Scambuster

What exactly is a Romance Scammer?
Definition; A romance scam is a confidence trick involving feigned romantic intentions towards a victim, gaining their affection, and then using that goodwill to commit fraud. Fraudulent acts may involve access to the victims' money, bank accounts, credit cards, passports, e-mail accounts, and/or national identification numbers or by getting the victims to commit financial fraud on their behalf.

Where does a Romance Scammer come from/where do they prey?
Most romance scams originate from Africa, Soviet Union, and Asia. However, nowadays a scammer can come from anywhere. They prey on unsuspecting persons on the internet, in internet dating sites, in internet chat rooms, or in the post, by spam email or even sms.

Who should read this information?
My free website is dedicated to anyone in search of their soulmate, friend, relationship over the internet. Additionally this site is also targeted towards men and women  who have been scammed,  or anyone who suspects that they are being scammed. I can assist by referring you to organisations that can assist you in coping with the upset, the loss, the financial stress. Go to contact page to find out where you can receive assistance.

Where can Romance Scammers be found?
As a rule of thumb-Anywhere on the internet you can find a scammer, especially internet dating sites, chat rooms etc, etc. By email, by sms.

What does a Romance Scammer look and sound like?
If you click on my Photo Gallery, you will see a stolen picture of a nice-looking person that my scammer used as his identity.I know what a scammer sounds like, what they will say to you, what they will make you believe, exactly how they operate in winning your affections right down to the language they use and the songs they claim are for "their greatest love in the world". More often, I am finding that a Scammer usually sounds as they cannot speak english very well, they will talk with a distinct accent-
example, my scammer used the stolen picture, and said that he was educated in South Africa, which is why he has a heavy South African or African accent.
I recall when I first spoke to my scammer I said to him "You know what, your picture and your voice do not match, your picture is of a white man and your voice sounds
like a person from Ghana (I have a friend in Australia who is from Ghana and his accent and my scammers accent were exactly the same-my scammer replied with "Really, I understand, I was educated in South Africa and from school I went to work for........)" all lies of course.

How can I find out if the person of my dreams is telling the truth and is not a Romance Scammer?
That is the million dollar question...........................However, here is how you can find out if they are telling the truth.
With me, I should have trusted my gut feeling, when things didn't quite go so straight, or when he started to ask for money dute to the fact that he was pick-pocketed at the airport, or when he started asking questions about my business finances, or when he started asking me to do things I didn't feel comfortable doing, or when he started asking for photos of myself (naked pictures that is),
or when he just wanted me to get my clothes off in front of the webcam........................ By the way, never take your clothes off in front of a webcam-you could be being videod, or NEVER send to anyone on a long-distance styled relationship any pictures of yourself that could be used as blackmail should your relationship dissolve, end, or you find out that he is a scammer.
And to be truthful, my scammer worked me for about one or two weeks with perfect manners, with perfect attention to me, with perfect communication, with perfect everything and would say
that he "Loves only You", "Found the perfect song for you", "Found the perfect home for you", "Working on a contract which will secure a large sum of money for you on. If any of the above scenario's fits your girl/woman/man/person etc, most probably is a scammer.

This is how you should check your potential scammer/person out;

1.    When you think you have found the person of your dreams, go out on a date with them and tell your friends where you are going, what time you are going and the expected time you will be home.  Make sure one of your friends calls you when the date is officially over to ensure you are safe. Have your mobile on you, have speed dial on, just in case you need to get out of the date really quick so get one of your friends to call you and say they are your "best friend, who has an emergencey" and get yourself out of the there. If you are happy with continuing the "date" Make sure the person is who he says he is and that he definately looks like his pictures. Most scammers usually never meet you face to face, this is how they scam you, they pretend they will come see you soon.........but soon NEVER EVER COMES.

2.    When you cannot see the person in person, insist you see them on a webcam-do not start anything with anyone unless you can see AND hear them-this was my biggest mistake that I made, I did not insist from day one, that the person go cam to cam with me. If they have no cam, just tell them contact you when they do and goodbye! Most scammers can romance scam others by lying and saying they have no webcam, and can only get on yahoo messenger, or live.com or skype, or just email you. IF YOU CANNOT SEE THEM-THEY ARE HIDING SOMETHING. BLOW THEM OFF THEY ARE SCAMMERS!!! And even if you do see them, try and see them in person still!!

GET THEIR IP ADDRESS, THIS IS HIGHLY TECHNICAL, BUT CAN BE DONE BY A COMPUTER SAVVY FRIEND-AND THIS STEP CAN USUALLY LET YOU KNOW WHERE THEIR EMAIL ADDRESS WAS REGISTERED. THIS WILL LET YOU KNOW IF THEY DO, LIVE WHERE THEY SAY THEY DO.

3.    Get them to send you their email address and get an internet savvy friend to do a test to see where their ip address is registered. This can be done and is usually done by computer savvy people to find out where the person registered their email address. This is a technical thing to do, so therefore, get a technical friend to do it for you, or worst-case scenario, send me an email, on how to get the persons ip address, and I can get it checked for you. However, my time is short, so do this as a last resort please, I am flat out always doing something related to anti-scamming.

4.    Get them to show you their i.d, get it scanned and sent to the Consulate General Office for the Passport country for checking by this Office. The Consulate General Office in your area, may take up to 1 week or more to get back to you, but, this is a MUST!! Meanwhile, do not send any money to your potential romance scammer, just tell them you are having trouble securing funds, till you hear back from the consul general office. If they act offended, tell them you read my website and this is a MAJOR downfall with your relationship-you need to see some id-we live in a cruel, cruel world, and ask him/her what have they go to hide? DO NOT BUY-BUT DONT YOU TRUST ME CRAPPOLA!!
They are just ducking for cover-get their id asap.
Then and only when you have had their passport authenticated, resume conversation with them, but carry on with the next step-having a correct passport does not mean they are NOT a scammer.

5.    Get them to send you reference's to where they supposedly worked, call the company concerned after you have surfed the company name on google and found out their legitimate phone numbers and call the head of recruitment, to ask for a reference. Usually you will find out that the person has never ever done business with the company before and everything they told you was a lie. END OFF  ALL COMMUNICATION WITH YOUR SCAMMER
AND SEND THEIR ID AND FAKE REFERENCES TO THE COMPANY CONCERNED, AND ALL OTHER COMPANIES CONCERNED FOR THAT MATTER. NOTIFY THE POLICE IF YOU HAVE ANY SAFETY CONCERNS-However, I have found the police can do nothing unless the scammer;
a) Threaten your life, b) attempt to gain your account information c) steal the money from you-not you give it to them.......... d) Fraudulent identification documentation and proof of the fraudulent id.
Other than these reasons, I have found that the police really are not equipped to handle any complaints regarding romance scammers. If the amount involved is around 50K then in Australia-The Major Fraud Squad are very interested in your case. Other countries -I do not have data at the moment go to my blog www.scambuster30@blogspot.com.au for updates on this.

6.    If you still need more proof that they are who they say are, get their address and google map it, to see if their place actually exists-More often than not,they will not live where they say they do, etc, etc. It usually turns out to be (like in my case, a car yard........lols! Loser!!)

7.    If your man/woman asks for money, get rid of them, they are a scammer. DO NOT GIVE MONEY FOR ANY REASON. You are not the United Nations Consul General for Refugees? There are organisations out there that can help poor people, suggest to the person to get a real job! Or if you are a kiwi like myself go get F@#%$#@!!! will suffice. Report them to the dating site, to everyone, put on facebook, social networking sites, go to the tv stations, get the info out to the masses. To do this requires alot of confront, but, if I can do it, I am sure you can do it also!!

8. If the person passes all of the above with flying colours-well done, he is, who he says he is,
Good luck with everything-However, getting i.d and job and home address authenticated does not mean he is your soulmate, is a good guy or anything..... still trust your instincts and tread carefully.

What should I do If I find that I am dealing with a Romance Scammer?
1.    End all communication with them after you have reported them to the dating site or internet site that you found them on. Tell the dating site where you met him, that he is a romance scammer and send all pics, identity, data to them so that they can block them from their site. Let all your friends on that same site know what you have found and alert them also. Alert me also, at my Email: scambuster.biz@hotmail.com  If there are fake passports involved, alert the police of your area, and send copies to the consulate general for the country of the fake passport, in your local area.
Do not think that you can help them, they are too far away from you to help, unless you intend on travelling to Nigeria/Africa, Asia, Russia or any other place.
You are better off to spend the money on a holiday than trying to convert some liar, thief and criminal.
"DO NOT FORGET THAT THIS PERSON HAS STOLEN SOME INNOCENT/NOT SO INNOCENT PERSONS PICTURES AND LIED TO YOU FROM DAY ONE, AND LIED ABOUT WHO AND WHAT HE IS, IN ORDER TO STEAL YOUR HARD-EARNED MONEY!!!!! DO NOT THINK THAT THIS
PERSON WOULDN'T SELL YOUR SOUL TO THE DEVIL IF HE COULD-THINK AGAIN-HE WOULD SELL YOUR SOUL TO THE DEVIL!!!!
(Until you get this firmly engraved in your mind, you will continue to suffer the torture of this scammer playing with your heart, mind and soul).

2.    Alert me that you have found a scammer and their names, their internet identity, email address, pictures etc, and I will post them in my picture gallery for others to be warned about them also, and my network of friends, and for posting on my blog as well. My growing association of friends love to detect and handle scammers-or they simply just want to know about scammers.

3.    Don't think twice about reporting them to the police also and if you are in posession of their passport etc, send an email along with an attatchment of their passport to the  Consulate General Office of the fake passport area, example, if your scammer said he was a citizen of the United States Of America, email the Consulate General Office of the United States of your local area. Tell them that you think that their passports are fake. Countries do not think too kindly of anyone with fake passports especially passports from their own country. They have proceedures in place to spot fake passports and can do something about it. Usually a follow up email from you to them 1 or 2 weeks later, they will let you know if in fact the passport is fake.

What should I do, If I am in love with the person and I want to help them?
List of no-nos when you find that you are dealing with a Romance Scammer;
1.    DO NOT THINK "I could help convert the scammer. Forget it, they are too far gone.
2.    DO NOT THINK "I feel that the scammer and I shared a magic bond and that this
bond was true love". Forget this also, their intentions for you was purely money, and fabricated love.
3.    DO NOT THINK "that you are in-love with this scammer and that they are in love with you.
see the above passage written in red ink to remind you what you are dealing with.