Single father tried to get money from me

by JF
(Central America)

I'm subscribed to a traveling social network, to register your trips and get advise to improve your visits.

So at the beggining I was notified when somebody was planning to visit my country. Also I was asked for recommendations on what to do at the places I have been to. Then I got friendship requets and started to chat with friends all over the world.

To that point it was prety OK. Then one day a man sent a message claming to be a Californian single father, working for the US Government. He also told me that he went through a lot of pain in his relationship with the mother of his child and for a long time didn't trust anyone.

But when he checked out my profile he liked it and wanted to meet me. Of course he was always expressing the love for his child. Any single woman would fall for that, like flies to honey. So we started a friendship. At the beginning we were on very normal terms. One day all of a sudden he told me he was "In love with me" hmmmm...first alarm. I was curious about what he would say next. He asked for my phone number, and also gave me his. We exchanged some calls and he seemed upset when I didnt answer right away or when I didnt call him when he asked me to.

He informed me he was traveling to Africa, so I wished him farewell. We continued the comunication and he was telling me about the trip. One day a sad face was on his chat and I asked him why. He told me his litle boy was sick. I told him to take him to the doctor. He told me that the litle boy had a heart condition and he had run out of medicine, and that he hadn't got his salary yet and he asked me to send him $700.00. Would you belive that?

I told him to go to the nearest American Embassy to get help. He was mad at me, telling me that the life of "our child" was in danger and that I was the only person in the world who could save him. Would you belive that????

I stop comunicating with him. These scammers have the time to evaluate their victims. And he was aware of my traveling record so he thought that I can give that kind of money. Well, he was wrong, and he could not get a dime out of me.

I realize the scammers work on you to increase the confidence betwen you and them, and they are skilled in the Internet and faking phone codes.

Any way, for me it was just a waste of time, cause I wanted to know how far he could go with his "act".

I checked on the Internet the name he gave me and this man Steve***** actually exists, so he might have stolen his identity.

Of course he included many photographs of himself and his litle boy, the sweetest thing in the world....a man with a litle baby can't be more tender and tempting. I share this story to prevent other people becoming victims.

I know social networks can make life fun and easy, just be careful. Dont add unknown people to your circle.