Debbie turned to the internet looking for love but found herself being targeted in a heartless manner by an attractive middle-aged man, who once he’d won her over, began asking her for money. She contacted the police who she says advised her that asking for money wasn’t a crime and she should cut all ties.
To demonstrate the sort of things her online boyfriend asked of her, she invited the Press and Journal into her home where we made a video of Frank in action.
The video has since been shown to Trading Standards, Police Scotland, the US Army Criminal Investigation Command (CID), and the FBI, but it seems that nobody can investigate. Desperate to stop other vulnerable woman being targeted, Debbie has written to her local MSP Lewis MacDonald telling her story and raising concerns that no one seems to have the powers to do anything about it.
She wrote: “There have been plenty of stories of people parting with money, but you never think it will happen to you. Is there anything, as my local MSP, you could possibly do to help, before more people become victims?”
The north-east Labour MSP said: “To me it appears this is a classic case of internet fraud and it is astonishing that the police have not referred her to the appropriate authorities.
“The idea that you just shrug your shoulders and don’t do anything about it is simply unacceptable. I would regard this case as something that needs to be urgently addressed because the police need to understand how serious it is.
“I am prepared to take this up at the appropriate level.”
North-east Conservative MSP Alex Johnstone had this to say: “I think it is outrageous that there are men who are willing to prey on women in the way this man attempted to. We all need to be aware of the dangers associated with that, so women, at vulnerable stages in their lives, do not fall victim to this type of man.
“But in this case it appears that no crime was committed so no action can be taken, so men like this would appear to be free to continue to behave in this outrageous way.
“I think it is important that we in the Scottish Parliament take the opportunity to consider this matter and look at the possibility of changing legislation so that once a man has been identified as behaving in this way, the full power of the law can be brought to bare to make sure that they do not do it again. In this case the lady had the good sense not to send the money but we don’t want the same man to catch somebody else out and exploit them in the future.
“This is a perfect example of an area in which MSPs should be working to ensure that the Scottish Government and the police are aware of what happened, what can happen and how we need to act to ensure that danger is minimised,” said Mr Johnstone.
And what exactly did the security services have to say?
Frank Miller has a gentle, trustworthy face and an honest expression. But there’s one tell-tale sign that makes experts suspicious – his haircut. Having been shown photographs of Frank, the US Army CID stated: “We can tell you this gentleman is not a US night patrol commander in Syria – because of his haircut.
“If he is, it is way out of regulation. We have not come across this particular person, but can tell you we have combated this for about four years now.”
As recently as July – around the time Debbie first made contact with Frank – Special Agents from the US Army CID issued a warning about cyber criminals involved in an online crime they dubbed “the romance scam.”
The agency continues to get numerous reports from victims located around the world regarding various scams involving people impersonating US soldiers online. The victims are usually unsuspecting women, 30 to 55 years old, who believe they are romantically involved with an American soldier, yet are being exploited and ultimately robbed by perpetrators that strike from thousands of miles away.
“It is very troubling to hear these stories over and over again of people who have sent thousands of dollars to someone they have never met and sometimes have never even spoken to on the phone,” the CID said.
“The criminals are pretending to be US servicemen, routinely serving in a combat zone.
“The perpetrators will often take the true rank and name of a US soldier who is honourably serving his country somewhere in the world, or has previously served and been honourably discharged, then marry that up with some photographs of a soldier off the internet, and then build a false identity to begin prowling the internet for victims.
“We’ve even seen instances where the perpetrators are asking the victims for money to purchase “leave papers” from the army, help pay for medical expenses from combat wounds or help pay for their flight home so they can leave the war zone.
“These scams are outright theft and are a grave misrepresentation of the US Army and the tremendous amount of support programs and mechanisms that exist for soldiers today, especially those serving overseas.”
The Press and Journal asked the FBI, if they are made aware of a case where someone is posing as military personnel to scam someone, would they pursue it?
The FBI replied: “A number of factors go into determining whether the FBI would open an investigation into an online scam, to include information or an allegation indicating a suspected violation of US federal law.
“Other factors pertaining to online scams might include the number of victims, dollar loss amount, and the ability to identify the location of a subject.
“In summary, since criminals can be anywhere in the world and online scams often cross borders and boundaries, the FBI focuses great effort on proactively educating the public to be on the lookout for indicators of potential scams and frequently disseminates public service announcements informing the public about how to safeguard against threats in cyberspace.
“The FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) has warned the public to be wary of romance scams in which scammers target individuals who search for companionship or romance online. Someone you know may be “dating” someone online who may appear to be decent and honest. However, be forewarned: the online contact could be a criminal sitting in a cyber café with a well-rehearsed script that scammers have used repeatedly and successfully.