A possible scammer-Mark Cunningham

Hi Everyone,

I have been on the dating sites for quiet sometimes now and can spot, smell and sense scammers and possible scammers from far by now. It is sad that you need to be suspicious each and every time you start a new contact with someone new. But with all those scammers out there then it is better to be extra careful.
I have been chatting with someone on Match.com for about a week or so and few signs already by now is leading me to suspect he might be a scammer. He has already started to address me as " Baby" which for me is a sign of something is up because all the other scammers I have busted previously have used " Baby, Honey, Darling" very early from our conversations. He calls himself Mark Cunningham and claims to be British and to own his own construction company. This is the E-mail he use: [email protected]. I have tried to google him but I didn't find anything on him so far. He has not come up with the sad widow story and if he does then that's another sign to watch out for as many in the passed who I later discovered were scammers either have lost their wife due to cancer, car accident or had a very sad story about how they lost their parents from an early age due to car accident or something sad along those lines. To name a few I just recently busted were: Ryan Martyn [email protected], John [email protected] and George Meetic [email protected]

If anyone is in contact with someone using the name Mark Cunningham or using the mail address [email protected], then just watch out as he might be a possible scammer.
Will keep you all posted if I discover more about this person Mark.
In the meantime stay safe and take good care of yourself everyone.

claims to be British and to own his own construction company.

This too is textbook scammer storyline.

If you can post some of the early messages he sent you, especially the ones where he describes himself or his work, we can likely tell you from the English whether he is African.

His english is very good and these days scammers are getting better and better and their English very good. The other scammers I busted wrote in a fluent english, so unfortunately it is not that easy to catch a scammer anymore based on their english. Trust me! This is some of his mails he sent me, some lines I have deleted due to my own security.

Mail from Mark:
Hi Babe,

How are you today? Hope you had a good night sleep.

To be honest i am usually very busy working as I run my own construction company so need to be there all the time. Its all worth the hassle and hardwork.

I haven't met anyone off the site yet. I am just seeing how thigns turn out. My interest includes travelling, playing squash, exercising, and cooking.

Mark x


Hi babe,
nice of you to reply to my email. How are you doing? Hope you had a good day?
Yes its been a very busy few days. I've been busy working on a business proposal for a contract over in Dubai so that has been taking a lot of my time.
So how are you finding the dating environment? You seem like a nice woman also. I most certainly would love to get to know you more. See how things pan out.
Describe your ideal partner?

Mark xx

It may be better than typical scammer's English, but it still contains a trait characteristic of West African scammers.

As VX said, it is definite African scammer.

Yeah I am also almost sure it is a scammer. When I am 100 % sure I will post a picture he is using on Matc.com. On match.com he is using this name: Markt456

No "almost" about it. He is an African scammer, plain and simple.

If your account is linked to your real name and information or you have shared any of it, it is best not to continue contact with him. While he is not going to come visit you and you certainly aren't at any physical risk, a scammer who is angry that you have played him can still cause you some headaches, like reporting YOU as a scammer, trying to get your social networking/email accounts closed, even using your name and/or info in another scam.

Baiting (playing along with the scam for more information) should only be done if you are completely anonymous, using information that is not traceable to you.

He don't know my real name and the e-mail I am using is not linked to my real name. I am trying to be extra careful anytime I am in contact with someone from any dating sites by not giving them my real name or any information which can be traced to until I am very sudden. I have stopped communicating with him. I just hope if anyone comes across this person " Mark Cunningham" using this e-mail address: [email protected] they should not entertain him.

You shouldn't talk with scammers using the same address you talk with real people on dating sites. If you'd like to know more about the precautions we use when baiting, please visit http://forum.419eater.com/.

Please post the picture. Mark it "used by scammer" first.

I have the pictures ready to be posted but I find it rather complicating how to upload the pictures...

Have you tried reading this article about posting photos?
viewtopic.php?f=28&t=3219

Hi Mona, you seem to have good instincts when it comes to figuring out who is a scammer. Just remember not to put yourself out there to deliberately pull them in. They can find ways to make your life miserable. Of course, being lied to by a scammer is bad enough. Please make sure you are safe and as soon as you suspect you are in contact with a scammer, stop contact. We appreciate you posting the info and if you continue to have problems with posting the pictures, contact a Mod to help you.
One more things to note- scammers don't always follow a script and a person can be fooled when the details don't look exactly the same as something you have seen here. That is how I got scammed. You just have to look at the language and details in general- if you suspect it may be a scammer, chances are it is one. I wish you well in your search for online love

Definitely a scammer, there is just a way to there language that tips it off as not american or european

One giveaway is the way he *always* opens with questions ("Hope you had a good sleep?", etc.).
Of course we all do that from time to time ("Long time, no talk. You doing OK? etc.) but the tone of the scammers when they use these questions is always a giveaway. In particular they often ask about family and how they are, I think the rest of us only do this if we know the relatives by name.