Scammers find their victims on sites like Facebook, Twitter, eHarmony, Match.com and start an online dating adventure, slowly getting their trust.
They pose as soldiers in Iraq and send pictures to their victims, in which they are holding babies or playing with local kids. The pictures really impress the ladies, but they are just stolen images from Internet, used as bait.
However, when the crooks feel their victims are ready to commit, they suggest a surprise-package for those children. Several women put a box together with toys, books, electronics, etc and send it.
The scammer says their location is secret and all the packages have to be sent to a neutral place, where a diplomat will organize the distribution. Victims still send the package to places like Ghana or Ivory Coast and days or weeks later they receive a phone call or email.
They are informed that the package has arrived, but “in order to be sent to your boyfriend, there is a clearance fee of $485”. You would be surprised to see how many women are still falling for this.
How to avoid: you might be all day on Facebook, but soldiers in Iraq or Afghanistan don’t have a lot of time to be on online dating sites. And when they do have time for the computer, rest assured they have a lot of people they have to keep in touch with, who are really concerned about them. Never send anything to people you never meet in person.