Military Romance Scams Facebook

If you feel you have been scammed by a person claiming to be a U.S. Soldier, contact the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center and the Federal Trade Commission.

• Military Romance Scams/facebook Trish Soffner
• Military Romance Scams On Facebook
• Military Scammers Facebook
• Military Romance Scammers On Facebook
• Romance Scams

Army CID is warning anyone who is involved in online dating to proceed with caution when corresponding with persons claiming to be U.S. Soldiers currently serving in Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria or elsewhere.

Army CID receives hundreds of allegations a month from victims who state they got involved in an online relationship with someone, on a legitimate dating website or other social media website, who claims to be a U.S. Soldier. The 'Soldier' then begins asking for money for various FALSE, service-related needs such as transportation costs, communication fees, marriage, processing and medical fees. Victims of these online scams have lost hundreds of thousands of dollars, with a very low possibility of recovery.

The U.S. has established numerous task force organizations to deal with this growing epidemic; unfortunately, many times the people committing these scams are from African countries using untraceable email addresses, routing accounts through numerous locations around the world and utilizing pay per hour Internet cyber cafes, which often times maintain no accountability of use.

Read the Joint Service Sextortion Brochure for more information and see examples of fake documents used by scammers.

The Military's Big Problem With Facebook Love Scams. Daniel Anonsen retired from the Marines and abandoned Facebook and Instagram years ago, though plenty of his impostors are still there.

Military Romance Scams. 50,740 likes 191 talking about this. This page was created to warn facebook users about military romance scams and how the identities of our honorably serving soldiers are. Syria Military Scams Targeting Victims on Social Media and Dating Sites. Every day, thousands of people worldwide report being a victim to an online dating scam perpetrated by someone who pretended to be a member of the military. In recent years, Syria has become one of the hottest places for online criminals to conduct romance scams, charity. This Army Veteran Became The Face Of Military Romance Scams. Now He's Fighting Back Brown County Browser: Don't fall for veterans romance scams Fake US Soldiers Robbing Women Online How a billion-dollar Internet scam is breaking hearts and bank accounts Prince Charming' Behind Bars: Nigerian Romance Scammer Nets 27-Year Prison Sentence. Military Romance Scams. 50,809 likes 163 talking about this. This page was created to warn facebook users about military romance scams and how the identities of our honorably serving soldiers are.

You can also learn more about identity theft, romance scams, sextortion and online impostors at the U.S. Army's Social Media Resources site.

For more on these fraudulent acts, read the announcements released by Army CID:
U.S. Army CID Warn Citizens to Be Vigilant Against Internet, Digital Scammers
With National Spotlight on Internet Romance-Type Scams, Army CID Makes Additional Attempts to Warn Unsuspecting Victims
U.S. Army CID Pleads with Public, Warns Against Romance Scams
CID warns Army community about social media impersonation of Soldier accounts

• - DO NOT SEND MONEY! Be extremely suspicious if you are asked for money for transportation costs, communication fees or marriage processing and medical fees via Western Union.
• - If you do start an Internet-based relationship with someone, check them out, research what they are telling you with someone who would know, such as a current or former service member.
• - Be very suspicious if you never get to actually speak with the person on the phone or are told you cannot write or receive letters in the mail. Servicemen and women serving overseas will often have an APO or FPO mailing address. Internet or not, service members always appreciate a letter in the mail.
• - Many of the negative claims made about the military and the supposed lack of support and services provided to troops overseas are far from reality - check the facts.
• - Be very suspicious if you are asked to send money or ship property to a third party or company. Often times the company exists, but has no idea or is not a part of the scam.
• - Be very suspicious if the person you are corresponding with wants you to mail anything to an African country.
• - Be aware of common spelling, grammatical or language errors in the emails.
• - Be very suspicious of someone you have never met and who pledges their love at warp speed.

Saying they are on a peace keeping mission, looking for an honest woman, parents deceased, wife deceased, child being cared for by nanny or other guardian, profess their love almost immediately, refer to you as 'my love,' 'my darling' or any other affectionate term almost immediately, telling you they cannot wait to be with you, telling you they cannot talk on the phone or via webcam due to security reasons, or telling you they are sending you something (money, jewelry) through a diplomat. Finally, they claim to be a U.S. Army Soldier; however, their English and grammar do not match that of someone born and raised in the United States.

Here are answers to some of the most common types of scams:

• 1. Soldiers and their loved ones are not charged money so that the Soldier can go on leave.
• 2. No one is required to request leave on behalf of a Soldier.
• 3. A general officer will not correspond with you on behalf of a Soldier planning to take leave.
• 4. A general officer will not be a member of an internet dating site.
• 5. Soldiers are not charged money or taxes to secure communications or leave.
• 6. Soldiers do not need permission to get married.
• 7. Soldiers do not have to pay for early retirement.
• 8. Soldiers have medical insurance for themselves and their immediate family members (spouse and/or children), which pays for their medical costs when treated at health care facilities worldwide - family and friends do not need to pay their medical expenses.
• 9. Military aircraft are not used to transport Privately Owned Vehicles.
• 10. Army financial offices are not used to help Soldiers buy or sell items of any kind.
• 11. Soldiers deployed to combat zones do not need to solicit money from the public to feed or house their troops.
• 12. Deployed Soldiers do not find large sums of money and do not need your help to get that money out of the country.

Report the theft to the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) (FBI-NW3C Partnership). Online: http://www.ic3.gov/default.aspx

Report the theft to the Federal Trade Commission. Your report helps law enforcement officials across the United States in their investigations. Online: http://www.ftc.gov/idtheft

By phone: 1-877-ID-THEFT (438-4338) or TTY, 1-866-653-4261

Dating photography in lynden. By mail: Identity Theft Clearinghouse, Federal Trade Commission, Washington, DC 20580

Report the fraud to the Federal Trade Commission on Nigerian Scams. Email: spam@uce.gov.

Military Romance Scams/facebook Trish Soffner

Editor's Note: This article by Oriana Pawlyk originally appeared onMilitary.com, a leading source of news for the military and veteran community.

An Illinois congressman in the Air National Guard is pressing Facebook's CEO Mark Zuckerberg to do more to stop 'romance scams,' especially since many U.S. service members have become targets of the illicit activity.

Military Romance Scams On Facebook

In a letter sent to Zuckerberg Wednesday, Rep. Adam Kinzinger, a Republican, said he is 'increasingly concerned' by these scams — where Internet users anywhere in the world claim to be veterans and exploit victims for money — that are consistently perpetuated on the social media platform. He asked Zuckerberg to better weed out fake accounts and improve security of the site to that end.

'As a combat veteran currently serving as a lieutenant colonel in the Air National Guard, I am particularly concerned with the pernicious efforts to impersonate current or former military personnel to gain the trust of unsuspecting users and ultimately convince them to transfer money,' Kinzinger said in the letter provided to Military.com.

Military Romance Scams. 50,740 likes 191 talking about this. This page was created to warn facebook users about military romance scams and how the identities of our honorably serving soldiers are. Syria Military Scams Targeting Victims on Social Media and Dating Sites. Every day, thousands of people worldwide report being a victim to an online dating scam perpetrated by someone who pretended to be a member of the military. In recent years, Syria has become one of the hottest places for online criminals to conduct romance scams, charity. This Army Veteran Became The Face Of Military Romance Scams. Now He's Fighting Back Brown County Browser: Don't fall for veterans romance scams Fake US Soldiers Robbing Women Online How a billion-dollar Internet scam is breaking hearts and bank accounts Prince Charming' Behind Bars: Nigerian Romance Scammer Nets 27-Year Prison Sentence. Military Romance Scams. 50,809 likes 163 talking about this. This page was created to warn facebook users about military romance scams and how the identities of our honorably serving soldiers are.

You can also learn more about identity theft, romance scams, sextortion and online impostors at the U.S. Army's Social Media Resources site.

For more on these fraudulent acts, read the announcements released by Army CID:
U.S. Army CID Warn Citizens to Be Vigilant Against Internet, Digital Scammers
With National Spotlight on Internet Romance-Type Scams, Army CID Makes Additional Attempts to Warn Unsuspecting Victims
U.S. Army CID Pleads with Public, Warns Against Romance Scams
CID warns Army community about social media impersonation of Soldier accounts

• - DO NOT SEND MONEY! Be extremely suspicious if you are asked for money for transportation costs, communication fees or marriage processing and medical fees via Western Union.
• - If you do start an Internet-based relationship with someone, check them out, research what they are telling you with someone who would know, such as a current or former service member.
• - Be very suspicious if you never get to actually speak with the person on the phone or are told you cannot write or receive letters in the mail. Servicemen and women serving overseas will often have an APO or FPO mailing address. Internet or not, service members always appreciate a letter in the mail.
• - Many of the negative claims made about the military and the supposed lack of support and services provided to troops overseas are far from reality - check the facts.
• - Be very suspicious if you are asked to send money or ship property to a third party or company. Often times the company exists, but has no idea or is not a part of the scam.
• - Be very suspicious if the person you are corresponding with wants you to mail anything to an African country.
• - Be aware of common spelling, grammatical or language errors in the emails.
• - Be very suspicious of someone you have never met and who pledges their love at warp speed.

Saying they are on a peace keeping mission, looking for an honest woman, parents deceased, wife deceased, child being cared for by nanny or other guardian, profess their love almost immediately, refer to you as 'my love,' 'my darling' or any other affectionate term almost immediately, telling you they cannot wait to be with you, telling you they cannot talk on the phone or via webcam due to security reasons, or telling you they are sending you something (money, jewelry) through a diplomat. Finally, they claim to be a U.S. Army Soldier; however, their English and grammar do not match that of someone born and raised in the United States.

Here are answers to some of the most common types of scams:

• 1. Soldiers and their loved ones are not charged money so that the Soldier can go on leave.
• 2. No one is required to request leave on behalf of a Soldier.
• 3. A general officer will not correspond with you on behalf of a Soldier planning to take leave.
• 4. A general officer will not be a member of an internet dating site.
• 5. Soldiers are not charged money or taxes to secure communications or leave.
• 6. Soldiers do not need permission to get married.
• 7. Soldiers do not have to pay for early retirement.
• 8. Soldiers have medical insurance for themselves and their immediate family members (spouse and/or children), which pays for their medical costs when treated at health care facilities worldwide - family and friends do not need to pay their medical expenses.
• 9. Military aircraft are not used to transport Privately Owned Vehicles.
• 10. Army financial offices are not used to help Soldiers buy or sell items of any kind.
• 11. Soldiers deployed to combat zones do not need to solicit money from the public to feed or house their troops.
• 12. Deployed Soldiers do not find large sums of money and do not need your help to get that money out of the country.

Report the theft to the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) (FBI-NW3C Partnership). Online: http://www.ic3.gov/default.aspx

Report the theft to the Federal Trade Commission. Your report helps law enforcement officials across the United States in their investigations. Online: http://www.ftc.gov/idtheft

By phone: 1-877-ID-THEFT (438-4338) or TTY, 1-866-653-4261

Dating photography in lynden. By mail: Identity Theft Clearinghouse, Federal Trade Commission, Washington, DC 20580

Report the fraud to the Federal Trade Commission on Nigerian Scams. Email: spam@uce.gov.

Military Romance Scams/facebook Trish Soffner

Editor's Note: This article by Oriana Pawlyk originally appeared onMilitary.com, a leading source of news for the military and veteran community.

An Illinois congressman in the Air National Guard is pressing Facebook's CEO Mark Zuckerberg to do more to stop 'romance scams,' especially since many U.S. service members have become targets of the illicit activity.

Military Romance Scams On Facebook

In a letter sent to Zuckerberg Wednesday, Rep. Adam Kinzinger, a Republican, said he is 'increasingly concerned' by these scams — where Internet users anywhere in the world claim to be veterans and exploit victims for money — that are consistently perpetuated on the social media platform. He asked Zuckerberg to better weed out fake accounts and improve security of the site to that end.

'As a combat veteran currently serving as a lieutenant colonel in the Air National Guard, I am particularly concerned with the pernicious efforts to impersonate current or former military personnel to gain the trust of unsuspecting users and ultimately convince them to transfer money,' Kinzinger said in the letter provided to Military.com.

'These crimes result in a variety of consequences, including financial and emotional harm to victims as well as stolen identities and stolen valor for the impersonated service members and veterans.'

Kinzinger, who wrote that he too has been impersonated for such scams, said the company doesn't always act in the best interest of the user, and has personally reviewed some cases where 'no action seems to have been taken at all.'

'My staff and I find various accounts posing as me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Google Hangouts or other platforms,' he said. The congressman said he's been lucky he and his staff are able to find these scammers and report them, but that many Americans do not 'have the time or resources to confront these issues.'

Kinzginer's request follows a recent report from the New York Times that explored how vulnerable users have been sending hundreds of thousands of dollars — in some cases, wiping out their life savings — to help desperate service members on a deployment. Or so they thought.

In partnership with FX Channel's documentary-style segment 'The Weekly,' New York Times reporter Jack Nicas spoke with victims, grifters, as we well as Pentagon officials on how the fraudulent activity is perpetrated, with 120 million fake users, many posing as troops.

One case ended in tragedy.

The social media company told the Times it continues to rid the site of fake profiles.

'That job is not finished and we are committed to sharing our progress,' Facebook said in a statement.

Kinzinger, who serves as an RC-26 pilot with the Wisconsin Air National Guard's 115th Fighter Wing, is also asking Facebook to answer his questions regarding:

• how many people are contributing to the safety and security of the platform and erasing fake accounts;
• how many fakes are created daily;
• why individual users have not been asked to take extra steps to verify their identities if advertisers have to input specific identification and location to access the site; and
• how Facebook plans to mitigate the spread fake accounts and fraudulent money transfer given that the social media platform now intends to create its own cryptocurrency.

The congressman expects answers by Aug. 14.

'Unfortunately, it seems that Facebook is having significant difficulty stemming the tide of malign activity that has rapidly and persistently permeated the platform,' he said. 'I urge you to further expand your efforts on these fronts.'

Military Scammers Facebook

This article originally appeared on Military.com

Military Romance Scammers On Facebook

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