I WAS SCAMMED - Didn't listen to my brain

This man found me through seniorpeoplemeet.com 7/9/10. He used the name of Mark April user name of markapril111 & profile showed he was from NC. I replied & we started e-mailing. He asked that we use yahoo messenger which I downloaded so we could. Under yahoo profile his name was same & user name markapril92 and e-mail [email protected] & profile showed he was from VT. In talking to him he said he was from Finland-father was Fin & mother from USA. He had moved to USA 10 years ago to VT & later moved to NC, had a grown child, & his wife died 5 years ago in accident. His seniorpeoplemeet profile disappeared but I still had original message where I could bring it up. He said he deleted that profile because he'd found the one he wanted. He said he was a construction worker in Lagos, Nigeria. 7/19 he contacted me needing money to pay off workers. He'd been paid by his boss $87,000 that couldn't be cashed in Nigeria. My first response was 'so that's why you've been talking to me' but after several more days of talking I sent him $700 Western Union. Days later he stated he needed more money. Between a loan I took out & what cash I had I sent him $825.00. He was supposed to arrive July 24 & I checked & the flights he mentioned were real but I later realized anyone could come up with flights & times. He requested $2000 to pay for excess weight on construction equipment. I didn't send it. With what I sent him, WU fees, loan fees, & cost of changing my cell # (which I'd given him) I am out $2100.00. I changed my cell# because I couldn't figure out why he needed it. I was still talking to him not because I believe him, but I wanted to see how long a scammer would keep on talking after being told no to sending money & I received some satisfaction seeing him just signing off without bye every time we disagreed. After yesterday's disagreements I think he's done. He wanted me to open Chase Checking Acct so friend in Finland could deposit money & have me withdraw & send which I didn't do. I've done reading on scams since this & this falls right into everything I've read. Only thing I haven't found so far is any mention of extreme violence & jealousy.

Post edited 08/04/10 by user

Welcome Deb,

I'm sorry you were scammed. Unfortunately the scenario you describe is typical African scam format, and I'm sure you realize by now that the person writing to you is actually a Nigerian who is scamming several people.

You will see references to the violence and jealousy you describe in some threads but not all because scammers can vary greatly in this respect. Some are clearly misogynistic and will show anger easily, especially when a victim questions them or does not pay. Others will never show anger but will use guilt as a tool instead. There are some who will will stay calm until they realize they have been found out, and then they will become threatening. Some angry scammers have actually gone as far as to report victims' profiles and emails and post online claiming the victims are thieves or scammers, etc. This is one reason we do not recommend continuing contact with a scammer once you realize he is a scammer.

Deliberately messing with a scammer is called baiting, and should only be done anonymously and safely (we have another site, 419eater.com that is dedicated to baiting).

At this point, you should be aware that you are likely to be targeted more frequently, and will likely be approached by your own scammer under new identities. It is also possible he will approach you again using this identity--it is amazing how persistent scammers can be, particularly when they have a shortage of paying victims. He may also try a recovery scam--in which he or an accomplice poses as some kind of official (EFCC, FBI, police, etc) and claims he can get your money back and/or your scammer arrested. Be prepared for these approaches, and realize they are also scams.

Wow, my scammer was from Norway, parents deceased, no siblings, no children, deleted his profile after communication with me, and told me the exact same thing, that he had found who he wanted, it makes you feel really really stupid, and violated after you figure out too late you were scammed, I just never thought it was out there like that. But this site has taught me a lot and my experience. I know I felt like crawling in a hole, like I even had the cash to send, but he was so smooth with his answers to my questions, so convincing.

Dotti, thanks for the info. I realize now the talk about violence started after I told him I didn't believe who he said he was. The jealously started when I didn't answer posts immediately. I have already been contacted by people who supposedly recover your money and those e-mails were trashed. I will be aware that he may try contacting me and of course others. I will check out the 419 site because it does make me feel better about everything by baitng him.

Dotti, I edited my post here since it was coming up under google.

Hi Deb and all-

We're sorry that you were contacted by an alleged scammer. Sadly, this scam is all too frequent on the Internet, not just on dating sites, but in emails, chat rooms, and on Facebook and Twitter.

Unfortunately, we can't help patrol the fraud unless our members report it directly to us. We ask that all of our members be aware of and make use of our "Report A Concern" button, which can be found on both a member's profile page and via your seniorpeoplemeet inbox.

Please let us know via this method or at http://www.seniorpeoplemeet.com/contact-us-form.cfm if this person or any other scammer contacts you again. Your safety and happiness is our concern.

Lisa for SeniorPeopleMeet.com

Lisa, I did post concern on him on 08/02/10 but since I was linking to his profile through an e-mail I received, I didn't know if it would go through. I have another one I will be reporting concern on since I have learned and checked his addy on google and he popped up.

Hello Deb. You are not alone. I have been by a young girl. Sent a lot of money to her. I know how you feel. We are NOT talking about being stupid. We "talk" to a nice person and of course we get some feeling, and may be more than that, for that person.

Hello Viking,

I sincerely hope that you have stopped all communication with the scammer who presented themself as an available girl. You are not talking to a girl at all. You are talking to a man who is pretending to be a girl by using photos he has stolen off of the internet.

To continue to communicate with this scammer is to continue to let him know you are going to continue to send money to him, just to keep the fantasy alive. He does not want a relationship with you. He only wants a relationship with your bank account.

You are sending him money and all that you will ever get for that is the fantasy that a porn star wants to be in a relationship with you. Scammers only give empty promises and empty bank accounts. This scammer is also sending the same kind of messages to dozens of other men who want to believe the fantasy.

Please stop communicating with him. Please do not send any more money to him. Please understand that you will receive nothing from this person except a collection of Western Union receipts which will show you how much money you have spent on this fantasy.

Thanks to this website and your posting I have just found out that I am also the victim of a scam.
Never thought anyone would ever catch me out but they have and it was a very similar scenario I can not believe it and I am in shock and don't know what to do to be honest I have waved goodbye to a reasonable amount of money but if it had not been for your posting I would have sent more.
I received copies of cheques and even a flight confirmation from British Airways the guy was telling me he was coming to visit me to pay me my money back and that I was the love of his life, obviously he never came.
Set up some story that related to the bus I actually worked in and seemed very realistic to an idiot like me but obviously an expert would have been able to see straight away that the guy was a scammer.
This all happened because I received an email from a guy via Facebook a picture of a guy and a little girl and I was totally sucked in.
You think everyone is trustworthy like yourself you live and learn and I have paid the price literally.
What do I do now ?

Welcome yellowflower.

I'm sorry you lost money to this scammer, but glad you found out before getting in any deeper. Given the opportunity, he would have continued to try to steal money from you, no matter what the consequences for you.

There is a link in my signature line for romance victims. Please read the information there, and it should help you with next steps. The most important thing right now is to completely cut off contact with the scammer.