myself up over it and thankfully I have some wonderful close friends who love me for who I am and will support me should I need it.

I loved the attention this fake man showered on me, and he was skillful in pressing all the right buttons. He was too good to be true and as a good friend said to me yesterday, if you think its too good to be true, it probably is. Wise words I regret not heeding sooner.

Shewolf

Good to see you well 'together'.
Best wishes, when needed you know where we are.

Mails/messages sent by scammer John/Jack Moon - [email protected]

Mails/messages sent by [email protected]

Fake documents used by this scammer;

Well, you guys are so right. He's not going to just give up on me. I'd been ignoring his texts and attempts to chat with me online but it was not working. So I decided out of anger to chat with him for one last time. I told him that I had found him out as a liar and a thief, asked him what the weather was like in Nigeria and what his real name was! His reply was predictable, he was innocent, he would prove it, he would show me how wrong I was! He asked me what I thought I knew, but I said simply that I knew everything, and would not be drawn to say more. The tone of his chat then changed, and said that he had thought about stealing money in order to escape his situation to be with me. Here is an excerpt of some of our chat.

----- Our chat on Wed, 14/7/10 21:10 -----
j_moon72 (20:30): i believe you will realise the mistake you've made someday
j_moon72 (20:32): WHAT MAKES U BELIEVE THAT?
j_moon72 (20:32): IM WHO I SAY I AM!
j_moon72 (20:35): ok. i will prove it to you
j_moon72 (20:36): yes
j_moon72 (20:38): lets keep the talks till then, i believe you will believe me when you see me
j_moon72 (20:41): Just be patient, latest next week, im finalizing plans
j_moon72 (20:42): i dont want to be saying more words, ive told you enouigh already and im still here, ive decided that actions are the next step
j_moon72 (20:49): Im not asking you to help me
j_moon72 (20:49): yea
j_moon72 (20:53): what?
j_moon72 (20:55): i want you
j_moon72 (20:55): cos you are the woman i love and no, im not with your money as you think
j_moon72 (20:58): ok then
j_moon72 (20:59): with what?
j_moon72 (21:00): what else do you want me to say to convince you? ive told you i will prove you wrong, why cant you wait and see then?
j_moon72 (21:05): Why dont you tell them that?
j_moon72 (21:07): im trying my best#

I have heard nothing since.....................

Welcome Shewolf. I'm glad that you are here, sorry about the circumstances for which you found us. As you've already found out, scammers won't easily give up on someone once they think they have a chance to steal from them. Confronting them also leads to nothing productive, they just tell more and more lies. Sometimes, the confrontation even helps them a bit as they start searching for information to see how you found out and find sites like ours. It doesn't sound like you'll talk to him again (and please don't!) but if you do, please do not tell him the reasons why you know he's a scammer, we don't want him to learn to be a better scammer!
Thank you for taking the time to get this scammer's information posted here for others to find. If you choose to watch this topic for replies, you may find that another woman is saved from finding the info here.