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Military Romance Scam A word of caution.
dianebeckley
Posts: 1Registered User, Facebook Connect User Not a Title, but a Star
On July 21st I received a new game request on WWF from katejames107. He asked right away for my email address but told him I preferred to stay with chat on WWF for now. He claims to be from the US Army serving now with the UN Peacekeeping Mission in Afghanistan. Says his wife died 6 years ago and he is a sad man but realizes he must move on, he has a 14 year old lovely daughter who now lives in Belgium with a guardian. Says he will return to South Carolina where he has a 4 bedroom duplex. He tells me things like we were meant to be together, etc., etc., etc. with no encouragement from me. Answers to many questions are vague and worded weird with lots of typos. Then after game play and chat for a week, he asks for a favor... it seems his daughter lost her master card and would I send her money via her guardian using western union or money gram and send him the slip so her guardian could pick it up for his daughter? After telling him I would not be sending any money, he was pleading saying he was crying. I asked for her full name, her guardian's name and address. He wanted money to be sent to Nadine Leona Logghe in Veurne, Belgium. After he asked for money I started googling scam info sites, and there was a different picture of the very same man warning of what they called a military romance scam dating beck to 2010.
I have also met another very nice man who has turned out to be a good friend for almost 3 years now. So, please be careful!
Comments
Appreciate the report, @dianebeckley. You may report and block this user so he won't send you game invites and Chat messages. For more details, click here.
Thanks for your patience.
Asking me to download What's app or Hang out!!
Also stating he worked for the military.
I see he is also still playing, don't want anyone to fall victim to his game. Can he be blocked out?
Although I am sure he will just pop up under another name!! Players Beware!!!
For your convenience, @lauraS. We suggest to report or block this player. Please click here to walk you through. Thanks.
Thanks for bringing this up. We're doing our best in making the game fun and enjoyable. For these abusive and suspicious users, don't hesitate to report them by sending an e-mail to reportabuse@zynga.com. You may also block them in-game so they won't send you invites and Chat messages.
Thanks for your patience.
My soldier was Major George Patton, stationed in Syria. Wife died 5 yrs ago. Has 15 yr old. son lives with his nanny in Alpharetta, Georgia. Retiring in a month. Is 62. His word usage and sentence structure told me he didn't always live in Ga. as he claimed or ever. He says he couldnt have Skype or video chat. A lot of his questions and answers sounded like he had inserted them like copy pasted from somewhere else. Wanted to chat on hangouts. The pictures of him looked like he and three other guys in the picture were somewhere like Syria, but they including George looked Russian. About the same time he had started talking to me a Terry Kings ( Terrykings342) started talking to me and says he's from Houston, designed a pipeline, widowed 4 yrs ago, and has a young daughter. He did disappear during Harvey but showed up again at the beginning of this week. He wanted to go out on a date. I live in Ar. I suggested we get to know each other before we made a long drive. I started asking questions and he wants my email, he wants to send me something. He sends me a list of questions. About 15 q/a. It has his answers and wants mine. The problem is George Patton has used these exact questions and answers, word for word. Just in conversation not a list. I began to wonder if they were working from a team of scammers. I don't talk to either after that. Neither asked for money, I still don't know what their endgame was. These are the first two I have encountered.
Here's the list.
What kind of relationship you looking for?
Am Looking for One Woman to spend the rest of my life with i mean one woman for the last time and my last relationship, I am very much ready to give it my very best just to make sure it works out , And i would want her "Maybe You" to do the same. I believe two heads are better than one , Someone loving, understanding, caring, loyal, honest someone who believe it take's two to work everything out, someone who would love me like i love her and i will welcome her all package.
What is your Favorite dessert?
Coconut Cream Pie, strawberry cake , Favorite ice cream - pralines and cream
Do you like to date one person at a time, or many at the same time to better your chances of finding the right one sooner than later? I like to stay focus on one person, i am a one woman man
Are you a patient or impatient person, slow or quick to anger? Slow or quick to forgive?
I am a patient person, but sometimes my emotions get on the way, when it comes to me facing a relationship. I will want to look into her eyes and tell her i love you ( Smiles) I have never been know by causing problems. I love happiness and trying to stay peaceful all my life is one of my motto and tick for life.
Do you like flowers? What type?
Yes I absolutely love flowers of all kinds, like Roses, my favorite flowers are a mixed spring bouquet with several different kinds of flowers and different colors, but mostly purples and pinks. I love flowers outside in the garden, to smell them and to look at them. I also like glass flowers. I have a big yard you are welcome to bring your flowers and vegetables if you love the nature. I have a garden for herds.
What are the things you are passionate about ?
Am Passionate about Life , My Family , Doing the right things '' Making Love : Passionate Love to that special someone '' Respecting Myself , Others , Lastly the Beach
What are you like around new people, Do you tend to be shy and quiet or very outgoing and friendly or reserved but warm up quickly?Honestly i know i can be kind of quiet and reserved sometimes but am generally very friendly, warm, outgoing. I enjoy meeting new people.
What's your sense of humor like?
I think i have a good sense of humor, I enjoy playful teasing and a little Sometimes Shape and Witty
What kind of comedy do you enjoy?
I love off-beat / foreign movies Very partial to Science-fiction / Romantic , Comedy, Fantasy and Thrillers movies. Masculine and dependable, Creative and artistic. I think laughter is extremely important, you should laugh every day. I enjoy going to a good comedy show-but I prefer it if it is not too vulgar. Some of the best comedians I have seen, just talk about life and their experiences. I think it is good to be able to laugh at ourselves. Life is much too short to take everything seriously.
What's being single like?
Being single never stop you from being happy. But it makes you see this world in another perspective, sometime you need someone to talk to and be around and share all your day and events with and cuddle with. Sometimes it seem you have missed a part of yourself around the world.
How do you treat your Man?
I treat her with respect,loyalty,adore her,treat her like a queen and make sure i always make her smile.
Why do you need a man?
I need a woman because I believe it is natural to have someone shoulder to leap to. And so natural not to live in this world alone. Loneliness kill fasten than bullet. (smiles) but am honest about it try me.
Do you like public intimacy?
Public intimacy is my thing.I miss that though.I like to hold arms together and maybe when we are standing at the beach i like to kiss or put a kiss on the forehead each time i realize how lucky i am to have found you, it's fun I guess.
I hope this tell you more about myself and also you have to see i love to write too,( smiles) I will wait to read from you and please when you are less busy give me a responds to my question.
One was a Torres Bryan working on an oil rig. Widowed. Daughter, Diana 16. In bordering school in Missouri. We did exchange emails and talked on the phone multiple times.
The questions from ottermom above are the Exact same questions And answers he gave me. I thought it was real. He did ask for money for his daughter and I stupidly sent some, but then the requests were getting larger and larger. The other crazy thing is that he claimed to be Christian, talked about God being important in his life etc. When his requests for money started increasing, my sister in law started researching more and that's when we found it was a scam with a pattern.
My second guy was Warren Scott Cornelius. Said he was in the military. We just chatted for awhile but then all of a sudden he needed me to help him pay the bill for his storage unit. He said he would send me money first, but then my sister in law found the info on money laundering. He claimed I was the Only friend he had who could help him out. I was smarter by this point though. Pictures of him were of a good looking Caucasian man but I had talked to him on the phone and he sounded Hispanic. Just didn't match!
Be careful!!
Thank you for sharing this to us, @GinnyCarter. Our main focus is making the game enjoyable and fun. For these suspicious player, you may block them in-game so they won't send you invites and Chat messages. Please refer to this article: How do I manage unwanted game/opponents? for your guidance. Have a great day!
I had the same person chat with me as Ottermom. Asked the same questions, same bio but his name was Major Wayne Dore. Beware. I fell for it but no money asked for. Just embarrassed that I was sucked in. I am a recent widow and I guess it felt good to have someone care about me again. From now on it is up front and in person - never ever again on line for me.
Thank you for sharing your sentiment. If the same situation arise again, please don't hesitate to report this suspicious player to reportabuse@zynga.com or block them to avoid getting a Chat message or invites in-game. Thanks.
With all due respect, I don't think that's actually going to solve the problem. The offenders will only create another account and continue their pursuit. In my opinion this issue needs to be addressed more aggressively. It's seriously harming your customers.
This has also happened to me!! Same, widowed 4 years ago, 14 year old daughter, now he's out of the country in Dubai. Spelling is weird. Said he grew up in Poland with his dad, parents divorced. I don't want to visit, just play the game. If I delete him he keeps coming back on. His facebook bio says he's engaged and his words bio says he plays in 4 languages. Ugh!
Thank you for sharing this with us. You may report this suspicious player to reportabuse@zynga.com. Have a great day.
I have just joined this discussion for the same reasons. I have been playing Words with Friends for a few years and only recently have had many guys challenge me to play. I usually decline and then they do not ask again but one called Eric Johnson was very persistent. His chat line similar to many of these other posts. He says he is in Kabul Afghanistan - peace keeping mission from the States. Wife died of cancer and has a 14 year old son called Kelvin in Nigeria at a boarding school. Reason he is there is because his deceased wife was from Africa. He is now asking for money for his son's birthday. I suspected him from the start when he told me he loved me. He also says he is a religious good living man. I contacted a Scam sight and sure enough his pics came up. I feel so sorry for the innocent peoples identity these scammers are abusing. So please beware. I have blocked him now!!!
Couple days ago, a user name Joe Dunford invited me to play, and immediately began chatting. Said he was from Boston, MA but is on a peacekeeping mission in Kabul, soon to retire. I said "Oh, stay safe, thank you for your service." He replies he would like to become friends. (??? I am here to play scrabble dude!) Anyway I said "Sure but I am married, just so you know." He immediately resigned the game.
Hours later, a user Jesse Brown Daniel invites me to play. Says he is from Netherlands on peacekeeping mission in Kabul, Afganistan... Really? Another one? He says his wife died 6 years ago and he has a 14 yr old son, Stephen. Now he wants me to add him to google hangouts so we can share pictures, video chat, etc.
The coincidence of two people in one day on a peacekeeping mission in Afganistan wanting to get chummy with me caused me to google this issue and I found this thread. Stories so similar. Really bizarre.
@leona This is disgusting but all the Moddies will ask you to do it report them to reportabuse@zynga.com
Oh my, I've been getting these also. They all call me "My Dear" right from the start and they all are widowed with a 13 or 14 year old child living either with the grandmother or a nanny. Their English is awful. I figure they use some program to translate to English and it doesn't work very well. When I tell them I am married they pretty much end playing. I wish we could look at their stats before accepting a game with them. Legit players have several games and decent word averages. These jokers have hardly any games or wins.
Beware of Louis Reed....oil rig contractor in the gulf of mexico. .lost his wife five years ago of cancer and has 11 year old daughter named Lois. And.. get th u s.."Mark Godsend"..military romance scammer. Both scammers.
@MBR When you report them to reportabuse@zynga.com make sure you include their username, not their real name as there may be legit people with the same real name.
The same just happened to me. Asked me to play on WWF with I started. Then wanted me to download Hang it so we could chat. He goes by the name Major Wayne Dore now from Altanta, Georgia with a 14 year old son name David. Been a widower for 5 years and is so lonely. Been over in Syria for a year on a Peace Keeping Mission and soon to retire. I decided to Google him today and glad that I did. Only wasted 3 days chatting. Too bad people are like this. They pray on the lonely and know exactly what to say. I rarely accept requests to play on WWF but decided to with this guy. I'll be more careful in the future. Glad people are making these posts so we know who to watch out for.
Thanks for bringing this to our attention, @Indy1945 and @Pinney_17, for these suspicious users, don't hesitate to report them by sending an e-mail to reportabuse@zynga.com or block them in-game so they won't be able send game invites or receive Chat messages. You may also check this article to know more about safety and security in the game.
@Pinney_17 I'm so glad you didn't lose any money to this idi0t.
This person wasn't so lucky, she lost more than $14k... news
They are easily recognisable by their scripted chat, I have been plagued with these "widows" for a few months now and keep a pretyped message to them, I would encourage everyone to send the same message. Please feel free to copy and paste the following...
I'm going to save you a bit of time and data....
I don't use chat rooms
I don't give my email or telephone number to strangers
Your IP address says you are in Africa, why are you lying about being in America?
Your English is atrocious!
Also.. I'm sorry you have been widowed and that you need a loan of money to get home. Have you tried swimming?
Always a widower
Looking for love
An engineer of some kind
One child
And wants to talk elsewhere, like Kik or Hangouts
Be wise ladies
I block their scammer terrible English butts after I tell them I'm a recent widower and I'm an engineer