I am a very savvy researcher and quite aware of scams online. I know
the Internet is filled with lies, truth, and in-between. So, many times,
I
verify what I come across. I had read about online romance scams, but
felt, surely, I would be able to detect it. That was partially true,
but not before I had sent money to someone I had never met on a popular
online romance site. In fact, I seldom ever use these sites, but in this
instance, I casually created a profile, not expecting anything to
happen. Then it did.
A person called Cinderellabunch contacted me through the
romance site. She was interested. We exchanged a few texts via the
online romance site but she quickly wanted me to download a free text
app called, WhatsApp. Many use this to chat with, so texting
was much quicker and easier. So far, it was very casual conversation and
could last hours. Eventually, I asked her what her real name was, she
said, Chelsea Boamah, but also used Chelsea Ford for legal documents. I
asked for proof and she send an image of her US passport. I pressed her
about the Ford last name, she said it was after her father. Knowing
about scams, I was just waiting for a request of money as a sure sign.
None came. We texted each other on and off for days about usual things.
She sent photos of her mom and dad. He was a captain for a cruise line,
which I could not verify. She said she had been living in the UK until
moving to Brooklyn, NY, and by age 5, became a US citizen. She went to
Morris High there. Her parents were both deceased now and she was living
in Rocky Mount, NC. She told me that she had been a model and after the
death of the man she was to marry, stopped modeling since 2012. The
first odd thing was that the cruise line she claimed her dad worked for
was only based in Australia. How did the UK fit into this? She said her
mom was an Australian citizen and was in Poland when she gave birth to
her. Her father was American. I tried calling her many times but only
spoke to her a few times.
Chelsea used photos from Nikki Sims and Ann Angel to attract with.
Both of these women are attractive and each has their own websites, both
are soft-porn "stars". Many scammers have stolen these photos and
created online profiles on dating websites. Ann Angel has a huge catalog
of photos and videos from as far back as 2004 that members to her
website have access to, including the scammer. They simply save the
image and video, edit them, and create a new identity with them like
Chelsea did. Of course, I did not even know who these women were until
it was too late. The scammer might be a man using a stolen passport or
ID, or a woman who used Chelsea's passport for a new identity online.
So, all photos I received were of Ann Angel who I thought was Chelsea. A
few were of Nikki Sims, and I did noticed some facial features were
different and even confronted Chelsea about this. There was a plausible
excuse always.
The texting continued for a week or so, chatting. It was this
frequency that lured me into what I thought might be real. The one thing
I was never asked and is typical when meeting someone is, what did I do
for living? She asked if I was married or divorced, any kids, where I
lived, phone number. All standard things any face to face encounter
does. We exchanged all the standard details. Sex talk was actually
minimal. After the first week, I requested a webcam or Skype call to
verify whom I was talking to was the same as in the photos. She agreed
but we could never get it done. She avoided using her email, probably
because I could actually trace the IP address etc. She avoided sending
me an audio chat that can easily be done with the app used. Yes, I found
this odd, but continued. She said she was looking to marry and have
kids within the next five years, she said I was her "man" and would
never let me go. She called me "babe", "baby", to gain my affection and
trust. Was I suspicious, oh yeah, but thought I could control it, put
the brakes on, if and when money was requested.
I was wrong.
One night she called from a cell phone. I did a reverse lookup and
found out the number was for Goldirocks Jewelry in Oceanside, NY, near
Brooklyn. The call was from Florida at 4 a.m. The store is owned by
Stuart Leibowitz. The number was even on their website. There was no
message. I asked her about this and she said she did not know him and
that she had used a taxicab driver's phone. I suspect this would have
been for money. Was Chelsea and Stuart in on the scam? Maybe. I would
never know.