another person that [email protected] got to

hello I met david murray on facebooks are you interested. He told me he was a single father who lost his wife 4 years ago. He has 2 children. While we were talking I fell for him and now I believe I got my heart broke and was scammed. He asked me to send his commander and email requesting that a leave be approved so David could come home meet me and I could meet his children. Just some of the emails he send me:
Dear Diane,
I know there's an ocean between us,and I wish that it weren't true,for every day when I arise,I yearn to be with you.Though a lot of distance lies between us, you'll always be in my mind and my heart,And every night beneath the stars,I pray for the day we'll never be part.
Every day I will be thinking about you. When my eyes are closed, when I sing and dance to a love song, when I'm checking my email, I will be thinking about you. When I go to sleep in the loneliness of my room and give in to wonderful dreams I will definitely be thinking about you.
I know someday we will meet and spend our lives with each other. I have waited for someone like you, and now that I have found you I will never let you go. I love you so much, Diane
Love Always,
David
Of course I fell for this I sent the $489.00 +$100.00 to where I was told to send it. Now I just received another email stating that as soon as I send $1267.00 that a flight could be booked. Does anyone know how I can get my money back.
Thank you

I'm very sorry you were scammed--and there is absolutely no doubt that you have been. You have definitely been communicating with an African scammer.

I wish I could tell you there is a way to get your money back, but there isn't. Nobody you have been in contact with is real. The person you have been talking to is an African, hiding behind fake names and locations, and you don't actually have any real information about him.

You have not talked to anyone who is really connected to the US military. The "commander" is either the scammer himself playing another role, or it is an accomplice if he is part of a scamming gang. If you had been in contact with the real US military, you would have learned that someone from outside the military cannot request leave for someone in the military, and there are also no fees to pay for leave.

The money you sent was picked up anonymously, very likely with fake ID. No matter where you sent the money, in the end it was forwarded to Africa or Malaysia, where the scammer is really located, and went into his pocket (and the pockets of his accomplices). There is no way to trace it, and since it is out of the country, local law enforcement can't do anything about it.

The scammer may continue to proclaim his innocence. There is no limit to the number of lies a scammer will tell in the hopes of getting money. If he thinks it will help him to get more money, he may even promise to give the money back. THIS IS ALL LIES! You need to understand that he has no intention of returning a dime to you, but wants to keep you in contact, because he still thinks he can get money from you. You may also get emails from someone else, claiming to be the FBI, or EFCC, or some other agency--once again saying they can get your money back. Unfortunately, this is just another scam. These scammers will not hesitate to steal from you again, and don't care how much they hurt you.

At this point, the best thing you can do is IMMEDIATELY cut off all contact with the scammer and everybody associated with this scam. Block him from your messenger, don't take his calls, do not answer his emails. Don't bother to confront him, as he will only tell you more lies--even if he "confesses" it will be different lies in an attempt to find a new way to scam you. Trying to make him understand how much he has hurt you will only cause you more pain, as he really doesn't care how badly you are hurt--if you lost your home and were living on the street because of him, he would continue to try to scam you if he thought there was a chance of getting more. Then be very cautious about any new emails or calls from people you don't know.

We do recommend reporting the crime. If you are in the US, it would be to IC3.

Do NOT expect that reporting the crime will get your money back--but the more people who report these scams, the more our governments will understand the severity of the problem, and hopefully the more resources will be devoted to addressing it.

What is IC3 dottie

Hi yankeegurl33!
Dotti is referring to the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3)

http://www.ic3.gov/default.aspx