A guy starts communicating with a "woman" (the pictures are attractive). Initial contact between victim and scam artist is to take the step in starting a relationship.
The artist then explains that they are in another country (usually Africa: Nigeria or Mali, but England is also being used), and that they will not be returning to the States for another two weeks.
The artists may even send more pictures to the victim's e-mail address to "legitimize" cooperation of starting a relationship.
Upon finding out more information about the "nice looking woman" -- her parents died in a tragic accident and she has no family or friends who can help her stateside, or she was abandoned by her previous boyfriend in said country with no money to get home -- this is where I become skeptical and ask if they have gone to the embassy or local church to find assistance to return home. After all, I barely know these "women."
Once I tell them that I cannot help them with any kind of financial help, contact almost always ceases. Although it is embarrassing to admit, I believe this information will help others.
Sometimes the sad story includes a jewelry merchant selling diamonds and needing the PayPal account for their clients to deposit money in a secure American account that will yield a better profit for the jewelry company. It sounded too sketchy to me, and I recognized it for the scam factor.
I tell them that I have heard their story before, and then they stop contact.
Luckily, the dating sites that I use have an option to report abuse, and I do my best to report each case.
I hope this will help others who are a bit more gullible than myself. Thanks for getting the word out.
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