As discussed in my previous posting, The Widower, Lauth Investigations International, Inc. has handled several cases of scam and fraud in relation to online dating sites. The elaborate lengths these scammers go to get what they want is overwhelming. Lauth Investigations has uncovered several different scams as they have related to our clients. The scariest part of these scams is the commitment and dedication these criminals put into their deception.
The following Lauth Investigations fraud case focuses on a fifty-five year old, successful divorced gentlemen. It is widely believed women are the main targets and victims of online scams; however, Lauth Investigations has found men are just as affected falling victim to these criminals.
The Fifty-Five Year Old Divorcé
A year after Bill and his wife of 30 years divorced, Bill was looking to get out into the dating world again. He is an accountant for a large firm so he works most of the time, he hasn’t been on a date in over 30 years, and he doesn’t know where to go to meet anyone. A friend suggests online dating. One night, Bill decides to set up his profile on a dating site just to see what happens. Bill’s nightmare begins.
Within a few weeks of being on the dating site, Bill connects with a beautiful younger woman from Russia, we’ll call her Ava. Ironically, even though they are from completely different cultures, Bill and Ava have a lot in common. Although Ava struggles with English, she communicates enough via phone, texting and emails to make a strong enough connection with Bill. He ends up falling in love with her without meeting her.
Once Ava knows Bill is hooked, she starts pulling at his heart strings. She tells him how hard it is to live in Russia because jobs do not pay more than a few hundred dollars a month. On top of her low salary, she must take care of her ill mother because her father was killed in a car accident. Now, Bill feels the pull to play the hero. All a part of the ploy. He wants to swoop in and help Ava to show her how much he loves her.
Ava never had to ask for any money. She plays the role perfectly and Bill starts offering money. When Ava pretends to be embarrassed about taking Bill’s money, he insists she let him help her out. Ava “reluctantly” provides Bill her information so he may Western Union her money. The money starts flowing in the direction of Russia.
After months of Bill sending money to “help” Ava, she claims her mother died. Being the good boyfriend, Bill sends money for the funeral. He offers to bring Ava to the States to live with him and get married. Ava is excited to start a new life with him; however, a new snag occurs when she tries to her obtain her visa. The only way it will be resolved is money, which Bill sends, excited to finally meet Ava in person. He is ready to start their new life. The final payment is sent for Ava to purchase her plane ticket. Once sent, Bill never hears from Ava again.
Lauth Investigations International, Inc. is hired when Bill worries Ava was harmed trying to leave the country. He has not yet realized he is a victim of a scam. After much investigation, Lauth proved to Bill that Ava was not the woman’s real identity. The information she provided him led to no one. Research into finding the individual(s) who picked up the Western Union payments revealed nothing. These scammers utilize this payment method because the payments cannot trace who picked them up and they can be picked up anywhere in the world.
After Bill gave away $75,000 and his heart, he now is picking up the pieces and moving on to better things. He was a victim of an elite fraud. He lost a lot of money and his dignity. Bill is not the only one in this position. This fraud is consistently pulling men and women in making the scammers extremely wealthy. Do not let yourself or a loved one be fooled into this fraud. Always err on the side of caution and spend a little money up front to have a potential partner researched by a private investigator. Being too careful never hurt anyone!
‘Tis the season for the hustle and bustle of Christmas shopping. While the stores are packed with consumers, cyber-shopping is at an all time high. Shopping in public can have potential to be dangerous with getting your wallet stolen or being robbed when putting the bags in your car. Cyber-shopping has a different kind of danger to be aware of. Be aware and prepared when shopping online.
Cyber-Shopping Frauds
We are all excited to get the “great deal” when shopping either in the stores or online. Sometimes, though, we need to sit back and determine when a deal is just too good to be true. There are so many sites set up to fraud consumers, I could not list all of them, so I am just going to list some ways these sites go about their scam:
Copy Sites – Large company websites such as Wal-Mart, Amazon, E-Bay, are easily recognized; however, some of the smaller websites, such as Pandora Jewelry, are not as easy to determine if a site is the correct location for the National company. Websites are set up to resemble these less known company websites, selling similar looking items for cheaper prices. When you order from these sites thinking you are getting the real thing, you are sent a cheap knock off that is not worth the money you spent.
How to avoid it? Ensure you are shopping on the correct retailer sight. If the website is something other than “.com”, chances are it is a fake. Do your research and pay attention to the website. If the website is a “knock off”, you will see the difference. Did you know the “s” in “https” stands for secure? If there is no “s”, move on.
2. Take the Money and Run – Websites are set up with “authentic” or “custom made” merchandise. When you order from these sites, you provide your credit card information to pay for the item and the item never comes. Now the individuals took your money, you have nothing to show for it and they have your credit card information.
How to avoid it? Do your homework. Research the company, call the company to speak with an employee, read the customer reviews. Do not give your credit card out without being 100% certain the company is legitimate. If they are legitimate, they will do whatever it takes to make you feel comfortable doing business with them.
Auction Sites – E-Bay is probably the biggest Auction Site on the web. It is also the most problematic Auction Site. When purchasing an item through an auction, there are several scams that may occur:
The seller posts a picture of an expensive item, the bidding war begins, the auction ends, money is sent and the seller posts a picture of the purchased item stating “technically” that is all they listed for sale was the picture, not the actual item.
The buyer purchases an item either by auction or the buy now tab and the seller requests the buyer to pay outside of E-Bay for various reasons. The buyer pays and goes to pick up the item or waits for receipt of the item. When contacting the seller due to never receiving the item, the seller states the item was never listed on E-Bay and it is not for sale.
The auction or sale is complete. The item is received by the buyer and it is damaged or not the correct item. The seller is unresponsive to contact attempts.
How to avoid it? Always make the sure the seller is active on the site. Look for reviews. If they have no reviews, they may be new to the site and started just to pull these scams. Never pay outside of auction site. Ask questions about the item. Get the seller to provide intricate details including extra pictures. Read the description of the item carefully to see if there are any keywords that stick out making the listing unauthentic.
Facebook Sellers – If a seller posts an item to your newsfeed through Facebook, you have to click on the link and you are re-routed to a different page. At that point, you are no longer secure. Once you enter their site, all your personal information is provided to them. Should you buy an item, they then have all your credit card information as well. It is so easy to be scrolling through Facebook, see a cute item for sale, hit the link, and within seconds you have purchased the item.
How to avoid it? Stop and think about what you are purchasing. Do not leave Facebook. Do not click on that link. Check out the website on your own. Do your homework. Ensure they have a safety symbol on their website.
Cyber-Shopping is so easy and convenient, we often lose ourselves to the fast paced life that we go for convenience over common sense. Before shopping online, do your research. Are you at a safe, secure website? Does the website look authentic? Check out the reviews of the seller, whether it’s an individual or a company. Ensure the url states “https” as this indicates a secure site. Trust your gut. I cannot express this enough. We know when something doesn’t look right, if we take the time to pay attention. Finally, if the deal seems too good to be true, it is so walk away!
“Trust your gut. It knows what your head hasn’t figured out yet.”
From the Desk of Kristen Justis, Director of Marketing and Client Relations
DANGERS OF ONLINE DATING FOR ALL GENERATIONS
PART ONE – THE WIDOW
A sixty-year old widow, a fifty-five year old divorcee, a professional woman in her mid-thirties or a twenty-three year old Army soldier, these are just some of the individuals Lauth Investigation International, Inc., a private investigation firm, have helped while being scammed through online dating. Scammers do not discriminate, they throw out a line and see who bites. Hence the name Catfish Scams. Over the next few articles, I will discuss each of these Catfish scams.
The Sixty Year Old Widow
A wonderful forty-year marriage, three children, a mortgage paid off and ready for retirement, then the life altering death of Jane’s husband occurs. Jane deals with the loneliness and grief of losing her life partner. A year later, she decides to join an online dating site to find a companion to spend time and share her life. She is matched with several gentlemen; however, one pursues her in the charming, exciting way she was hoping for.
Jane and the new guy, Joe, begin talking via e-mail. He tells her all about his life and the exciting traveling he has done. They have so much in common, she can’t believe how much she enjoys communicating with him. The communication then moves to phone calls and text messaging. They laugh, he compliments her, they have late night talks. The excitement of this new relationship begins to mount.
Two weeks into the relationship, Joe tells Jane he received a contract for work and he will be leaving in a couple of days to Malaysia. He is unsure how long he will be there. Jane requests to meet him in person prior to him leaving. Joe states he has too much to do before he leaves so he is unable to meet her. This makes sense to Jane, so she doesn’t push the issue.
After months of talking every day, Joe tells Jane he owes money to a hospital for some medical expenses and he cannot get to his money because he must be present at his bank to withdrawal money. Of course, his bank is in the United States. He even showed her a screenshot of his bank account with $2.8 Million. The hospital is holding his passport so he is unable to come home to her. He suggests she sends him the money to cover the debt so he can come home. Jane sends him the money.
Next, Joe asks for more money because now he owes money to his attorney in Malaysia. The attorney is now holding his passport until the debt is paid. Jane has to refinance her paid off house to pull money out, but she does it so Joe can come home to her.
Once the attorney is paid off, Joe needs further money as he now owes money to his landlord, who again is holding his passport as collateral. Jane, once again, sends him the money. Now, Joe claims he cannot come home because his visa has since expired and he has to pay fines before he is allowed to leave Malaysia.
A year and $100,000 sent, Jane begins to question Joe about his history. He explains there is lot he can’t share over the phone or text messaging and he will tell her everything when he returns to the States. She questions his accent because he is supposed to be American. He explains this away stating his father was in the military and he lived overseas in different countries throughout his childhood; therefore, he has a mix of accents. Jane asked him on numerous occasions to send her pictures of him. He claims he does not have a phone that takes pictures.
Once Jane looked past her emotions, she hired Lauth Investigations International, Inc. to investigate Joe. Private Investigators found no one exists under the name, birth date and addresses Joe provided to Jane. The bank account he provided was on a fake site. After much investigations, Lauth Investigations was able to link Joe to a scam stemming from Nigeria.
The catfishing scam out of Nigeria is a well-organized group of criminals, men and women, who troll online dating sites in the United States. They are trained to know the region around their victim to convince them they are from the area. The have training on how to connect with the victim and make them fall in love. Once they know the victim is hooked, they pull the line to get them to send money. The requests begin as a small amount and continues to grow over time with more requests for money.
The Nigerian criminal organization operates out of several different internet cafes, use a multitude of computers and phones, maintain various false identities and fake photos, and have fake websites. They utilize all the fraudulent documentation to scam individuals out of millions of dollars a year. Therefore, once the scam is discovered, the money is gone and unrecoverable.
Watch out for your loved ones and yourself for any suspicious relationships formed through an online dating service. Unless you meet the person face to face, do not fall prey to the eloquent words they are able to write or say over the phone. Never send money to someone you do not know personally. If you have any questions about someone you have met, spend your money hiring a private investigator. It’s better to be safe than sorry and broke.
Lauth Investigations International is a private investigation firm. We are constantly questioned about what our background searches can provide that a personal background search cannot. All I can say, it’s all in the details. You pay for what you get. If you want all detailed, accurate information, you will pay for a Private Investigation Background Search. If you want high level information, you will conduct your own Personal Background Search.
Personal Background Search
With the internet, so much information is at our fingertips, but are we getting the most up to date information? A personal background search will bring up the following information:
Employment history. The search will bring up employment records; however, it may only bring up the last couple of positions held. It will not give details of all the employment information for the individuals.
Academic and/or professional qualifications. The search will provide education information and any certifications. High level information will only be received.
Criminal Records. The search will show all arrests and convictions.
Financial Standing. The search will bring up any liens, judgments, bank accounts and property ownership.
The information obtained will be high level and up to the person’s own ability to read the results. In order to get deeper levels, the user has to continue to pay the further in depth they go.
Private Investigations Background Search
Unlike a personal background search conducted by a novice user, a private investigations background search is not just putting a name in a database and seeing what comes up. Private Investigators have access to several databases which will show a variety of information.
Employment history. The search will bring up employment records including all positions held, any discrepancies on a resume, the salaries affiliated with the positions and any other information a potential employer would need to know.
Academic and/or professional qualifications. The search will show all academic history and certifications even if the individual did not complete the program.
Criminal Records. The search will provide a detailed outline of all criminal activity from speeding warnings/tickets and arrests up to convictions and jail time served.
Financial Standing. The search will show all liens, judgments, bank accounts, property ownership, previous ownership of properties, dates properties sold, NSF checks and bankruptcies.
Along with the typical information received through a personal background search, private investigation background searches also include:
Worker’s Compensation Claims an individual has filed. Determining the character of an individual is just as important as their criminal history. For employment purposes, an individual who files numerous compensation claims reveals a dishonest, fraudulent individual.
Ascertain causes of accidents or any criminal activity. DMV reports will show accident information; however, they do not show all causes of the accidents. The in depth reports by private investigators show the reasoning behind accidents and if there was criminal activity involved in the accident as well.
In depth analysis of all findings in the research. Any individual can pull information; however, it’s how the information is analyzed and interpreted that makes it helpful.
Information on employers, business partners, and personal partners.
The process of performing background checks is and should be more in depth than just putting in a name in a database. To ensure the most updated accurate information is received, a private investigation background check is the direction to take. The analysis and time put in from a private investigator along with their ability to understand the findings places the outcome far more beneficial. The personal background checks are general and only provide high level information. Without the knowledge needed to understand the reports, the information does not provide the detail generally needed.
Background checks can be used for all kinds of reasons. If you are looking into a potential business partner, potential employee, potential life partner, a detailed background check with concise analysis can provide you the information needed to make informed decisions. Do not rely on just an internet search without the knowledge to know what information is in front of you.
The time has come, once again, for the hustle and bustle of the holiday season. While we all look forward to this time of year, criminals especially do as well. They rely on us being excited, relaxed and distracted. In an effort to keep our information safe, we must be overly aware during this time of year.
Traveling
During the holidays, traveling increases by 54%. That’s a lot of empty homes waiting for criminals to do their work. Here are just a few tips to keep your home safe while traveling:
Only tell one close family member or friend that you are traveling out of town. This one person should be the one to check on your home while you are away. Having them enter your home one or two times daily would be ideal. Although they are busy as well, this will make it look like someone is there frequently.
Do not post on social media your travel schedule. Although you think only friends and family can see this information, you are incorrect. You can take pictures and still update on the fun your having, just do it responsibly. No one needs to know you are half way across the country.
Put your lights on timers, inside and out. If your lights are popping on and off throughout the day, anyone watching your house will tend to believe someone is home. You can get the timers from any home improvement store and they do not take long to install.
A small final tip from my parents! Turn off your main water line before leaving. You do not want to come back to a flooded, moldy home due to a small hole in a water line. Trust me, it was not fun! Once you return from traveling, you just want to be in your own bed. If this water line break occurs, you will be back in a hotel for weeks.
Wallet and Identity
I group the wallet and identity together as the items utilized to steal your identity are generally located in your wallet. Here are just a few suggestions for keeping your information safe while you are enjoying the shopping frenzy:
Pay with cash as often as you can. We’ve all seen the security issues with credit card machines. This can happen at any retail store. Avoid giving your card information out and pay with cash. If you do not want to carry cash, get gift cards with cash and use the gift cards instead of using your debit/credit card.
If paying with cash, ensure you place your cash close to your person when out shopping. Put the cash in the pockets of your jeans or in a place where you would notice or feel someone trying to take the cash from you. Do not place it in your purse on a cart where you would turn your attention away, for even a second. All it takes is a second to turn your head away and your purse is gone.
Along with the cash, put all identification (driver’s license, social security card, credit cards) information in your pockets as well. Always make sure your information is close enough so you will know if someone is trying to get to these items.
When pulling out your cash to pay, do not pull out the large stack of bills and count it out in an obvious manner. You may not realize how closely people are watching you, but criminals are watching every move as this is their job.
As you are buying your items, try to condense the amounts of packages you are carrying. Any bags that can be combined, do so. The more you are carrying, the more vulnerable you appear.
When you take your items to your car to drop them off and start off again, we all do it, make sure you cover the items with either a blanket or a screen. Do not leave anything out in the open in your vehicle.
The holidays are fun and happy time of the year. Do not let criminals make this time stressful for you. Small adjustments can keep your home, wallet and identity safe. Always be aware of your surroundings, trust your gut, and keep your personal information personal.
Lauth Investigations International is a private investigation firm. We consistently work with people whose identity has been compromised. The one minute it took a criminal to steal their information created months of stress for these individuals to recover. Do not let this happen to you.
Lauth Investigations International, Inc. is hired when Bill worries Ava was harmed trying to leave the country. He has not yet realized he is a victim of a scam. After much investigation, Lauth proved to Bill that Ava was not the woman’s real identity. The information she provided him led to no one. Research into finding the individual(s) who picked up the Western Union payments revealed nothing. These scammers utilize this payment method because the payments cannot trace who picked them up and they can be picked up anywhere in the world.
Did you know the “s” in “https” stands for secure? If there is no “s”, move on.
When you order from these sites, you provide your credit card information to pay for the item and the item never comes. Now the individuals took your money, you have nothing to show for it and they have your credit card information.
At that point, you are no longer secure. Once you enter their site, all your personal information is provided to them. Should you buy an item, they then have all your credit card information as well. It is so easy to be scrolling through Facebook, see a cute item for sale, hit the link, and within seconds you have purchased the item.
Once Jane looked past her emotions, she hired Lauth Investigations International, Inc. to investigate Joe. Private Investigators found no one exists under the name, birth date and addresses Joe provided to Jane. The bank account he provided was on a fake site. After much investigations, Lauth Investigations was able to link Joe to a scam stemming from Nigeria.
I group the wallet and identity together as the items utilized to steal your identity are generally located in your wallet. Here are just a few suggestions for keeping your information safe while you are enjoying the shopping frenzy: