Online romance scams often begin with friendly conversations, frequent messages and promises of love or a future together. Once trust has been established, the person may introduce a financial emergency, request money or ask the victim to process checks or transfer funds.
The following profiles were reported to Ripandscam by individuals who believed they had encountered suspicious or fraudulent online activity. The names, photographs, locations and contact details used in these profiles may belong to innocent people whose identities were stolen.
Scammer 1: David White
Full profile:
https://www.ripandscam.com/scammers-david-white-10409.php
Report:
This report concerns an online profile using the name David White. The profile reportedly used the email addresses davwhites@outlook.com, librecoeur88@gmail.com and johnluther061@gmail.com and claimed to be connected with Lagos, Nigeria.
According to a report submitted by Patricia from the United States, the contact developed into a romance scam that left her owing her bank approximately $13,900.
The person allegedly claimed that he was working on a contract in Europe but had run out of money before the work could be completed. He persuaded the victim to deposit two checks into her personal bank account and wait until the funds appeared to be available.
The victim then withdrew the money and sent it to him, believing that the checks were genuine.
Approximately two weeks later, the deposits were reversed after the issuing bank reportedly rejected the checks. This left the victim responsible for repaying the withdrawn amount to her own bank.
The victim stated that the person knew she lived on Social Security and had limited financial resources. Despite the serious financial loss, he allegedly continued trying to contact her and maintain conversations.
The profile was also associated with several other identities, including Patrick Jean, Amos Kraus, Frank Demeilles, Frederick Bousquet, David Pedro, Marc, Francois, Edward Donald, John Luther and Kingsley Cipher Xtien.
The victim also believed that the photographs used by the profile belonged to an innocent individual whose identity had been stolen.
This case shows an important warning sign associated with romance scams: a victim may be asked to deposit checks, withdraw the temporarily available funds and transfer the money elsewhere. When the checks are later identified as fraudulent, the victim remains responsible for the entire amount.
Scammer 2: William Ian Granth
Full profile:
https://www.ripandscam.com/scammers-william_Ian-granth-10410.php
Report:
This report concerns an online profile using the name William Ian Granth. The profile reportedly used the email address granthwilliam@yahoo.com and claimed to be connected with Lagos, Nigeria.
According to a report submitted by Nancy from the United States, the contact began when the person sent her an unexpected friend request on Facebook.
After she accepted the request, he reportedly began messaging her frequently. The regular communication started within the first few days and appeared designed to establish familiarity and trust.
The person later claimed that his Facebook account had been hacked and asked Nancy to continue communicating with him through Viber.
Moving a conversation away from the original social-media platform can be a warning sign. It may allow a suspicious user to avoid the platform’s monitoring tools, reporting system or account restrictions.
The profile reportedly presented the person as British. However, Nancy noticed that he did not use British slang or expressions during their conversations.
She also stated that his accent did not appear consistent with the identity he claimed to have. According to her report, the accent was so pronounced that she found it difficult to understand him during phone conversations.
These inconsistencies raised concerns that the person may have been using a false identity. Differences involving nationality, accent, language style and personal history are common warning signs in online romance scams.
The profile was also connected with the alternate name Jayden James and several variations of the names William and James.
Important notice: These reports are based on information submitted by users. Names, photographs, locations and contact details may have been stolen or falsely used by another person.