Friend being Scammed (Ghana romance)

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Posted: Mon Jun 30, 2008 1:11 am

I have a friend (45 year old anglo female who has never travelled out of the country) who informed me she is flying Tuesday to meet a 26-year old man in Ghana she has been chatting with/phoning with/etc for months. She already sent him $600 to procure lodging for her stay before I started talking to her ... he already asked her to transfer $2000 to his personal credit account for spending money while she was there (I think I stopped her from doing this) ... but I can't persuade her to not go.

Any guesses on whether the following might/might not be legit credentials?

Eric Adade

He also sent his "International Certificate of Vaccination", and his Barclay's VISA.

Thanks!

Posted: Mon Jun 30, 2008 1:24 am

Get your friend to Google EVERYTHING about the guy. Post as much info as you can here, including pics if you can so we can see if we recognise the photos being used. Also send your friend to scamwarners.com so she can ask for help there. But above all, make sure she doesn't get on a plane or sent another dime until she's spoken to the people there. People who fly out to meet scammers risk being abducted, held for ramsom and even murdered.

Baiting Guru Joined: 03 Mar 2006 Posts: 7103 Location: Yes

Hi Leghorn.

Your friend must not get on that plane. She's not going to be happy if she does. Whatever information the person in Ghana has sent her is fake. You can rest assured.

Can you steer your friend to ScamWarners to see the myriad of scams that are out there? If you can get the email(s) from the scammer, you can Google them and you'll likely see them out there on a variety of anti-scam sites.

Please PM me if I can help you.

EDIT: What Wayne said. Smile

Posted: Mon Jun 30, 2008 1:37 am

Do whatever you can to prevent your friend from getting on that plane or sending any more money. She could end up losing more than money. Sad

She needs to visit ScamWarners (see the link at the top of the page) and read the sections on Love/Romance Scams. There are additional links to more information in those sections also.

Post as much information as you have (pictures, e-mails) about the scammer. This will aid forum members to help with warning and stopping your friend. Be prepared for denial, hostility or a variety of negative reactions from her.

It's great you were able to find Eater and I hope your friend can be persuaded to break completely away.

Edited: posting at the same time as JMR and Wayne

Posted: Mon Jun 30, 2008 1:56 am

My very computer savvy son turned me onto the site.

(deleted)

Thanks to all

Baiting Guru Joined: 03 Mar 2006 Posts: 7103 Location: Yes

I would focus less on the ID and more on the fact that your friend is being asked to send thousands of dollars abroad to someone she's never met.

Posted: Mon Jun 30, 2008 2:19 am

Right now I'm stuck looking for the "silver bullet" to punch a hole in her faith in this guy...

Baiting Guru Joined: 03 Mar 2006 Posts: 7103 Location: Yes

Okay, understood. But focusing on the IDs is not the way to go. You're going to need to do some research and try to match up his story to those you can find elsewhere. Again, ScamWarners is a good resource.

This may be a good place to start: http://www.scamwarners.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=13

Master Baiter Joined: 19 Mar 2008 Posts: 100

I have heard that young African males being "escorts" for European ladies is getting more common. SO, even if he is the real deal (going to meet her, not kidnap her, ect.), he may be a prostitute.

Does she want to risk diseases? Maybe she needs to read the Red Cross web-site and who is able to donate blood. I would not be running off for a romantic interlude knowing what I know.

Elite Baiter Joined: 11 Jul 2007 Posts: 1979

This poor woman is going to be emotionally hurt like hell. If she's even half sane she does not want to believe you and will probably refuse to see or recognize evidence set before her. Love does strange things to our minds and this is what romancers prey on.

If she is not making moves to cancel her trip, tell her you'll call law enforcement. If that doesn't phase her, DO IT!! I am sure there has got to be a detective or perhaps a passport or port authority who would inform her. This is deadly serious. SHE ABSOLUTELY CANNOT GO.

Posted: Mon Jun 30, 2008 7:53 am

oddly enough someone just posted a thread with a news link about something like this.

http://forum.419eater.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=142593

Not quite a Newb Joined: 07 May 2008 Posts: 21

With that credit card showing the number someone should call up and report it stolen so that the true owner doesn't have to worry anymore

Posted: Tue Jul 01, 2008 9:23 am

Has there been any movement on this one. It's Tuesday is she still going to travel or have you managed to stop her?. Fingers crossed.

Not quite a Newb Joined: 21 May 2008 Posts: 75

what's happened!?

Posted: Tue Jul 01, 2008 3:43 pm

She's gone incommunicado.

I've forwarded her a number of e-mails over the last few days, detailing things to look out for, and things that have happened to others. I've only received one response - an e-mail telling me that one of the case studies I sent her "isn't anything like her situation"

Since then ... she's no longer on IM. She doesn't answer e-mail. Yesterday I could leave phone messages ... today her phone just says "this number is no longer receiving calls". I guess she was getting push back from more people who care about her than just I ... and decided to cover her ears and shout "I'm not listening!"

I guess this is how people feel when someone they know joins a cult.

Ah well ... she was a social friend, and not someone I've been intimate with, or a family member. I've done what I can. If I get a call from Ghana asking for ransom money, I'll have to say "sorry", since I can't bring myself to subsidize that combination of stupid and evil. I will add info as I get any.

Posted: Tue Jul 01, 2008 4:02 pm

^^Are you in touch with any of her other friends or family members? That may be another way to reach her. I can understand your frustration, but if there is anything left to try, you could be saving her life.

Posted: Tue Jul 01, 2008 8:48 pm

bump

Posted: Tue Jul 01, 2008 9:49 pm

I am extremely saddened and concerned if your friend is on that flight to Ghana. Perhaps she will come to her senses while in Ghana. If she doesn't cease contact with him, he is going to bleed her dry financially and, worse, emotionally and spiritually. I am normally an optimistic person, but I severely doubt the final outcome will be good. Sad

Leghorn, you've done about all that you can. None of this is on you and you should not feel guilty or responsible in any way. All we can do is hope and pray she gets out of this mess with the least amount of pain and suffering.

Do you know where or how they met? If he still has an active profile somewhere, I would like to see if he would bite on another opportunity.

Posted: Tue Jul 01, 2008 9:57 pm

Have at it!

http://en.netlog.com/kingbee24

Elite Baiter Joined: 11 Jul 2007 Posts: 1979

He's bi-sexual??? Does she know this?? Blecch!

Posted: Tue Jul 01, 2008 10:59 pm

What can you say? People have been run over by freight trains with less warning than this...

Posted: Tue Jul 01, 2008 11:13 pm

Unfortunately I don't see a happy ending. I just hope your friend gets through without to much damage. It all screams scammer. When is her ETA ?
I wonder if Mr wonderful will be at the airport or two thugs will escort her to his hotel room.

Master Baiter Joined: 18 Nov 2007 Posts: 192

here is another profile I found when googling
http://waltermera.hi5.com/friend/81954995--ERIC--Profile-html

And according to this one, he is very much in love with Deanna and their three children
http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=119307117

This is the same guy right?

Posted: Wed Jul 02, 2008 12:55 am

Yep - that's him.

The more I read on him, the less I fear for my friends safety ... and more for her wallet. Looks like he's quite the lothario - lol. Less a scammer than a one-man lonely hearts club for lovesick American females?

As such, pending feedback from my friend on her trip, I'm taking some of his personal info back down. He may really be intending to show her the time of her life, and if she drops a few greenbacks on the way, for dubious but not outright fraudulent reasons ... well, a good tour of the country would have cost her at least a couple grand as well.

I'm keeping my fingers crossed, and I'll provide info as it comes available.

Master Baiter Joined: 18 Nov 2007 Posts: 192

He's a scammer, one way or another. Your friend is not safe because he doesn't care about her, only about what he can get from her(money, a US visa, etc). $600 for lodging and $2000 for spending cash...ridiculous. He will take her for as much as he can and break her heart while he's at it. If there's any chance of getting her back home then keep trying! Good Luck.

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