Should I help on this scam?

[WitawatWatawit]

Yeah, report the details, Costas, even if you don't think it will do any good. One of the worst things about being the victim of a rort is the sheer bloody helplessness you feel if you can't do a goddam thing about it. At least give her the satisfaction of knowing that someone in authority has taken notice of the incident.

[Costas2008]

I wouldnt even question writing to the website or trying to help in some way, i would just do it.

Even if logic dictates that chances of anything coming of it, doesnt matter.

What matters is showing you wife and her sister support in what has obviously been a distressing situation for your sister in law.

Obviously i think she was foolish to fall for this, but sadly she did.

When the situation and money is long forgotten..how YOU responded to their requests will not be.

Id say choose carefully how you wish your wife and sister in law to remember you in this..the cost or reward could be huge (in terms of long term memory and harboring resentment..or, the better scenario, placing you on a heroic pedastle).

Lara, if it was my sister in law, I would have kicked her arse.

That is a colleague of my wife, not even a friend, that I met her once or twice.

She is asking my wife to help her, and by default I get the request.

As I said before, she is a qualified nurse, and she was able to correspond in English on the website.

Now, because of her naivety, she wants the others to deal with her dirty laundry.

Don't give a damn about the heroic pedestal.......but I will still write for her a letter on her behalf, addressed to the Scottish police.

As about the Thai police and the dating website, she can do it herself........she is supposed to have a bachelor degree in nursing.

[Pralaad]

Costas, writing to the website is pointless, because this scammers just open new accounts or use different photo's and no way to stop or block them.

What you can do and will only take you few mins, is to get the link to his profile(if it still exists) and click on report. She does not even need you, you can write for her in English., she clicks on report and copy paste the text.

Text will basically say this is a scam, he extorted so much money.

[benalibina]

I wouldnt even question writing to the website or trying to help in some way, i would just do it.

Even if logic dictates that chances of anything coming of it, doesnt matter.

What matters is showing you wife and her sister support in what has obviously been a distressing situation for your sister in law.

Obviously i think she was foolish to fall for this, but sadly she did.

When the situation and money is long forgotten..how YOU responded to their requests will not be.

Id say choose carefully how you wish your wife and sister in law to remember you in this..the cost or reward could be huge (in terms of long term memory and harboring resentment..or, the better scenario, placing you on a heroic pedastle).

Lara, if it was my sister in law, I would have kicked her arse.

That is a colleague of my wife, not even a friend, that I met her once or twice.

She is asking my wife to help her, and by default I get the request.

As I said before, she is a qualified nurse, and she was able to correspond in English on the website.

Now, because of her naivety, she wants the others to deal with her dirty laundry.

Don't give a damn about the heroic pedestal.......but I will still write for her a letter on her behalf, addressed to the Scottish police.

As about the Thai police and the dating website, she can do it herself........she is supposed to have a bachelor degree in nursing.

I hope your wife is not reading this topic. Domestication finished by kicking you out of the house.

[gerry123]

Just what do you suppose the website or even the police can do about this now ? You need to tell her to accept she has lost her money and to never send money ever again. Sorry but that is the harsh reality of this situation unfortunately.

I agree with you, but can you please convince my wife that this is the situation, because she thinks I am a lazy so and so and don't want to help!

dont suppose its occured to you your wife may have a point there

[bonobo]

This is a very common scam hitting Thailand and the Philippines, and probably other countries as well. I told one of my wife's friends that it was a scam, my wife told her, yet she refused to believe us, and yes, she got scammed for quite a bit. In this case, if I got the story right, he "sent" her a computer, some cash, jewelry, and an engagement ring. Of course, they got held up in customs. There was even a number to call, and when she did, a Thai person answered and confirmed that there was a package there for her, and all she had to do was pay the import duty of 50 or 60,000 baht. They gave her a bank account number, and she dutifully sent the money. Her "fiance" called her to tell her there was a problem, and I forgot the logic behind it, but she sent another 100,000 or so to the account.

When they asked for more, she finally called the real number for customs, and of course, there was no such package waiting for her.

The Thai press is full of women getting ripped off, but I think the women want so much to believe in love that they refuse to see the truth. My wife's friend even got angry at her when she told the woman that it was a scam. She accused my wife of not wanting her to have a happy life.

[benalibina]

This is a very common scam hitting Thailand and the Philippines, and probably other countries as well. I told one of my wife's friends that it was a scam, my wife told her, yet she refused to believe us, and yes, she got scammed for quite a bit. In this case, if I got the story right, he "sent" her a computer, some cash, jewelry, and an engagement ring. Of course, they got held up in customs. There was even a number to call, and when she did, a Thai person answered and confirmed that there was a package there for her, and all she had to do was pay the import duty of 50 or 60,000 baht. They gave her a bank account number, and she dutifully sent the money. Her "fiance" called her to tell her there was a problem, and I forgot the logic behind it, but she sent another 100,000 or so to the account.

When they asked for more, she finally called the real number for customs, and of course, there was no such package waiting for her.

The Thai press is full of women getting ripped off, but I think the women want so much to believe in love that they refuse to see the truth. My wife's friend even got angry at her when she told the woman that it was a scam. She accused my wife of not wanting her to have a happy life.

To believe in love ???

[noahvail]

Are you quite sure it's Scotland? Up here in Isaan, women visit my wife not knowing what to do with these situations. First thing she does is an IP check. The last guy from the UK was actually in Malaysia. The IP for the previous London farang placed him squarely in Nigeria. Problem with Nigeria is, they can have up to a couple hundred residences/businesses using the same IP, so the chances of finding a specific scammer are practically nil.

Some of the cons are interesting, though. Like the American guy coming over to visit, and bringing his son along, but they had to stop in South Africa to get the kid an emergency operation, and they needed 300,000 baht from her. A quick check of the IP address showed him to be somewhere in the EU, I can't remember where exactly. But in the past three years, I'd say my wife has stopped about 20 Thai women from getting fleeced. No wonder the government put out a warning not so long ago for Thai women to be aware of these scams.

Getting close to midnight, almost time to meet my customer. Gonna sell him the Peace bridge at a good price.

[ClutchClark]

Sounds like a Nigerian scam to be honest, and these have been widely reported previously. Although all countries have them. It's unlikely the details tat you have are real, but still worth making a report.

Sadly, I think she has to accept the money and the scammer have long gone

I agree, unfortunately for her, I bet she doesn't the the guys details.....

The name should be correct, otherwise how did he get the money from Western Union.

Thought you have to present a passport or driving license to get the money.

As about the address, shouldn't the letter been returned to her as address Unknown?

It's been 3 months now.

I have heard from reliable source that these MoneyGram and Western Union agents are occasionally in cahoots with the scammers so an ID verification is easily replaced by a cash gift from the scammer.

They will also change the destination location once the money is "in the system" so if the giver stipulates it will be picked up in Los Angeles then a few key strokes and the money can be picked up in Timbuktu.

[ClutchClark]

So the Scam got scammed.

She wanted to do something very illegal and got scammed.....

Ask yourself would you help the drug dealer, because the wholesale drug dealer sold him wheat powder for heroin?

You may inform the UK embassy that she wanted to get a Visa by illegal means, so they can put her on some watch list.

Did you not get that shiny new bicycle for Christmas as a kid and you still haven't gotten over it?

She is a nurse, man, she does more for people in one week than you or I likely do in a year. She was lonely and thought she found someone who cared. The fact she was as naive as she was is a pretty good indication she is an honest person.

Go get some fresh air...go for a walk. Surely there must be a puppy to go kick or a child you can steal ice cream from.

[thaicookingchef]

The cheated will always be cheated and might even be born for this, so why caring ?

If she wants another scam bring her to my condo <3

[Datebayo]

His name and adress is fake, you know? He is most probably a nigerian scammer based in the UK. My ex gf used to have been scammed a few times, if I didn't warned her, she would have lost a lot of money to these scammers.

[hellohello123]

Maybe I'm a bit heartless

Is it just me but I have little sympathy for a woman who chooses someone solely based on geographical location in the hope they get to move there

Much like a old geeser choosing a 25 yr old from issarn thinking he I'd so awesome and only to get swindled big time

[Absolut]

The dating site that I used to use (TLL) has very clear and explicit warnings about never sending money to anybody. The site is bilingual, so I guess the warnings are in Thai too.

All the sites display it to members "never send money to someone you meet online".

If people choose to ignore a very clear and obvious message then it's just too bad if they lose the money.

It's almost like placing a bet, you might win or you might do your dough.

[sdanielmcev]

Write the letters. Especially the one to Western Union. WU will have a record of the transaction that they can give to the authorities. And, you have spent more time here on TV than it would've taken to write the letters.

Remember, Elliott Ness was an accountant.

[KittenKong]

I was thinking of writing a letter to the police in Scotland, explaining the situation and providing them with the name and address...............if I find the address of the police department, I should write to.

Would it be Scotland Yard or the Scotish have a different authority?

Is this really so hard to look up?

http://www.scotland.police.uk/contact-us/contact-us-form

Yes, you should use the above form to report the guy to the police. Yes, you should contact the website and inform them of the scam. You dont need to spend a month doing either. 5 minutes should suffice for both.

Some people will probably be feeling quite satisfied to hear that a farang has defrauded a Thai woman as it usually seems to happen the other way around.

[TeeKay]

At first glance, yes if for only raising attention to this matter. It might help some other poor unsuspecting soul.

Sent from my iPad using ThaiVisa app

[Sandman77]

Why is it nesarsary contact dating site ?

Useless when he was using a fake profile

but when She allready send with western union

She have the real name of the man

Western union rules in eu are very strict only when name and passport

Mach he got money

With this name and bill from western report to uk police

[cgphuket]

Best to report to the police in the country in which she sent the money.

[bonobo]

Maybe I'm a bit heartless

Is it just me but I have little sympathy for a woman who chooses someone solely based on geographical location in the hope they get to move there

Much like a old geeser choosing a 25 yr old from issarn thinking he I'd so awesome and only to get swindled big time

I don't think most of these women are simply looking for a geographic location, but rather for love. THey may look in a website frequented by foreigners as they have had no luck with local men, but their main purpose is to find a husband. The typical MO is the man writes for a month or a couple of months, tells her he loves her, and lets love blossom. The targeted women are usually in their 40's and 50's, and they are happy that finally, it looks like love might be possible. This blinds them to the inconsistencies.

I found out about this scam in an online article, then have run into it twice. In the article, which focused on THai and Filipinas, an American woman was also interviewed. She was in her 50's, and her "fiance" was somewhere in SE Asia, so I doubt she was looking for someone "solely based on geography." She lost either $300,000 or $600,000, I don't recall which.

[stubuzz]

I don't think you can report a crime on another's behalf.

[TheFishman1]

All you can do is report it to the web site they take him off of it but he probably already has another one up with a different picture on it. Had a friend kinda same story less money and they removed it but as I said he probably all ready has a different one.

[hellohello123]

Maybe I'm a bit heartless

Is it just me but I have little sympathy for a woman who chooses someone solely based on geographical location in the hope they get to move there

Much like a old geeser choosing a 25 yr old from issarn thinking he I'd so awesome and only to get swindled big time

I don't think most of these women are simply looking for a geographic location, but rather for love. THey may look in a website frequented by foreigners as they have had no luck with local men, but their main purpose is to find a husband. The typical MO is the man writes for a month or a couple of months, tells her he loves her, and lets love blossom. The targeted women are usually in their 40's and 50's, and they are happy that finally, it looks like love might be possible. This blinds them to the inconsistencies.

I found out about this scam in an online article, then have run into it twice. In the article, which focused on THai and Filipinas, an American woman was also interviewed. She was in her 50's, and her "fiance" was somewhere in SE Asia, so I doubt she was looking for someone "solely based on geography." She lost either $300,000 or $600,000, I don't recall which.

Good point, but didn't the op say she was looking to go overseas and live and work therr? Which means that chances are if she met a suitable local person she wouldn't go for it

Many people won't agree but if you are choosing someone based on geography, with the chance there is a huge language and cultural barrier z then that means your standards or criteria are low,

No sympathy from me on this one

You play with fire you get burnt

[Costas2008]

I was thinking of writing a letter to the police in Scotland, explaining the situation and providing them with the name and address...............if I find the address of the police department, I should write to.

Would it be Scotland Yard or the Scotish have a different authority?

Is this really so hard to look up?

http://www.scotland.police.uk/contact-us/contact-us-form

Yes, you should use the above form to report the guy to the police. Yes, you should contact the website and inform them of the scam. You dont need to spend a month doing either. 5 minutes should suffice for both.

Some people will probably be feeling quite satisfied to hear that a farang has defrauded a Thai woman as it usually seems to happen the other way around.

Thank you, that was great help.

Already drafted the letter, and the wife will give it to her tomorrow to copy and send with her details.

She has been advised already to contact the website.

[Banzai99]

it has been done far more by Thai lady's to falang's than the other way around,

I knew a Farang that was pretending to be a Thai woman online, he said he had made some money from the gullible, don't know if he did or not, but there are plenty of skint Farangs in Thailand who will do just about anything to stay here.

[phil2]

Sounds like a Nigerian scam to be honest, and these have been widely reported previously. Although all countries have them. It's unlikely the details tat you have are real, but still worth making a report.

Sadly, I think she has to accept the money and the scammer have long gone

The reason people keep getting scammed is because no one really wants to find out the real people behind this kind of scam. Everything is a Nigerian scam.

Surprisingly, the Vietnamese and Cambodians know.

[seajae]

these things keep happening because everyone just lets them go, we have the same with corruption in Thailand. Until people actually report these people nothing gets done but when reported then the police usually follow it up, they did in Australia and caught several of these fakes through other countries help. If you have a name and the name used on the website then they can track them down, fraud is a world wide offence, these people count on the ones they dupe being too scared of embarrassment to follow up on it so go for it mate, notify the glasgow police with the name and all relevant info, they should follow through as it is fraud, if they have all the info that this scumbag sent her they will be able to trace him and he will probably sh*t himself when they knock on his door.

[Thai at Heart]

Write the report.

Nothing will come of it.

[farang000999]

I don't believe you Costas. I think you made this story up.

[Costas2008]

I don't believe you Costas. I think you made this story up.

And what makes you think that I care if you believe it or not?

Didn't ask the forum if they believe my thread, but if I should help or not.

Already, I've got some good answers and already I've acted accordingly.