scamwarners thread,please help identify these photos

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Posted: Wed May 18, 2011 10:31 pm

They don't show up on tineye but seem very familiar. Anyone?

The scammer is using these pics and the name William Rahl Carter, an American General working for the Ghanese army, stationed in the army compound in Accra.

He says he is 53 years old from Kentucky, an American General, who has been trained in Italy and has served in Iraque. He was married to a Ghanese woman who tried to poison him, from her he has a daughter named Hershey.

He is using these email addresses:

[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]

He says he is 6.8 feet tall!!!

http://www.scamwarners.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=26&t=18688

Posted: Thu May 19, 2011 12:48 am

^^ I read the thread over in scamwarners you posted. This man claims to have been in the US military but was promoted while he was in the Ghanian military. That makes no sense. Also the pic of him sitting at a small table was the inside of an RV (recreational vehicle), which appears to be an American made RV.

Posted: Thu May 19, 2011 1:09 am

Probably already thought of this but did you run them through http://scamdigger.com/ ?

Posted: Thu May 19, 2011 1:36 am

Oh, this is bad.

What there is in the RV picture points to a US location, the view outside shows an American style motor home and a rather rambling garden with no clear fence. There's not much else to pin things on except George Washington's statue. Normally I look for electrical outlets, numberplates, street furniture etc but there's not a lot visible in these.

Timestamps in EXIF data prove very little. My camera can be set to any time or date and will timestamp accordingly. It does so willy nilly because it's old and the batteries go off, and the clock resets itself.

I agree that the guy in the pictures is probably entirely uninvolved. Most likely the scammer has got in somone's mailbox or had a prior victim send him pictures ... like he did this one ... and is just recycling them. This victim's family shots will probably turn up as supporting evidence for a future scam.

The only thing I can think of to do is the proof-of-life photo, as suggested in Scamwarners - If not in uniform, then get the good General to appear in a photograph holding something VERY specific, like a tin of sardines, or three table forks at once. Accept no substitutes. For anyone telling the truth, this will be very easy. If lying, completely impossible.

I can't think of anything else I can do to help, and it boils my piss.

Posted: Thu May 19, 2011 1:53 am

bravo95 wrote:

Probably already thought of this but did you run them through http://scamdigger.com/ ?

Yes, and unfortunately no hits either.
This seems to be just a normal life person whose pictures had been stolen from the first random gallery that clever scammer might have come across Sad

People who cannot yet intellectually grasp the IP-concept of scammer proof would more instinctly and easily be won over by the more obvious "oh, damn, so many scammers have already stolen and used this man´s pictures?" wakeup shout. Sad

Posted: Thu May 19, 2011 5:20 am

Please read the thread over at SW - it is extremely important to combine our ideas to help identify this scammer; the situation is rather desperate.

Posted: Thu May 19, 2011 8:44 am

The George Washington photo is from the new Madame Tussauds wax exhibit in Washington DC in case this helps somehow. (unfortunately I only found photos of other people posing with the wax george).

Posted: Thu May 19, 2011 11:24 am

Not sure if it's just me, but something doesn't 'feel' right about the picture with the camper out the window. Hard to explain but to me it looks a little artificial - somehow that the perspective is slightly off, and that the image is too sharp (esp. in contrast to the curtain top) considering the object is outside through a window.

Combining this with the fact there was obviously a flash on the camera (see dog's shadow), I can't help but feel that Camper has been added to the picture - see Error Level analysis which also shows a discoloration in that area.

Not sure how this helps, or even if I'm completely mistaken. It was just bugging me... Maybe if there's any slight pointer that can show his pictures have been manipulated then it might help convince the victim

Posted: Thu May 19, 2011 12:22 pm

Not sure, it looks off because the hard white PVC window under flash conditions contasts with the somewhat overcast conditions outside and looks like a hard crop line - small camera flashes wouldn't show on the distant camper van. Metering the flash to hit the camper would have blazed out all the foreground detail. Not to say you shouldn't try to persuade the victim of this, as the scammer is probably in no position to dispute it by providing fresh photos. Any port in a storm.

Posted: Thu May 19, 2011 1:02 pm

I think I may have found the man in the pictures:

http://www.facebook.com/people/Bill-Hight/520134639

I googled "con-way" and "tussaud". Think it's him? His profile is not public.

Posted: Thu May 19, 2011 1:09 pm

I think it's definitely him. Scamwarners need to contact him to confirm the theft of the pictures. I'd do it but I think I'd be a bit ham-fisted at this and I'd rather this came off right first time.

Good hunting there Wink

Posted: Thu May 19, 2011 1:14 pm

I can't log in at SW for some reason. Here he is at Myspace.
http://www.myspace.com/109832811

Bill Hight appears to be from Portland, Oregon.

Edit: And at Friendster
http://profiles.friendster.com/56620115

Posted: Thu May 19, 2011 1:29 pm

hmm

regardless, he could help us. Concievably this could be over today.

Posted: Thu May 19, 2011 2:05 pm

Well done all! jump_4_joy

Posted: Thu May 19, 2011 2:23 pm

^^^Thanks for posting, Jeanette. Would you mind copying the actual links into your SW post when you get a chance?

I hope this helps the OP convince his or her mom.

Posted: Thu May 19, 2011 2:26 pm

I did it ten minutes ago Razz

Posted: Thu May 19, 2011 3:40 pm

Well played - great detective work. I was trying this afternoon and was stumped. It's definitely him Very Happy

Posted: Thu May 19, 2011 4:18 pm

That's awesome!!!

Thanks very much to all or you!

jump_4_joy

Posted: Thu May 19, 2011 4:19 pm

Read the victim's reaction here:
http://www.scamwarners.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=26&t=18688&start=30

Posted: Thu May 19, 2011 5:45 pm

Wonderful work bohigal Thumbs up

Posted: Thu May 19, 2011 6:16 pm

Bohigal, fabulous work. Twisted Evil

From the thread over at scamwarners:

Quote:

He says he is 53 years old from Kentucky, an American General, who has been trained in Italy and has served in Iraque. He was married to a Ghanese woman who tried to poison him, from her he has a daughter named Hershey.

Hershey?

Anyway, the phrase:
"I truly believe that God Himself brought you down from the glorious heavens above to be forever my angel. There is nothing in this world that I wouldn't do for you."
comes from here http://forums.doghouseboxing.com/index.php?showtopic=65770&st=12

The phrase:
"please accept my heart as your own and listen to both of ours beating as one. You are my reason to live. Without you I'm nothing. The years will be a test, but nothing will keep me from loving you, or from being by your side."
comes from here
http://www.poemslovers.com/love_letters/long_distance/letters/114.html

The phrase
"When I think of you, my heart is so full of love and passion for you that I can hardly contain myself."
comes from
http://www.lovingyou.com/content/inspiration/loveletters-content.php?ID=416

The fact is, the General shows a huge gap in his English usage when not mining quotes to cobble together in his love letters.
I hope the victim's daughter has enough to convince her mother.
Has she considered emailing the US Army and asking for a photo of the real General?
I've read over the thread at scamwarners and see Fartina had the same idea as did I.
However, I find using smaller phrases brings out the sliminess of the multiple sourced love letters. Evil or Very Mad

About tineye- has anyone tried reversing the photos?
All the best for this faithful daughter.
How is the scammed uncle doing? €80,000 buys a lot of Zubrowka.
edited to fix the links Embarassed

Posted: Thu May 19, 2011 7:05 pm

Great work Bo! Glad you play for the good guys Cool

Very sad story over at SW hope this helps her see the light.

Posted: Thu May 19, 2011 7:11 pm

I googled General William Rahl Carter had only came up with this reference-
http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=F30C11FE3D5C16738DDDAF0A94D9415B808DF1D3

from 1910.

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