Romance scammer Benjamin Larbi ([email protected])

Having being - again - contacted via match.com by a - very good looking - man, with a "James Bond" profile, I decided to check out some of the pictures on the website via the web and I found out this picture and others from his match profile were used on www.pof.com with the profile "buckeyeguy42", profile no 1199198,
49 year old, 193cm, from Orlando, Florida, looking for a serious relationship. His introduction read:

I travel on occasion for work (about every other week). I'd like to find someone to spend some time with. I'm looking for someone to date but I want to take things slowly. I am ultimately looking for a long term relationship.

I play the drums, try to play the guitar, I have a motorcycle, and my career has been going well. I enjoy cooking as well although I really don't have anyone to cook for at the moment.

My only real deal breakers are that I can't date a smoker and I'm not going to have any more kids. I'm lucky enough to have two kids...my son is 14 and my daughter is 20.

I love reggae music so I often go to Bob Marley's at Universal CityWalk. Sometimes I'll go to Blue Martini because the bands are usually very good. I play the drums when I can with musician friends of mine.
As far as who I'm attracted to, race is not important although I do tend to be attracted to exotic looking women.
Update - if you are younger than me and you would like to message me and cannot because of the automatic age restriction, I'm also on match under the same name and they have no restrictions. Or shoot me a message at stevem d|o| t FL on the G m|a|i|l and include your user name. I've had some interesting people favorite me and I can't communicate with them.

On match.com he used the same picture, but is 52y.o., in the UK for a couple of weeks and returning to the USA, (Land O Lakes, FL) to retire from the army (again one of those...), and looking for the better part of him.... We exchanged a few mails via match.com; I told him about the other profile I found on internet and he said his pictures were stohlen from his FB account and he did not had the time to take care of this, but insisted on contacting me via skype. Strangely enough, I saw "him" but could not "talk" to him because they were other people in the room. We had a full week of this skyping/sms chatting, until he flew back to the US.

We talked about his son, Jeff, 8yo who "wanted him to have a new wife because he wanted a mum". Ben then told me he was going to a "last mission" and introduced the fact his son could may be come to stay with me in August. I was actually OK with it, not working, the picture of the boy looked really cute. The money question arrised slowly, Ben was going to his new "secrete" mission location.... and of course once he got there he had access to "nothing", and definitely not to money.

Now my account is freezed, Honey, what now do you want me to do? I have done my part, Now it's there .. Meaning we have to settle and pay the woman off, because Jeff will be on the next flight

He forwarded me a message from the MMA (Marine Academy in Texas) but the sender was a "[email protected]" with the following information :

Dear Sir ,
With reference to your request concerning Jeffrey Larbi , we write to inform you of our acceptance and outright agreement to release the subject in question.

To further process for the release of your ward , a couple of paper work , procurement , fees will be incurred. Find below a summary of these paper works :

- medical report for school reference ( 350.00USD )
- arrears in boarding/housing expenses ( 1350.00USD )
- student loans ( 5800.00USD )

Once the total cost of 7500.00USD is settled , your ward will be released and assisted as directed by you.

Counting on your usual co-operation.
Thank you.
Yours Faithfully,
Peggy Fernandez
Administrator , MMA ( Marine Military Academy )

I did actually contact the real MMA to check if such a Ms Peggy Fernandez was actually working there and if there was any chance the MMA would use a gmail account. Guess what ? OF COURSE NOT. I told the admin people there about the wrong-doing of this person and I have send them mail with all information. There are not too happy to see the name of their reknowned academie used by scammers and low lifes. They will take it up on their end.

So, I did send a mail to my "love and hero", to state I did not quiet understand what my role was in there. Funny, even being in Homs, on a secrete mission in a hidden compound and fearing for his life, and mine of course, he contacted me on skype right away. I played him around and finally we got to this point :

[18:09:42] Benjamin Larbi: Meaning you can not help me settle my fees?
[18:09:45] Benjamin Larbi: Yes / No
[18:09:53] CW: no i cannot help you financially
[18:10:11] Benjamin Larbi: OK fine. You knew this from start
[18:10:28] Benjamin Larbi: why didn't you tell me you can't help me? why did you do this to me?
[18:10:31] Benjamin Larbi: huh?
[18:10:34] Benjamin Larbi: why?
[18:10:39] Benjamin Larbi: What happen?
[18:10:42] CW: this is crazy, I had the same discussion with some other people not too long ago, I am really tired of this
[18:10:50] Benjamin Larbi: Have you been readinf your messages you send me always?
[18:10:58] Benjamin Larbi: oK i knew this all
[18:11:01] CW: yes I have
[18:11:05] Benjamin Larbi: you always talk to other men
[18:11:08] Benjamin Larbi: OK
[18:11:09] Benjamin Larbi: Fine
[18:11:14] Benjamin Larbi: you got it all wrong
[18:11:15] CW: I meant every word but why does it all come back to money
[18:11:23] Benjamin Larbi: too much nagative running in your mind
[18:11:30] CW: do I look loaded ? or ready to be abused - again ?
[18:11:42] Benjamin Larbi: Have i abused you?
[18:11:51] Benjamin Larbi: Look love
[18:12:12] Benjamin Larbi: you can do what your heart tells you okay, I know you have it but you don't just wanna help me settle this fees, well fine
[18:12:19] Benjamin Larbi: you said it and knew it all ..
[18:12:22] Benjamin Larbi: didn't you
[18:12:32] Benjamin Larbi: so why all the promise?
[18:12:33] Benjamin Larbi: why?
[18:12:34] Benjamin Larbi: why?
[18:12:35] Benjamin Larbi: why?
[18:12:36] CW: I do not have that money, you should put this in YOUR head now
[18:12:40] Benjamin Larbi: why all your fake words?
[18:12:53] Benjamin Larbi: why all the lies promise and support
[18:12:57] CW: why do you keep smiling on screen ? do you think this is a joke
[18:12:57] Benjamin Larbi: what does support means to you
[18:13:03] Benjamin Larbi: yes
[18:13:07] Benjamin Larbi: because it's funny
[18:13:10] CW: not going straight to my bank account
[18:13:15] CW: not it is not

I will spare you the following lines but I hang up, wishing him "good luck" and his last words were :
[18:18:38] Benjamin Larbi: May God be with you
[18:18:45] Benjamin Larbi: damn you for good.

So, Ladies, look out, because I know he has cancelled the match.com account he used with me, but has another one running. And his FB account (Ben Larbi) is still open ..... his number on skype is 813-515 8489.

Thanks for posting! Peggy's writing is that of a West African, which means that most likely Jeff and Ben are played by an African too.

Update September 2nd, 2014. Profile and email still active: Bond, sorry "Ben Larbi" had the nerves to send me an email on September 2nd, 2014 (from his mail: [email protected]) as he had found his name and details on this website.

Here is his message:

Did i do any such thing to you? still asking? How could you do such a thing? It was a break up. why have you putting me on scam list. why did i scam you? why ?

How could you be so heartless to dig me up on Scam list? Why have i scammed You Mrs. Christine? Or is jealousy because i said I'm know longer interested in You? How could you do such a thing? do you have any idea of what you just did to me? My work now on the line. I have 3 days to Unpublished what you did.

I am attaching the picture I took from our "skype" session, though I have no confirmation if he is the Ben Larbi, I saw him but we only texted, what can I say, a spy has a complicated life....

So, the post is still on, so I guess no SS or DOD was able to help Ben Larbi, Watch out, he went a long way to try to prove he is real, creating a real professional page on a well known social professional network, faking DOD and SS documents, so he (she) has got the means and the time to hunt.

Be safe and aware !

The English (both then and now) when it is not copy-paste is not American.

Webcam can be faked. All a scammer needs to do is find a small amount of video of the the person they are impersonating (or for a very brief flash, photos will do). Then with the right software, which is sold and scared among scammers, they can make a victim think they are actually seeing the person they think they are talking to live. Scammers use this tactic frequently to advance their scams.

Look familiar?
https://www.blogger.com/profile/11826995683452081251