Is this the beginning of a scam to be?

Considering this was our first and only conversation, this person sounds like a scammer to me, what do you think? Am I wrong? Conversation of his I have highlighted as they don’t add up. He contacted me on Christianet (had a scammer from there before) His profile said he was a Widow, Entrepreneur, Very intelligent, Faith very important to him, Baptist, large salary. The conversation was ok until where I highlighted which made me suspicious. The message he put on C.N. was as follows which didn’t sound it came from someone that intelligent.

I am an Easy Outgoing Man, Fun Loving and very Romantic. I'm very Submissive and down to heart, I love walking out, Movies, Cinemas, listening to Gospel and soft Music, I love meeting people and Thieve in Learning about new Things, I am not Picky when it comes to a relationship but i would love to have an easy outgoing Woman who is fun Loving and very Romantic and who has good qualities and knows how to give a good hearted guy like me a good Treat. I would love to have a Woman in my Life with no Games ..finally I have an Instant chat ID , so you could hit at me over there if you have one . caringheart_tom AT yahoo . Hope to read from you pretty soon . Bye for now . Thomas


Tom Brinkman (24/03/2010 16:16:53): Good morning my dear xxxx and how was your night ?????
(24/03/2010 16:17:21): my night was a long time ago, it is now 16.17!!!
Tom Brinkman (24/03/2010 16:18:15): Oh I see ...so what are you up to ?
(24/03/2010 16:18:37): just eating a snack and surfing, how are you doing?
Tom Brinkman (24/03/2010 16:22:04): I am doing good
Tom Brinkman (24/03/2010 16:22:34): so mind telling me little more about you and what you for work ?
(24/03/2010 16:23:31): I am retired, ancient but active. Like keeping my garden nice, come on here a while, usual chores a woman does
(24/03/2010 16:23:34): what about you
Tom Brinkman (24/03/2010 16:24:06): Oh I see , still married ?
Tom Brinkman (24/03/2010 16:24:10): kids ?
Tom Brinkman (24/03/2010 16:25:14): hello
Tom Brinkman (24/03/2010 16:25:24): i can understand if you are busy
(24/03/2010 16:26:35): I had to go into the kitchen
Tom Brinkman (24/03/2010 16:26:55): Oh Okay ..you should have said brb
Tom Brinkman (24/03/2010 16:27:10): brb mean's Be right Back ...Lol
(24/03/2010 16:27:13): yes probably
Tom Brinkman (24/03/2010 16:27:19):
(24/03/2010 16:27:21): Not married, one son aged 35
Tom Brinkman (24/03/2010 16:27:43): Oh i see ..where is your son at the moment ?
(24/03/2010 16:27:54): he lives 3 miles from me in a small bungalow by himself
Tom Brinkman (24/03/2010 16:28:43): Okay cool ...so are you living all alone to yourself or you live with someone ?
(24/03/2010 16:28:54): I live with my 5 house cats!
(24/03/2010 16:29:18): what about you? are you still married
Tom Brinkman (24/03/2010 16:29:22): wow
Tom Brinkman (24/03/2010 16:29:34): nope I am a widowed
(24/03/2010 16:29:44): Oh that's so sad, I am sorry.
Tom Brinkman (24/03/2010 16:29:45): 5 years now
Tom Brinkman (24/03/2010 16:30:02): thanks for your concern , but I am okay now
Tom Brinkman (24/03/2010 16:30:15): I have a lovely daughter that I take care of
(24/03/2010 16:30:23): good, it takes a while to come to terms with that. How old is your daughter
Tom Brinkman (24/03/2010 16:30:58): she is just 13 years of age
(24/03/2010 16:31:25): quite a critical age, the teens.
Tom Brinkman (24/03/2010 16:31:31): yes
Tom Brinkman (24/03/2010 16:31:42): I love her so much and she all i have got for now
(24/03/2010 16:32:23): yes - enjoy the time you have with her because when she gets to the 'boy's age' things can change
Tom Brinkman (24/03/2010 16:32:48): mmmmmmmmmmmmm Lol
(24/03/2010 16:33:02): I am glad I had a son! lol
Tom Brinkman (24/03/2010 16:33:14): yeah sounds sweet
(24/03/2010 16:33:37): Well we had our moments during his critical years - it takes a lot of patience
Tom Brinkman (24/03/2010 16:34:28): Oh yeah , but it's nice to have them
(24/03/2010 16:34:50): Yes, it is my son's birthday Friday so I am going to cook him a roast lamb dinner
Tom Brinkman (24/03/2010 16:35:10): Wow , am I invited ??
Tom Brinkman (24/03/2010 16:35:21):
(24/03/2010 16:35:30): lol, you might not like my cooking!
Tom Brinkman (24/03/2010 16:36:22): Oh why is that ..I am sure you know how to cook
(24/03/2010 16:36:37): I will probably cook apple crumble for a sweet.
(24/03/2010 16:37:06): yes of course, but I don't eat meat, so on my own don't bother about roasts etc., have more stir fry and steamed
Tom Brinkman (24/03/2010 16:37:08): Oh yeah i love apple crumble
(24/03/2010 16:37:30): Might get some fresh cream to put over it! Is your mouth watering????
Tom Brinkman (24/03/2010 16:37:58): yeah , my mouth is watering right now ...Lol
(24/03/2010 16:38:28): What do you do for hobbies
Tom Brinkman (24/03/2010 16:39:06): love camping , going ona Fishing ,sometime i read ..Lol
Tom Brinkman (24/03/2010 16:39:33): walking and gym
Tom Brinkman (24/03/2010 16:39:40): and you ?
(24/03/2010 16:40:25): I quite like fishing - can bait the hook but can't take the fish off if they are large - they wiggle too much! Camping - no - prefer my comforts these days. I like walking and sometimes I read.
Tom Brinkman (24/03/2010 16:41:07): Okay sounds like we have somethings in comon
Tom Brinkman (24/03/2010 16:41:20): so how old are you and where are you located ?
(24/03/2010 16:41:44): Very old! 71, and between ….. and ………
Tom Brinkman (24/03/2010 16:42:02): mmmm you are just too funny ..Lol
Tom Brinkman (24/03/2010 16:42:07): Very old ???
(24/03/2010 16:42:17): Well, a lot older than you! How old are you?
Tom Brinkman (24/03/2010 16:42:23): but I think that is okay by me ..what are you thinking ?
(24/03/2010 16:42:44): thinking? about what?
Tom Brinkman (24/03/2010 16:42:45): I'm 53 years
(24/03/2010 16:43:06): Oh you are very young - I am at the point of no return!! lol
Tom Brinkman (24/03/2010 16:43:41): Lol
Tom Brinkman (24/03/2010 16:44:01): same here that's why I need a older and mature lady to spend time with
Tom Brinkman (24/03/2010 16:44:36): but it's okay if you don't wnat that
(24/03/2010 16:44:40): I think you need someone who is fit and active in gym work etc.
Tom Brinkman (24/03/2010 16:44:47): Lol
(24/03/2010 16:45:13): what are you really looking for in a partner
Tom Brinkman (24/03/2010 16:45:50): Trust , honesty ,caring and loving
Tom Brinkman (24/03/2010 16:46:05): and a lady to can be there for her Man anytime
(24/03/2010 16:46:23): Someone like Marilyn Monroe !
Tom Brinkman (24/03/2010 16:46:42): Lol
Tom Brinkman (24/03/2010 16:46:54): so what are you thinking ?
(24/03/2010 16:47:05): I wish I was somewhat younger! lol
Tom Brinkman (24/03/2010 16:48:24): Oh that's okay my dear , but I am not complaining
(24/03/2010 16:48:42): Whereabouts are you situated
(24/03/2010 16:50:29): have you nodded off?
Tom Brinkman (24/03/2010 16:50:59): I am here
(24/03/2010 16:51:29): if you are busy can amuse myself
Tom Brinkman (24/03/2010 16:53:42): nope
Tom Brinkman (24/03/2010 16:53:50): I am not busy , just thinking
(24/03/2010 16:53:55): what are you thinking?
Tom Brinkman (24/03/2010 16:54:08): about you and me ...Lol
(24/03/2010 16:54:44): Goodness me, lol you didn't answer my question - whereabouts are you in the world?
Tom Brinkman (24/03/2010 16:56:04): Okay ...I live in St.louis missouri
(24/03/2010 16:56:19): Is it nice there?
Tom Brinkman (24/03/2010 16:57:21): yes it's nice right here
(24/03/2010 16:57:44): Have you got a picture showing your face??
Tom Brinkman (24/03/2010 16:58:14): yes sure
Tom Brinkman (24/03/2010 16:59:17): accept the file
(24/03/2010 17:01:20): Nice! Does every man wear a cowboy hat?
Tom Brinkman (24/03/2010 17:01:52): mmmmmmmmmm , how do you mean my dear ?
(24/03/2010 17:02:22): You know what a cowboy hat is - what you are wearing. Is this common practice in usa
Tom Brinkman (24/03/2010 17:02:49): mmmmmmm not really ..I just love it sometime
(24/03/2010 17:02:59): so can you ride a horse?
Tom Brinkman (24/03/2010 17:03:18): yes i can
(24/03/2010 17:03:52): lol, me too, although haven't been on one for 20 years or so
Tom Brinkman (24/03/2010 17:04:16): Oh I see ..
(24/03/2010 17:05:24): Well, reckon I shall have to go and get my meal as am out tonight
Tom Brinkman (24/03/2010 17:05:35): so what work did you retired from ?
(24/03/2010 17:05:40): Secretarial
Tom Brinkman (24/03/2010 17:06:04): Oh I see ...so how often do you get On the computer ?
(24/03/2010 17:06:13): every day at various times
Tom Brinkman (24/03/2010 17:06:43): Okay good , but don't you have specific time you always get online ?
(24/03/2010 17:06:54): no, I am on call
Tom Brinkman (24/03/2010 17:07:21): Oh I see ...So are you going to be on later tonight ?
(24/03/2010 17:07:46): doubtful as I won't be back until late. What work do you do?
Tom Brinkman (24/03/2010 17:08:25): Okay good , I work a Genral Contractor ...but looking to set up an Orphanage home pretty soon ..
(24/03/2010 17:08:53): why would you do that?
Tom Brinkman (24/03/2010 17:09:44): that's what I been planning all my life ..b'cos my late Dad own one before he died ..
Tom Brinkman (24/03/2010 17:09:57): so he had asked me to take it on
(24/03/2010 17:10:20): Well that's good
Tom Brinkman (24/03/2010 17:11:09): so what wil you be doing while i am off from here ?
(24/03/2010 17:11:31): getting a meal
Tom Brinkman (24/03/2010 17:12:09): baby , i need to let you I should be going on a short trip with my daughter down to England this afternoon...
(24/03/2010 17:12:33): ok
Tom Brinkman (24/03/2010 17:12:58): but we can still be chatting with other while i am over ..Is that okay by you ?
(24/03/2010 17:13:10): sure if I am around
Tom Brinkman (24/03/2010 17:13:24): Okay cool ...
Tom Brinkman (24/03/2010 17:13:49): baby, please be honest with me ..Are you seeing anyone already ?
(24/03/2010 17:14:14): not at the moment
(24/03/2010 17:14:20): why
Tom Brinkman (24/03/2010 17:14:44): Okay good ..just asking b'cos I am not seeing anyone at the moment
Tom Brinkman (24/03/2010 17:14:47): that's why
(24/03/2010 17:15:20): well you should find someone nearer to you as we are miles apart
Tom Brinkman (24/03/2010 17:16:07): Yes I understand ..But did i not told you that I am ready to relocate for the right woman ?
(24/03/2010 17:16:37): no, you told me you were going to set up an orphanage
Tom Brinkman (24/03/2010 17:17:14): Oh sorry about that ..but I am ready to relocate for the right woman
(24/03/2010 17:17:51): Well that will take months to consider. Anyway I must go as am late already
Tom Brinkman (24/03/2010 17:18:46): Okay cool
Tom Brinkman (24/03/2010 17:19:02): I will let you know when I arrive england ..Okay ?
(24/03/2010 17:19:27): Did I tell you that you sound like a scammer to me
Tom Brinkman (24/03/2010 17:19:48): what do you mean ?
Tom Brinkman (24/03/2010 17:20:02):
Tom Brinkman (24/03/2010 17:20:09): Oh my God
Tom Brinkman (24/03/2010 17:20:19): no one has ever tell me this before
(24/03/2010 17:20:23): Someone who pretends to be who they are not to get what they want from someone else
Tom Brinkman (24/03/2010 17:20:51): Are you calling me names or something ?
24/03/2010 17:21:20): I have had two such scammers already
Tom Brinkman (24/03/2010 17:21:36): and what does that have to do with me ?
(24/03/2010 17:21:51): I think you may be one
Tom Brinkman (24/03/2010 17:22:22): I am so dispointed in you

Hi Chainfree, Yes it certainly does sound like a scammer. The best thing to do is just stop talking to him. Feel free to post up his emails and any other information he has given you, as it might prevent somebody else from falling for the scam. Please don't get into a discussion with him about the fact that you believe he is a scammer. You don't want to educate him so that he becomes more believable to the next potential victim.

Thanks Clair, I am wondering whether to advise Christianet about him as his profile is still on there? I realise after I said to him I thought he was a scammer that it was not the right thing to do but he will probably think I am just not going to speak to him anymore and continue on the next victim.

We advise to not inform the web dating sites, because it will just cause him to create another fake identity. The best thing to do is post all the information you have on him here and on other sites that are devoted to romance or love scams. That way we can keep track of "him" and potentially prevent somebody else from becoming victim. So please post up the profile name he is using on Christianet, his email address, the name he is using, etc. Plus copies of his first emails to you, since they often follow a script. Just make sure you blank out your own personal information. Or you can send them to me via PM and I will post them if that makes you more comfortable.

This person's Christianet profile name is thoma6746, email: [email protected] and calls himself Tom Brinkman. I certainly won't be in communication with him again.

There are some giveaways in his turns of phrase, and his reactions. If you were in the habit of getting yourself photographed in a cowboy hat, you wouldn't be surprised if someone asked about it, because clearly it's important to you. Mentioning setting up an 'orphanage home' is a very West African thing which is taken to be an indication of someone very caring and Christian. Clearly they don't understand that it isn't the same in the West. The way he says 'my dear' and calls himself a 'general contractor'. It took him 8 minutes to tell you where he was located I notice, after you asked. I bet that had him doing some frantic searching.

He does sound quite plausible and polished for a scammer, but the ones who do this are the upper tier of scamming.

[
I love meeting people and Thieve

Probably the only truthful bit in the whole email. Freudian slip?

i have googled his email address and he has another account...
www.migente.com/caringheart_tom/
this is a site mainly aimed at Latinos, so it is surprising that his profile says he is Asian/Pacific Islander.
i don't get that impression from his photo.

@gomerpyle - his migente profile was set up in august 2009, and he is consistent about his age and location.
he was not making this up on the spur of the moment - either he is genuine or he has had practice.

i also used a website called intelius.com to check his name, and there are at least 4 Tom Brinkman's living (or used to live) in St Louis, MO

his migente profile was set up in august 2009, and he is consistent about his age and location.
he was not making this up on the spur of the moment - either he is genuine or he has had practice.

The fact that he has the same profile elsewhere does not in any way make him genuine. While having multiple inconsistent profiles is evidence of scamming, the reverse is not true. Consistency across profiles should not be considered proof that someone is genuine when there are clear signs to the contrary. It is not at all uncommon for scammers to set up multiple profiles with the exact same details on multiple websites. It's not necessarily a sign of a good or experienced scammer either-- sometimes it is because the scammer is unable to improvise, so he stays with the same info and script every time. Scammers also rarely remove their own profiles, even if they abandon them, so an old profile could be out there because the scammer abandoned it. Profiles disappear frequently because they are reported and deleted, or paid with a stolen credit card and the site pulled them.

Scammers often continue to use the same ID if they have successfully scammed with it. This is why we don't want profiles reported--if they don' t know they are flagged, they will continue to use the same details, and it is easier for victims to learn the truth.


In this case, even without the inconsistencies in the chat, the language SCREAMS African.

so it is surprising that his profile says he is Asian/Pacific Islander.
i don't get that impression from his photo.

It's very common to see the wrong ethnicity on a scammer profile. They just took these photos off the internet without knowing anything about them. Many of these scammers have never travelled outside of Africa, and they are not able to distinguish ethnicity or age from a picture,--they often don't understand what some of the choices mean. We routinely see "Native American" on profiles of obvious caucasians, because many Africans think that this means "from America." It's not uncommon to see an age of 30 or 40 listed on a profile with a picture of someone who is clearly late teens to early 20's. We actually like these mistakes, because they sometimes serve as red flags to potential victims.

his migente profile was set up in august 2009, and he is consistent about his age and location.
he was not making this up on the spur of the moment - either he is genuine or he has had practice.

The fact that he has the same profile elsewhere does not in any way make him genuine.

sorry, i wasn't very clear, was i.
i only meant 'genuine' as in 'using his own name & background' - i agree that he comes across as a scammer.
someone on this forum told me a while ago that some russian love scammers do that [use their real id's] - i don't know about african or american scammers.
but we can presumably find out where he is by checking his ip address.

so it is surprising that his profile says he is Asian/Pacific Islander.
i don't get that impression from his photo.

It's very common to see the wrong ethnicity on a scammer profile.

yes, i should have added a smiley to that - sarcasm does not work well on the internet

Souliman, thanks for www.migente.com/caringheart_tom/ - I looked this up and the picture is the same one he sent me on yahoo (with his cowboy hat!!!) He did have another picture on yahoo which was a man with a small child but couldn't see faces at all as he had his head down and it was too far away. He messaged me again today inviting communication with me but I am ignoring him. Thanks people for your comments, most grateful.

genuine' as in 'using his own name & background'

Definitely not. This is a bog-standard African scam. (FYI - most Russian scammers do not use their own information--with the exception of pro-daters, who are real but make their living off foreign men.) His name is most definitely NOT Tom Brinkman. The background is nowhere near real. He is not from St. Louis or anywhere in the US, he has probably never been anywhere near the US. He is from Africa. He is not a contractor, and he is not 53 years old. He is young, and he makes his living sitting in an internet cafe scamming people out of his money.

The photos are pulled from a social networking site like Facebook or Myspace, or they were taken from a previous victim (he is very likely scamming under one or more female profiles too and may have some male vics' info to choose from). The name could be real (as in really the name of the person in the photos, which is not him--or he could simply have pulled it from a phone directory, easy enough to do. I could pick a city and get a real name of a resident in about 10 seconds.

He IS a scammer, not a doubt about it. The language, format, and direction the chat is taking all SCREAM scammer. He is most definitely NOT American, and all signs clearly point to Africa.

I have still been receiving off-line notes via yahoo from this person, even though he is on block and cannot see when I am online. He is persistant! Heard from him today - he will never hear from me.

Hi Chainfree, keep ignoring him, eventually he will realise he is wasting his time.

Scammers tend to be lazy, especially the African ones and they dont like to do anything unless they believe there is something in it for them, while they can be persistent, once he knows he is wasting his time he will move on.

The only bright side is that while he is wasting his time to email you, he is not emailing somebody who may fall for his lies.