Dr Phil: Is My Wife Real or a Nigerian Love Scam?
Dr Phil dusted off a familiar theme for an episode about catfishing, which is what happens when a scammer pretends to be someone else online. Sometimes it is done to fulfill an emotional need, but primarily it is a way for con artists to collect money from trusting, aged American strangers.
That’s how Dr Phil met Steve, a 53-year-old who has sent more than $100,000 to Kelly, a woman he met through a dating website and to whom he insists he is married in her home country of Nigeria. However, his sister Tammy and niece Kidist have heard of the Internet before and are pretty sure that Steve would have been better off setting his cash on fire.
Dr Phil: Nigerian Marriage Certificate Over the Internet?
Dr Phil helped another lost soul get to the bottom of a Nigerian Internet romance scam. Why did a businessman wire more than $130,000 overseas for love? (karen roach / Shutterstock.com)
Apparently Steve is made of money, because he claimed that he works with international clients and stands to make millions through some inheritance deals he has been working on. Until that big payday, Steve has paid $135,000 in expenses for some of his clients. But most of that — in fact, $103,000 — has gone to a single client, Kelly.
Steve met Kelly online in 2012, and she claimed to be an American woman stuck in Nigeria while trying to collect a multimillion-dollar inheritance from her parents. The couple has a go-between, James, who is supposedly Kelly’s attorney. In reality, they have only talked on the phone a few times over the years, but Steve thinks they are meant for each other and paid for Kelly to get them a Nigerian marriage certificate.
Dr Phil: Scammed For Years…Is It Love?
Tammy and Kidist told Dr Phil’s team that this is not even the first time Steve has been scammed. I guess he doesn’t learn his lesson the first time. As Tammy correctly pointed out, Kelly could very well be some strange man in Nigeria working on a computer. It sounds like in the case of Steve, it is easy money for Kelly.
Steve sees the fact he Steve has let himself be manipulated for 29 months as evidence that Kelly is totally real and they are definitely in love. Apparently he has never heard of the long con. Even a well-dressed older woman in the audience was incredulous at Steve’s naivete.
Dr Phil: Moneygram Internet Romance Scam
Dr Phil went into his bag of tricks and recommended giving Kelly a call. But when they did, Kelly couldn’t come to the phone, even though she is apparently living with the male attorney who is helping her. What exactly is Steve’s contribution to Kelly’s supposed legal situation, other than financial? Kelly couldn’t come to the phone, because she does not exist.
Steve sends hundreds of dollars per week to his clients through MoneyGram. Do legitimate businesses conduct their wire transactions in grocery stores? Steve sent more than $800 to South Africa and Nigeria as an errand during his time with Dr Phil’s production team, calling it “a goal and a purpose.” His odds of a return would be slightly better if he were gambling all this money away.
Dr Phil: Inheritance Consultant Cashes Bogus Check
Dr Phil talked about a police report from February 2014. Guess what? Steve got paid for one of his inheritance deals. But when he tried to cash a $32,000 check from the United States Treasury, the bank found it to be fraudulent. It sounds like this guy has made a career out of participating in scam emails that have been going around for decades.
Now Steve is on probation for attempting to cash a bogus check. Dr Phil did some math, finding that he has spent a total of nearly $139,000 sending money to at least four clients since 2012. I guess my big question is whether he has made any money. If not, what makes him think he will ever see a dime?
Dr Phil: Why Didn’t Kelly Visit Steve During Her U.S. Trip?
Kelly supposedly attended nursing school in North Dakota, but Dr Phil’s research team concluded that she is not currently and never has been enrolled at the state’s biggest nursing school. But researchers did find nine international addresses for Kelly’s pseudonym, including five in the U.S.
What about the time Kelly visited the United States? She made a trip to North Dakota, but Steve did not have the chance to meet up with her. Dr Phil sounded like he was losing his patience with Steve’s innocence. He got sheepish when Dr Phil pressed him about why they did not make plans. Later, Dr Phil revealed that the email claiming Kelly was in North Dakota was sent from Nigeria.
Dr Phil: How To Avoid Being Scammed Online
Hopefully Dr Phil’s revelations would be enough to get Steve to snap out of it and find a better way to spend his time and money. You can also take steps to avoid being scammed when chatting with strangers online. Internet dating sites are more popular than ever, but you should still take precautions to protect yourself.
Watch out for anyone who claims to be in the modeling industry, because they have probably just stolen someone else’s photos from the Internet to use as part of a scam.
If your new love interest does not or will not send current pictures or agree to requests for video chat, they could be trying to conceal their true identity. Take precautions and always think before sending strangers money or sensitive personal information.
Catfish-style scam artists are great at having emergencies. Car accidents, serious illness, hospital stays, operations, and family deaths are all common excuses for avoiding phone calls or in-person meetings because they deflect attention and suspicion.
Does your new Internet boyfriend or girlfriend have a Facebook page? Does this person have a limited number of friends, most of whom are not tagged in their photos? That is a red flag.
Is the new love of your life begging you to send money via Western Union or MoneyGram on a regular basis? This is usually not a good idea, because there is no way to trace the money once it has been delivered into the hands of the person who is stealing from you.
If it’s too good to be true, it probably is. Why are baby boomers so intent on blowing fortunes taking care of strangers? There are certainly better uses for that money than propping up Nigeria’s burgeoning online scam industry.
Jay says
I hope Dr. Phil told Steve, and the audience, that people can always contact the U.S. Embassy or Consulate in Nigeria or elsewhere and ask for help. We’re here to assist Americans in trouble… and it’s a matter of minutes for us to find out if there’s ever been a passport issued to the “American overseas.”