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Ask here if you're unsure whether or not you're dealing with a scammer, and we can help. This section is hidden from search engines.
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fool me once

Wed Dec 13, 2017 6:54 am

First, let me give you my background: I am a Filipina in my early 30s and never been in a relationship.

I received a friend request from a guy on Facebook. Before confirming the request, I checked his profile page. No friends were shown and the only photos were his profile and cover photos. I thought, maybe his profile was set on private. Since I was curious as to how he saw my profile, I added him as a friend so I can see his profile. Before I could investigate further, I already received a message from him. When I asked him how he came across my profile, he said that my profile showed in his friend suggestions. He said that he found my profile photo attractive so he added me as a friend. I thanked him and thought that was the end of it. However, he went on to say that he found my way of correspondence attractive and asked if we could chat more. (at this time, I had a weird vibe about it so I placed my profile on private immediately. ) He told me that he was widowed a year and a half ago and felt that he needed to move on. I didn't see anything wrong with it so I agreed. He was nice and had a good command of the English language. His profile showed he graduated from University of Penn but that he lived in Chicago, IL. When I asked him what his job was, he said he is a HR Supervisor with USAID. I took that information as truth until later. Within 72 hours of chatting every chance we got, he expressed his "love" for me. I told him that it's too soon. He said that "there's no difference in saying what you fell now and leaving it till later." He was kind enough to give me time though. He was sweet, attentive and very patient with my indecision. Two weeks later, with several phone calls in between, I told him that I love him back. He said he was very happy and that I wouldn't regret it. During this time, I decided not to Google search him as a sign of my trust. However, when a friend told me about common friend who was deceived by his fiance from the States, I decided to check things out. A quick Whitepages search revealed several Dempseys in Chicago Area but none with the name Stephan. That was when I decided to check USAIDs website. I realized that why does he go to work in Chicago when the headquarters of USAID is in DC. I did not find anything that might show an office in IL but I did search their employee directory which returned negative results. There was a Dempsey but not Stephan. When I asked him about his job location, he told me that the they have a satellite office in IL . I did not tell him about my other discoveries. I decided to continue with our correspondence to see what he might do. A few weeks ago he said that he wanted to marry me and that he can't wait to see me. I knew then that his feelings can't be true. I called him on it and said that it's how he has always been. He knew within minutes of meeting his first wife that she was the one. To prove his point, he gave me a photo of a ring and told me to hold onto it because he will be making me a custodian of a real one. I told him "sure why not but we have to meet in person first." I then told him that my friends and I are planning to go to Hongkong early next year and asked him if he wanted to join. He said that he'll see if he can shift things around at work. We haven't talked about it since. A couple of weeks ago, he said that he will be heading a project in Bolivia and that there are so many things to do with so little time. Being a good girlfriend, I asked if there's anything that I can help (although I knew I won't be able to do much given the distance). To my surprise, he asked me if I could be his representative in the sale of a property of his in Gambia. At first I was hesitant but later decided to do out of curiosity. I also wanted to confirm my suspicions of him being a scammer. He asked for my name, address and phone number so I provided the Tagalized version of my name, an address in a different part of the Philippines and a prepaid mobile number I rarely use. I even created a new e-mail address just for this purpose. The attorney who contacted me was careless. She mispelled title in her subject line. Added to that, the address of my supposed fiance in 1154 Morton Grove Chicago, IL is incomplete. A quick Google search confirmed my suspicions. I tried to track her private IP address using her e-mail but it was just a loopback IP which was useless. The public IP address belongs to an unmarked road in KS. The attorney said that she is in talks with a buyer (she used the word purchaser) and will update me soon. Two days ago 12/11/17), I received an e-mail indicating the sale has been finalized and in order to complete the transfer of ownership, I need to pay the magistrate court fee of 15750 Dalasis (equivalent to approximately Php 17,000) on or before 12/13/2017 through moneygram or Western Union. Although I expected the turn of events, I still felt sad about it. I mentioned the money to Stephan and he told me that he will talk to the attorney. The following morning, he told me that it is part of the procedure and that I should forward it to her. I told him that I do not have the money. Our conversation were as follows:
Tuesday 18:33
S:You don't have it or won't give it ?
Tuesday 18:51
Me: Both. I don't have the money and even if I have, I won't send it. This is one of the reasons why I was hesitant to accept this before.
Tuesday 18:52
S: Even if you have it you won't send it right ? Ok
Tuesday 18:54
Me: Thank you for understanding. :-)

Tuesday 22:26
Me: Good night babe.


Although my messages were seen and read, I haven't heard anything from him since then.

All of these transpired from November 7, 2017 until December 12, 2017. I don't want to see it as a waste of my time because I have learned from it. At least I did not send any nude photos that he can use to blackmail me with (not that for the lack of trying though). Whenever he asked me to send a photo of my private parts I would send him a photo of chicken breasts or a cat which frustrated him to no end.

Re: fool me once

Wed Dec 13, 2017 6:41 pm

miss_understood,

You are right, this was a scam attempt. Can you try, please, to post some of the messages you received from this person and any other character contacting you on his behalf, together with pictures and documents received? Be sure you remove all your details - if mentioned - before posting.

For how to post you have a tutorial here: viewtopic.php?f=3&t=1395

If you are not sure what to post, you can forward the emails to me - my email address is in my signature line below, under every post I made, and I can post the relevant part for you and for other potential victims maybe searching for that information.

You have here: viewtopic.php?f=3&t=26504 few elements you need to take into consideration for protecting yourself after being targeted by a scammer.
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