Looking for love, a north-east woman turned to the internet, but her dream hero soldier turned out to be just another dating disaster. Susan Welsh picks up the story
Debbie had met her dream hero soldier online and her life was about to change forever. But the warning bells had started ringing.
“On the odd occasions when I could see him I couldn’t see him properly because I was so vain I wouldn’t wear my glasses, but I did think he looked a bit different from his photographs – his hair parting was on the wrong side for a start,” said Debbie.
“He began talking about retiring from the army, selling his house in Texas and using the money to relocate to the UK. As I’d been leading such a boring life, this was very exciting, especially as he kept telling me how much he loved me,” said Debbie.
But Frank began to quash any doubts she had by saying that together, they were the best, and that she should trust her heart.
“One strange thing I noticed about him was his grammar. One day the punctuation was perfect, the next it was full of mistakes – it was almost like I was speaking to a different person,” said Debbie.
This raised suspicions in Debbie’s mind that she might be being manipulated by more than one person.
“A couple of weeks in he began to mention money. He said he wanted me to accept a package he was sending over, and when I asked what it contained he said it was his army medals, a cheque and a gold bar weighing 97kg.
“He even sent a photograph which showed servicemen standing next to piles of money which he said was to prove to me that money was shared out among the commanders as their award for service.
“He needed my phone number as the transaction had to be approved by a diplomat who had to phone me. Stupidly, I gave him my mobile number.
A BRIGHT NEW FUTURE
“The diplomat called and we made arrangements to meet at Aberdeen Airport. Then he called again asking me to transfer money for his flights.”
She refused, and when she asked Frank about the turn of events, he claimed he knew nothing about it, suggesting his password and account had been hacked.
Now deeply suspicious, Debbie had worked out from the phone call that the ‘diplomat in Syria’ had been phoning from somewhere in Wales. “I called the police and their advice was to stop all contact and not give any more details, particularly relating to my bank,” said Debbie. But she’d bonded with Frank, the man offering a bright new future.
“The next day Frank asked if I would help him if he needed money, then asked me to send him £47,000 which he’d use to buy diamonds in Syria, which he’d sell here, then use the money to start a new life for us.”
She now suspected Frank was more interested in her money than finding true love. She contacted the police again but says they told her it’s not a crime to ask for money and simply re-stated what they’d already advised, cut all ties. Perhaps twigging she was suspicious, Frank bombarded her with love messages, including: “I love you so much with all my heart, and will do anything I can do to make you the happiest woman on earth – I just need your trust and understanding.
“I am counting on you, due to the love and trust in you, so please help me – please. I am begging you in the name of Jesus Christ, Son of the living God Almighty.”
He also said that he hoped no one was contacting her from the old or hacked account and that he was risking his life to call her.
But Debbie wasn’t convinced. “I typed ‘diamonds and Syria’ into the internet and up popped a website called male-scammers.com. I logged on and found a picture of my ‘Frank’ but going by the name, Jack Redd. Underneath the photo there was an extensive list of false names relating to the man in the photograph, along with phone numbers and comments from women he’d tried to trick into sending him money.”
She now thought the photographs of Frank she’d been sent could be of anyone and had no idea whether the man she’d been chatting to into the wee small hours was a US serviceman or not.
“I felt such a fool for falling for his story but wanted to keep in touch with him until I could expose him and let the world know what sort of man he really was.
“I even went to the lengths of holding up a catalogue statement and pretending it was confirmation that the bank was giving me £47,000. He was trying to see what was written down and said I really had to try and get the money to him by the end of today for there was no time to be wasted and that he really loved me.
“I said I love you back, but didn’t mean it of course, but I got the feeling he’s not working alone. I just want to alert other women out there who perhaps aren’t so clued up.”
HE JUST NEEDS MY HELP
So has the relationship finally come to an end?
“I said to him, ‘let’s jack this in before I start seeing red’ [a reference to the alias name Jack Redd].
“He knows that I’ve been looking at scamming websites but he is still contacting me every day asking me to have a video call with him. He says it’s all lies and that the US Government is trying to discredit him – he just needs my help to get out.”
To this day, Debbie still maintains a link with Frank, just to find out as much as she can about him, and only agreed to doing this story as a warning to others.
“The last email I had from him said he wanted me to buy his son a laptop and a mobile phone, and send it to a PO Box in Accra, Ghana, West Africa.”
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.
SIDEBAR 2
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.”
SIDEBAR 3
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.
DECLARING THEIR UNDYING LOVE
“Scammers search chat rooms, dating sites, and social networking sites looking for victims. The principal group of victims is over 40 years old and divorced, widowed, elderly, or disabled, but all demographics are at risk.
“Scammers use poetry, flowers, and other gifts to reel in victims, the entire time declaring their undying love. These criminals also use stories of severe life circumstances, tragedies, deaths in the family, injuries to themselves, or other hardships to keep their victims concerned and involved in their schemes.
“Scammers also ask victims to send money to help overcome a financial situation they claim to be experiencing. These are all lies intended to take money from unsuspecting victims.
“In another scheme, scammers ask victims to receive funds in the form of a cashier’s check, money order, or wire transfer, claiming they are out of the country and unable to cash the instruments or receive the funds directly. The scammers ask victims to redirect the funds to them or to an associate to whom they purportedly owe money. In a similar scheme, scammers ask victims to reship packages instead of redirecting funds. In these examples, victims risk losing money and may incur other expenses, such as bank fees and penalties, and in some instances face prosecution.
VICTIMS REPORTED MISSING
“Victims who have agreed to meet in person with an online love interest have been reported missing, or injured, or in one instance, deceased. IC3 complainants most often report the countries of Nigeria, Ghana, England and Canada as the location of the scammers.
“If you are planning to meet someone in person that you have met online, the IC3 recommends using caution, especially if you plan to travel to a foreign country, and, at the very least, do not travel alone, and read all travel advisories associated with the countries you will visit.
“Even though it seems to be contrary to the thought of starting a new romance, do not be afraid to check a new acquaintance’s story online. Remember, like most fraudulent schemes, scammers use whatever personal information you provide to quickly paint themselves as your perfect match. If your new friend’s story is repeated through numerous complaints and articles on the internet, it is time to apply common sense over your feelings.”
To obtain more information on romance scams and other types of online schemes, visit the website www.LooksTooGoodToBeTrue.com
If you think you’ve been a victim of fraud, see www.actionfraud.police.uk; break off all contact immediately, report the fraudster to the website or chat room operator and send no money.