At a recent senior event, I was talking to a consumer who was retired military. The veteran (we’ll call him Joe) told me about a friend (we’ll call her Jane) who had recently been caught in a romance scam.
The scammer claimed to be military, serving in the Middle East, and he needed money. Jane had sent money to the scammer on a few occasions. When Joe found out about this, there was concern for Jane and also indignation because of the misrepresentation by the scammer as military.
Joe told me that the military doesn’t work the way the scammers portray. There are resources for military in need.
Medical care is provided. They don’t need money for housing. They don’t need permission to get married. Anyone in the military is going to know the regulations and the resources.
Those of us who are not military may not know the questions to ask, and probably would not know if the answers were accurate. We would not know about red flags that would warn us that we’re dealing with a scammer. There are other signs that the person of your dreams is the person of your nightmares.
Here are some tips. Be proactive!
One source recommends asking the “scammer” to send you an email which should end in http://mail.mil which is specific to military personnel. You can also ask for their APO or FPO address. Read about APO and FPO addresses. For more information, the United States Postal Service offers information on addressing military mail.
Ask for a video chat.
Sources report that many of these scams originate in Africa so be attentive to African addresses.
If you are contacted, you need to remember that a scammer can pose as anybody on social media. Pictures, profiles, history, family – anything can be fabricated. Pictures can be stolen from other sites or are stock photos.
Ask for personal information and ask for specifics. Ask for a specific neighborhood, address or landmark. Ask about schools. Look up their answers. Assume control of the conversation. Scammers count on guiding the conversation. Don’t let them. Check out the article “15 questions to ask a romance scammer to get to identify them” for information.
Stop. Think. Don’t rush to do anything. Don’t be bullied or pressured to act quickly. Use your head not your heart!
Don’t worry about offending the person. You need to protect yourself.
If you or someone you know has been scammed by someone claiming to be a US soldier, contact the US Army Criminal Investigation Unit. The webpage has information to help you be proactive and avoid getting scammed.
Stay safe.
