Consumer Fraud Reporting
Lawton Police?
Reporting on the Latest Frauds, Scams, Fake Lotteries, Spams and Hoaxes

 

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Example of a Social Networking Scam Email

Police Impersonator, using the name Ronald Smith Sr, wants to get to know you?... or your money?

A police Impersonator, using the name Ronald Smith Sr, is another example of an AIM instant messenger scam. If you are active on online social network websites (like FaceBook, MySpace, Amigos.com, etc.) your should expect to encounter scammers posing as firends, dates, missionaries, social workers, refugees, anything and everything.  Some reports indicate that as much as 30% of the personalities are scams:

• either scammers set out to part you from your money;
• fake profiles intended to redirect you to another website (porn, gambling or even another dating website); or
• real people... but misrepresenting who they really are (age, race, income, interests, appearance, goals, etc.)!

Nome of the social networking websites are immune to scammers. It is difficult, if not impossible, for the websites to block scammers, because they could be anyone, and it is impossible to verify intent.

Here is one report of a scam email.

Actual scam emails received:

Hi I am writing to report this because it was my sister -en-law Donna xxxxx who was originally contacted and she is a deaf mute.   Not understanding what this person was saying to her she came to me so that I could see what it was.  I then chated with this person to find out this was a scammer.

The scammer contacted her through AIM instant messenger using the screen name of: investigatndpt claiming to be Ronald Smith Sr., Chief of Police from LAWTON POLICE DEPARTMENT in Lawton, Oklahoma.  The scammer even refered us to the web page for this police department at www.lawtonpd.com and gave a foney phone number saying it was his secretary if we wanted to verify with her that he was in Nigeria. 

The scammer claimed his department had recieved her screen name when arresting a scammer and confiscating over $1million  and their department was going to send her $20Thousand and all she had to do was give them her name, address, and a creditcard or banking number to pay  $1Thousand for some kind of legal forms. 

     I have reported this to the local police department here in Pineville Louisiana and called the Lawton Oklahoma police department but I felt it should also be reported to the FBI since they are the ones who I have heard arrested scammers in the past.

 

What can you do to avoid being scammed on dating websites

Scammers are present everywhere on the fiends, dating and other social networking websites.

Before you invest your emotions into a long distance relationship, compare what they say against common sense.  Beware of requests for money ESPECIALLY if the want it sent by "wire transfer" or Western Union - that is almost certainly the sign of a scammer!

Apply the same common sense rules of safe friends and dating online as you would in person.

When you encounter a scammer on one of these websites, be sure to bring it to the attention of the websites management (usually via an email address liek "abuse@" followed by their domain name.)

Copyright CFR 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008  - Definition of scam, fraud, etc. -  Legal disclaimer / corrections / complaints 
Names used by scammers in the examples on this page and others often belong to real people and businesses who often have no knowledge of nor connection to the scammer's use of their name and information.  Sample scam emails and other documents are copies of the scam to help potential victims recognize and avoid it.  You should presume that any names used and presented here in a scam are either fictitious or used without their legitimate owner's permission.
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