by taurus2013
Wed Mar 13, 2013 12:13 pm
Hello everyone!
I write this in the hopes of preventing more women from falling prey to scammers. As it's women's month, I believe that we WILL come out of these experiences stronger, wiser, braver, and get to live happier lives, with or without the the 'right guy'. I'm getting very much educated on the world of scamming and have learned lots in a few days. I got scammed last week and lost SG$3,000.
Frank Rossi Jason contacted me through meetup.com (Singapore group), a networking site. I'm a single female working in Singapore. It saddens me that scammers have infiltrated meetup.com as the groups are really legitimate, and the activities here in SG worthwhile. (I have reported this to meetup.com and they've taken down his profile).
He messages me in meetup.com and 2 days after we move to emails and yahoo messenger. He sends me a long email about himself outside of meetup.com, which took me by surprise. Early on I tell him I don't trust easily, that he's sharing too much info, that I was into chatting in the late 90's and am aware of the risks involved in it, etc etc. (yes, despite my experience, I became vulnerable to the scam. I can only shake my head at how smart these people have gotten, and I have to come to terms that I'm now a victim too.) He asks for 3 photos which I send, and he sends 3 back, and I find him really cute. We chat for 2 hours minimum everyday for the next 3-4 weeks. He sends long emails after each day. I quickly become involved in the routine and find myself logging in to yahoo wherever I am, and check on my email first thing in the morning. He's American-Italian, born in Palermo, Italy, a civil-petroleum engineer, divorced, born on 27 Feb, 46 yrs old, parents died in a car accident, living relative is a grandpa whom he's bestfriends with. Frank lives in Pasadena, Calif, USA and owns a house. 2-3 weeks into chatting, he tells me he's traveling to London, UK for a bidding and will be staying there for 2 weeks. I live in SG and he promises to come over meet up, talks about dating, getting married, settling down, kids and all. By the 3rd-4th week I was being swept away by his words. I ask more pictures of him as I found it strange that he was in London, says it's his first time, but couldn't send me any pictures (excuse was he doesn't go around sightseeing during business trips). He sends me 3 more pictures. All 6 pictures of him are cropped tight to show only his face. I bring this to his attention, but he makes up an excuse. He gives me a phone number, I give mine. I request a call, he gives me a short one. He calls again after a few days. I give him a call on the same number too.
He says he's fallen in love with me by the 3rd week, wants to come over, get settled and all. I tell him we should meet up first. I was so happy I met 'mr. right' that I tell my friends, who were all too happy for me and would ask about Frank too. I would tell Frank about my day, my friends, 'report' to him how I spent my day and all. Frank would ask about my friends, my family, give them his best regards, etc. It all seemed so genuine and real.
He builds up this anticipation of coming over to SG straight from UK. 5th week, Monday, he tells me he won the contract, sends me a certificate, and that the job will be in Singapore (God's miracle, he calls it). I call him up so we could talk about this great news but somehow I couldn't get thru using Skype (I bought credits just so I could call him using cheaper rates). He tells me the contract is for US$1.2 and that he'll earn US$200K from it. 'Shell' would release P600k for his mobilization fee. Since he's in London, we always chat/talk at 10pm SG time. Tuesday, day after emailing me the certificate, he suddenly gives me a call at work, 11am SG time. I recognize his number and am thrilled that he calls, only to tell me he needs money for a document to be processed in SG. I don't hear the exact amount, but I say yes to helping him thinking that it would only be SG$35 or $300. Line gets cut so we transfer to ym. He types and says now he needs SG$3,000 to pay the revenue agent at the Tax Revenue office for a 'Contract Revenue Clearance Certificate,' a document he needs so that Shell UK can release US$600K from his project funds so he can come over to SG and be with me ASAP. I was shocked at the amount, told him I didn't hear it clearly during the call. He gets upset, says why did I agree to help him and ask him to send the bank details and all, but why didn't I have money to help him. He asks now for help him raise the money, wasn't content on the SG$100 I was offering, etc. It was a huge red flag for me already, but as I was so caught up in the virtual relationship that a small part of me had hoped everything was legit. I asked in chat why the payment would be made to a private account as it was a transaction for the SG government, and that SG's known for zero corruption. I tell him in chat that if I can't help him and we cut off communication because of it, then so be it. After a while I begin to cry and tell him why was he making me feel bad just because I refused to help him. He says he hasn't slept a wink, couldn't go back to the 'company' as he had no means of getting that document/payment done and that I was his only hope.
I borrow money from friends, deposit the money, say a prayer hoping that it was really genuine, and that the money will really be put to good use. I email ATM receipts of the bank transfer to Frank. I don't go online that night because I was too hurt. The next day I research online, realize in the FBI website that I got scammed. Wednesday night I go online, chat with Frank, was cold and curt, didn't give him any clue that I was on to the scam, gave him my bank details in the hopes of him returning the money (he says he'll use Western Union). By this time I feel he knows I'm on to his scam, but I don't say/show it. Thurs I wait for him in ym but he doesn't go online. I cut off emails/chats with him by this day. I read in many anti-scam websites that as soon as they get the money, they cut off all communication, so I was totally shocked that he gives me a call Fri night, our usual talk time. Sends email too, says he misses me. I don't reply or pick up the call. Sat, Sun, Mon, he calls me every night 3x. I've blocked his call, have not replied in the emails. He still calls me to this day.
I admit I get rattled when I see it's his number. He still emails and sends romantic cards. I've reported him to the police and to some anti-scam websites including here in scamwarners.
I am thankful still that the whole thing lasted 5 weeks only at a heavy cost to me. But if he didn't ask for money and I didn't give him SG$3,000, I'd still be caught up in the virtual affair. It's unbelievable that the scammers would still be after me. I feel now that I'm a 'lost account' to them.
As I write articles part-time, I type really fast. 'Frank' sounded really smart, wasn't bad at grammar, and would write long letters. Looking through the anti-scam articles online, I don't know if he's the typical scammer. I'm not sure now if the guy I chat with, the author of the emails and the guy I talked to on the phone are one and the same.
Like other women here who have been betrayed and taken advantage of, I feel ashamed and embarrassed. I apologized to all of my friends, for getting them involved in my virtual relationship. All of them say it doesn't matter, no apologies are necessary. Still, I can't stop thinking how stupid I was that I got scammed. To think I was telling 'Frank' that I knew a lot about the risks of having an online relationship.
I reported this to the SG police, who tell me they can't do much as 'Frank' is in London/USA. I give them the bank details but the officer says they also can't do much about the bank account.
Following are the details on Frank Rossi Jason---
Mobile +447035910549
Bank account for the deposit:
Account holders name: Mashita Binte Jamal
Account number: 126-64371-3.
Bank name: POSB Savings Bank.
He knows my email add, my mobile number and bank account (I gave it to him in the hopes of him returning the money). I have since changed all my details. The guy is still calling me.
I really, really hope laws will be passed, in whatever country or region, to help step up the fight against scammers.
I write this in the hopes of preventing more women from falling prey to scammers. As it's women's month, I believe that we WILL come out of these experiences stronger, wiser, braver, and get to live happier lives, with or without the the 'right guy'. I'm getting very much educated on the world of scamming and have learned lots in a few days. I got scammed last week and lost SG$3,000.
Frank Rossi Jason contacted me through meetup.com (Singapore group), a networking site. I'm a single female working in Singapore. It saddens me that scammers have infiltrated meetup.com as the groups are really legitimate, and the activities here in SG worthwhile. (I have reported this to meetup.com and they've taken down his profile).
He messages me in meetup.com and 2 days after we move to emails and yahoo messenger. He sends me a long email about himself outside of meetup.com, which took me by surprise. Early on I tell him I don't trust easily, that he's sharing too much info, that I was into chatting in the late 90's and am aware of the risks involved in it, etc etc. (yes, despite my experience, I became vulnerable to the scam. I can only shake my head at how smart these people have gotten, and I have to come to terms that I'm now a victim too.) He asks for 3 photos which I send, and he sends 3 back, and I find him really cute. We chat for 2 hours minimum everyday for the next 3-4 weeks. He sends long emails after each day. I quickly become involved in the routine and find myself logging in to yahoo wherever I am, and check on my email first thing in the morning. He's American-Italian, born in Palermo, Italy, a civil-petroleum engineer, divorced, born on 27 Feb, 46 yrs old, parents died in a car accident, living relative is a grandpa whom he's bestfriends with. Frank lives in Pasadena, Calif, USA and owns a house. 2-3 weeks into chatting, he tells me he's traveling to London, UK for a bidding and will be staying there for 2 weeks. I live in SG and he promises to come over meet up, talks about dating, getting married, settling down, kids and all. By the 3rd-4th week I was being swept away by his words. I ask more pictures of him as I found it strange that he was in London, says it's his first time, but couldn't send me any pictures (excuse was he doesn't go around sightseeing during business trips). He sends me 3 more pictures. All 6 pictures of him are cropped tight to show only his face. I bring this to his attention, but he makes up an excuse. He gives me a phone number, I give mine. I request a call, he gives me a short one. He calls again after a few days. I give him a call on the same number too.
He says he's fallen in love with me by the 3rd week, wants to come over, get settled and all. I tell him we should meet up first. I was so happy I met 'mr. right' that I tell my friends, who were all too happy for me and would ask about Frank too. I would tell Frank about my day, my friends, 'report' to him how I spent my day and all. Frank would ask about my friends, my family, give them his best regards, etc. It all seemed so genuine and real.
He builds up this anticipation of coming over to SG straight from UK. 5th week, Monday, he tells me he won the contract, sends me a certificate, and that the job will be in Singapore (God's miracle, he calls it). I call him up so we could talk about this great news but somehow I couldn't get thru using Skype (I bought credits just so I could call him using cheaper rates). He tells me the contract is for US$1.2 and that he'll earn US$200K from it. 'Shell' would release P600k for his mobilization fee. Since he's in London, we always chat/talk at 10pm SG time. Tuesday, day after emailing me the certificate, he suddenly gives me a call at work, 11am SG time. I recognize his number and am thrilled that he calls, only to tell me he needs money for a document to be processed in SG. I don't hear the exact amount, but I say yes to helping him thinking that it would only be SG$35 or $300. Line gets cut so we transfer to ym. He types and says now he needs SG$3,000 to pay the revenue agent at the Tax Revenue office for a 'Contract Revenue Clearance Certificate,' a document he needs so that Shell UK can release US$600K from his project funds so he can come over to SG and be with me ASAP. I was shocked at the amount, told him I didn't hear it clearly during the call. He gets upset, says why did I agree to help him and ask him to send the bank details and all, but why didn't I have money to help him. He asks now for help him raise the money, wasn't content on the SG$100 I was offering, etc. It was a huge red flag for me already, but as I was so caught up in the virtual relationship that a small part of me had hoped everything was legit. I asked in chat why the payment would be made to a private account as it was a transaction for the SG government, and that SG's known for zero corruption. I tell him in chat that if I can't help him and we cut off communication because of it, then so be it. After a while I begin to cry and tell him why was he making me feel bad just because I refused to help him. He says he hasn't slept a wink, couldn't go back to the 'company' as he had no means of getting that document/payment done and that I was his only hope.
I borrow money from friends, deposit the money, say a prayer hoping that it was really genuine, and that the money will really be put to good use. I email ATM receipts of the bank transfer to Frank. I don't go online that night because I was too hurt. The next day I research online, realize in the FBI website that I got scammed. Wednesday night I go online, chat with Frank, was cold and curt, didn't give him any clue that I was on to the scam, gave him my bank details in the hopes of him returning the money (he says he'll use Western Union). By this time I feel he knows I'm on to his scam, but I don't say/show it. Thurs I wait for him in ym but he doesn't go online. I cut off emails/chats with him by this day. I read in many anti-scam websites that as soon as they get the money, they cut off all communication, so I was totally shocked that he gives me a call Fri night, our usual talk time. Sends email too, says he misses me. I don't reply or pick up the call. Sat, Sun, Mon, he calls me every night 3x. I've blocked his call, have not replied in the emails. He still calls me to this day.
I admit I get rattled when I see it's his number. He still emails and sends romantic cards. I've reported him to the police and to some anti-scam websites including here in scamwarners.
I am thankful still that the whole thing lasted 5 weeks only at a heavy cost to me. But if he didn't ask for money and I didn't give him SG$3,000, I'd still be caught up in the virtual affair. It's unbelievable that the scammers would still be after me. I feel now that I'm a 'lost account' to them.
As I write articles part-time, I type really fast. 'Frank' sounded really smart, wasn't bad at grammar, and would write long letters. Looking through the anti-scam articles online, I don't know if he's the typical scammer. I'm not sure now if the guy I chat with, the author of the emails and the guy I talked to on the phone are one and the same.
Like other women here who have been betrayed and taken advantage of, I feel ashamed and embarrassed. I apologized to all of my friends, for getting them involved in my virtual relationship. All of them say it doesn't matter, no apologies are necessary. Still, I can't stop thinking how stupid I was that I got scammed. To think I was telling 'Frank' that I knew a lot about the risks of having an online relationship.
I reported this to the SG police, who tell me they can't do much as 'Frank' is in London/USA. I give them the bank details but the officer says they also can't do much about the bank account.
Following are the details on Frank Rossi Jason---
Mobile +447035910549
Bank account for the deposit:
Account holders name: Mashita Binte Jamal
Account number: 126-64371-3.
Bank name: POSB Savings Bank.
He knows my email add, my mobile number and bank account (I gave it to him in the hopes of him returning the money). I have since changed all my details. The guy is still calling me.
I really, really hope laws will be passed, in whatever country or region, to help step up the fight against scammers.
God bless you both 