__Have you met someone online who says that they’re a member of the military? Have they asked you to send gift cards, documents, or money? If so, there’s a good chance that you may be the victim of one of thousands of military scams conducted each and every day. The United States Army Criminal Investigation Command (CID) receives hundreds of reports each month from individuals who have fallen victim to a scam conducted by a cyber criminal impersonating a U.S. Soldier online. __
U.S. military officials warn those involved in online dating with those claiming to be a U.S. military member to use extreme caution. Military Romance Scams are a type of Romance Scam where cyber criminals target singles who use dating websites or other social media platforms, but they are not U.S. soldiers. To carry out this scam, cyber criminals create a phony persona using the identity of a current or former U.S. soldier. They choose a number of appealing photos of the soldier, research their backstory or design one of their own. By using the persona of a U.S. soldier, especially one who can be “verified” online, the cyber criminal gains a level of trust, as someone choosing to risk their life for their country must be a good person, right?
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Using the identity of a soldier, the cyber criminal will express strong emotions toward their victim in a relatively short period of time. They’re likely to move the conversation away from the website where they first met, citing problems with connections or other reasons. In reality, they do this because they know most dating websites offer security features to pinpoint and remove scammers, which would blow their cover.
During this time, the cyber criminal makes it clear to their victim that they’re unable to meet in person because they’re aren’t stationed locally. Video chatting will be off the table due to the reported connection problems and while they may be open to a phone call, they’re likely to have connection problems there as well, further “validating” the spottiness of their connection.
Once they’ve gained the trust of their victim through regular communication and sometimes by sending gifts, the cyber criminal makes their move. This is when they begin requesting help with personal emergencies, transportation costs, communication fees, marriage licensing, processing, or medical fees.
This may be in the form of bank transfers, “moving” money on their behalf, sending gift cards, or providing official documents. They may try to prove the legitimacy of their request by providing documentation “proving” the situation, though it’s important to note that this documentation is falsified. Here is an exampls of such documentation:
Victims of these online military scams often think they are doing a good deed by helping a military member. Instead, they have given their money to a scammer, sometimes losing thousands of dollars, with very low possibility of recovery.
Another scam involving members of the military are Sextortion Scams. In these scams, cyber criminals engage in online sexual activity with unsuspecting service members. Then, they demand money or favors in exchange for not publicizing the potentially embarrassing images, videos, or chat conversations. Military members wishing to preserve their reputation then appease these cyber criminals by doing what they ask, often losing thousands of dollars in the process. Then, when they’re no longer able to fulfil the demands of the cyber criminal, those embarrassing images, videos, or conversations may be made public or the victim may learn that copies of the embarrassing images, videos, or conversations are no longer held by the cyber criminal and that there was never a “need” to give in to the requests from the start.
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There are a number of words and phrases scammers use to hook unsuspecting men and women into relationships. Here are a few examples of a few phrases they might say:
Often, scammers use similar stories to convince others that they have a legitimate need for help. Here are some things that you should know to counteract some of the most common scenarios:
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