Scammer uses online dating service to target lonely victims

By PAULA BARR
Daily Journal Staff Writer

Published: Monday, November 02, 2009
Updated: Monday, November 2, 2009 7:56 AM CST

Judy called from the East Coast after seeing a story in the Daily Journal.

“I was just shaking,” she said. “The story was about Jack D. Harper, the man who had just scammed me out of $82,000.”

In fact, Judy had just communicated with the scammer the night before. When she read the story, she realized not only was the scammer continuing to use Harper’s name, his scheme was still the same.

Judy first connected with Harper after her divorce, when she thought it might be fun to check out Match.com. “I had been married 26 years, and I’d never been on one of these Web sites,” she said. “I hadn’t heard much about scammers.”

In December, someone “winked” at her, indicating the person wanted to chat with her.

“I ignored him,” she recalled. “But the second time, I winked back so we could start chatting. I read his bio and he looked fine.”

She checked Harper’s photo and thought he was handsome. As they chatted back and forth, she learned he was a businessman who was currently attending a meeting in Germany. He came on to her romantically. She was flirting, but wasn’t looking for a serious relationship. She thought they were friends.

Harper said he wanted to meet her at Christmas, but first he had to wrap up some business in Africa. He e-mailed her, saying he just finished paying off workers for the work they had done on a bridge in West Africa.

That is when the problems started.

In order for Harper to leave the country, he had to have $700 to show he was not indigent. Darn the luck, he had just spent all his cash on the salaries!

Harper asked her to lend him the money and promised he would pay her back when he arrived at the airport.

Judy now admits she was naive and far too trusting. But she is a goodhearted person who helps others in need. The divorce settlement had left her with a large sum of money, so she had the money to help him out. She believed him. She sent him the money.

But bad luck had struck Harper and was going to stay. One problem after another happened when he tried to meet immigration requirements. Then he had a business problem that required more money. Apparently the stress took a toll on his health, because he needed money for medical care.

“Hindsight is 20-20,” she admitted. “There was always an excuse why he needed the money. I kept saying, This is a loan, right?’ and he kept saying ‘Yes, I’ll pay you back.’”

To back his story, Harper had his “doctor” and “lawyer” call her to explain his medical and business problems. They had thick accents, which she assumed were from African dialects. She later discovered Harper was a Nigerian, and most likely posed as the professionals on the phone.

As the months passed, the amounts moved from hundreds into thousands. He would always break down the cost with plausible reasons. At one point, he sent her a check for $300,000, made out to himself. He explained that he would cash the check when he returned and would use the cash to pay everything he owed her. He sent documents (fraudulent ones) that seemed to back his stories.

His last successful request, made in August was for $19,000. That wiped out the divorce settlement.

But Harper’s problems continued. He was so broke, he could not afford to eat and was starving. He spent 20 minutes trying to convince her that she could see him on the Web cam. All she could see was a shadow, but he insisted he could see himself clearly.

He needed the $19,000 to survive, he insisted.

“I’m totally broke,” Judy told him on the phone. “That was the last money I had from my settlement.”

“Can’t you borrow money?” he responded. “I’m suffering from malnutrition.”

“No, I’m not going to do that.”

Then his tone changed.

“Well, what you won’t do, some other woman will.”

When he threatened to kill her, she just laughed. By then, those nagging doubts in the back of her mind had overcome her generous nature. It was too late to save her settlement and she had learned a very hard lesson, but Judy was done falling for his stories.

“I was naive and gullible at first, but I’m wising up,” she said. “These guys look for people who are at a lonely spot in their lives. We, in America, are very giving and we’re compassionate when people are in need, especially in other countries. They know that.”

Judy had kept hard copies of all their correspondence. She called a private investigator, hoping to track down Harper and get at least some of her money back. The investigator said nothing could be done.

She learned how to identify the IP address of Harper’s e-mails, which told her where his e-mails originated. She located the real Jack Harper, whose identity the scammer had stolen. She continued to respond to Harper’s e-mails in case she can pick up clues that could someday lead to his arrest. Somehow, he has had a reversal of fortune, because his latest e-mail explained that he was heading for England.

Judy is embarrassed about falling for the scammer’s lies, and asked that she not be identified. But she would like to prevent others from becoming victims if she can.

“It’s better to meet someone in person, not online,” she has decided. “Do more research. Don’t be too trusting.”

Requests for money should be a “red flag” of warning when it comes from someone you do not know well. Although scammers also victimize people in person, be wary of claims made on the Internet. People can claim anything online, because it is much easier to hide the truth when you are hiding behind a computer screen.

The Daily Journal has made a commitment to keep readers abreast of scams that hit our area. If someone tries to make you the victim of a scam, call us at 431-2010 and tell us what happened. We will include your story in our scam alert series to prepare others who may find themselves in the same situation. The Daily Journal will run Scam Alert stories in the paper every Monday.

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