Online'Dating' scam issues - all is not what it seems (Or?)

[jadegil6]

Ohio???? Lots of lions, tigers, and bears running wild there today.
News: Schools have been closed and residents have been urged to stay home in Zanesville, Ohio Wednesday because there are wild, exotic animals on the loose. After the fence on a private, exotic game preserve was left open Tuesday, most of the 48 animals ... escaped. Neighbors of the park called the cops when they looked out their window and saw lions, tigers, and bears (oh my) wandering down the street, acting as if they owned the place. The Zanesville's Sheriff says the curious animals are "very big, mature, and aggressive" and has sent police armed with assault rifles to survey the area.

The animals have occupied Zanesville.

It gets even weirder. When police arrived at the preserve, they found the owner of the property lying dead, surrounded by some of his inquisitive beasts who, by the way, haven't been fed since Monday. As of now, over 30 of the curious animals have been shot and killed by the police who are trying to contain what officials are calling a "bad situation" that's only getting worse.

Besides the lions and bears, there are also cheetahs, giraffes, tigers, wolves, and camels on the loose. Evidently, Ohio has very lenient exotic pet laws (and has the highest incidents of death caused by them), but that might change after this fiasco. There are hungry animals who can eat people roaming the Zanesville streets for crying out loud. The small town 55 miles outside of Columbus has been turned into a wild game park as police in pickup trucks with rifles are riding around looking for the escaped animals.

[jadegil6]

A seasoned identity thief in Los Angeles was brought to justice with the help of social networking and the United States Postal Service. 40-year-old Robert Delgado was on parole for a previous identity theft case when investigators began tracking his activities earlier this year, and he will now spend at least the next 30 years in prison.

A U.S. Postal Inspector first began investigating Delgado after a customer came forth with evidence that someone was opening fraudulent accounts in his name, causing his mail to be suspended. After some internet sleuthing — which included obtaining Delgado's mobile phone number via an unsecured Facebook page — the Postal Service was able to track the criminal's movements via GPS and monitor what retailers he was visiting.

Investigators discovered that Delgado was making fraudulent purchases all over town, and were able to secure a search warrant for his residence. During the raid, identity information of over 300,000 was found on the suspect's computer. Detectives still aren't sure where he obtained such a wealth of personal data, but they are working to determine its origin.

Delgado subsequently plead guilty and was sentenced to his prison term on October 24. In addition to being 70 by the time he walks free, he will receive an added 5 years of strict supervision following his prison term.

[abufarsi]

And now a toot from the peanut gallery,

I have had my credit cards used, fraudulently, 2 times. And both times it cost me NOTHING but waiting for a new credit card in the mail. The people who pay (or are ripped off) are the shop keepers, as if it is a fraudulent charge, the credit card company asks if they saw the card (yes or no) checked his ID (yes or no) and depending on the answer determine if it is a "real" charge or not. IF they can't determine for sure, they just take the money back and tell the store to collect another way with the information they gathered when the card was presented.

I will note that one time I got a call from my credit card provider, asking if I bought that TV in China... was after I used that credit card buying lunch in a Taiwan airport.

[jadegil6]

I got charges against my card in 1997 while I was working in Anaheim, California. I had stopped at a gas station, and the clerk had taken my card to swipe it, and later I had several charges against it from that same gas station. The credit card company refunded those overcharges to me. It can happen to any of us at any time, but we can't spend out lives living in fear of becoming a victim.

[Edwin]

I have been a victim of fraudulent credit card charges several times over the years, starting in 1986, but the credit card companies have always made it right with me, and then they have gone after whoever committed the fraud. I have never been left with the problem, so I don't worry about it.

[stanley]

Guys, I want to warn you that do not trust fully whom you interact over the internet. Many women online are married and just making money to support their children. Many of them have filipino boyfriend and who knows, you are one of their targets to make money.

[Edwin]

I like to believe that everyone is honest and will treat you right. I will bet that a greater percentage of the young ladies from jaderune.com are honest. As soon as Sir Michael finds out they are not for real they are kicked on the forum. If you have a bad experience you send proof to Sir Michael and he will deal with it. I know a few on here that I believe are as honest as the day is long. This is a Christian site with most of the people having religious convictions that prohit them from being dishonest. It is good to be cautious; wise as serpents and harmless as doves, but it is wrong to be suspicious of everyone on a dating site. Getting to know the person in their setting I think is important. If they seem too good to be true, they probably are not true. I know some have used detectives to check up on people. Some they have found to be true, while others have been found to be scammers, but don't throw out the baby with the wash. Give them a chance, and a lot of times there will be flags that will let you know if you pay attention to them. It can happen both ways. The Western guy can take advantage of the lady, and the lady can deceive the guy. Looking to the Lord for guidance, taking time, seeing the person in her setting, and being careful, taking precautions are all important.

[youngj]

I have read that people who smoke too much marijuana get very paranoid. Maybe that is the problem with stanley. I checked his email address and found chuck_nores@rocketmail.com

I entered that into the facebook search box, and was really surprised what I found. lol

It's Ok Mr stanley...we all still love you.

[jadegil6]

In defense of stanley I will agree that there are many people who are using the internet and especially international dating sites to perpetuate different types of scams on people. There are women who find lonely men to "play" them in order to get money and gifts from them. There are men who search for lonely women to "play" them for hopes of using them for their sexual pleasure when they go on vacation. There are men who pose as women to lure foreign men to send them money. So finding some agency to do a background check might find the men posing as women, but it is unlikely to discover what the true intentions of the others might be. How could a background check discover what lies hidden inside a person's mind or their heart? But it could discover if a person is married. I have two filipina friends who have had their hopes smashed because their online boyfriends turned out to be married men who were bored, and looking for something to do by flirting with, and lying to women online. Thankfully, neither of those ladies met those guys through jaderune, although it could happen.
My advice is to advise people to get to know each other through communication, and to avoid any online commitments before or until they have gotten to know each other for an extended period of time, and met each other in person. With today's technology, such as Yahoo Messenger Video Cam and Skype (both of which are free programs), couples can see one another on live video chat, and that should rule out most of the men-posing-as-women problems. But if you're a lady there is no technology that is going to guarantee you that he is not "playing" you for his sex vacation, or if you are a gentleman that she is not "playing" you to get you to send her money. Those things will probably come into focus over time through continued communication and observation of behaviors, comments, and answers to your questions.
As Sir Edwin has mentioned, I will look into any complaints which are made to me, but there is little I can do to prevent someone from attempting to USE another. And whatever my response may be, it will come too late to protect the victim, because the harm will already have been done. So please be cautious, and please use common sense, and don't fall in love (easier said than done) without extended communications, and meeting in person.

[Edwin]

"There are women who find lonely men to "play" them in order to get money and gifts from them. There are men who search for lonely women to "play" them for hopes of using them for their sexual pleasure when they go on vacation."

Both of these are sad sceneriors. When my friend's filipina wife was dating she said that the last thing she would do was ask for gifts or money, because she did not want to be labeled in that category, and many filipinas have that same mine set, that they will not put themselves in a position to even be suspected of being a scammer, and that is really noble on their part, even when they sometimes have great need. I know there are times that mean will play the women for a sexual vacation. This is what some of the ladies mean when they say please don't love me for fun, because it is not nice! I think these temptations are out there, but it is not worth it to do things like that, but some people do it anyway.

Moses in the old testiment chose to go with his people rather than enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season. I was born, dedicated to God, and lived all my life going to church, so I never viewed sin as being a pleasure, but when I was pastoring an older person in my congregation talked about there being pleasures in living a sinful life, and I thought about that, and yes there are pleasures in living in sin, but why would anyone chose to live in sin. The Kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness, joy, and peace in the Holy Ghost. There is no peace in sinful living, so why bother with it.

The young lady should want to do what it right and gain something wonderful, and the man should want to do right and gain the same. I know not everyone sees it that way, but there are rewards from serving God and doing what is right and proper.

"So please be cautious, and please use common sense, and don't fall in love (easier said than done) without extended communications, and meeting in person."

Nothing ventured, nothing gained, so we have to take chances, and yes we may get burned, but there is always recovery, hopefully without too much damage. Be cautious, take time, have lots of communication, use common sense, watch for the red flags, and look to the Lord for guidance.