[MUSIC PLAYING]
JIM TUESDAY: The story you're about to see is true.
The names have been changed to protect the innocent.
Monday, 9:15 AM-- it was a wet and cold morning,
and we were working the Lonely Heart Scam Division.
My partner's Tom Council.
My name's Jim Tuesday.
We were meeting with Jane Pretty, a suspected victim
of another lonely hearts scam, although she didn't know it
yet.
[CRYING]
JANE PRETTY: You just got to help me.
This is my boyfriend, Tim Burns.
He and his 14-year-old Libby, they're stranded in London,
and they desperately need your help.
Please.
You see, we met on Making Matches Match.com
about seven months ago.
And we just connected.
And we started this beautiful long-distance relationship.
And we decided it was time to meet.
So we thought that if we met face to face, then
we'd probably get married.
But first Tim had to take this trip to London.
And that's when everything went wrong.
And you know, he's such a-- he's such a wonderful person.
And his emails are so beautiful.
I mean, you just can't believe the kind-- the kind of man
he is.
He's, he really needs help.
JIM TUESDAY: Just the facts, ma'am.
TOM COUNCIL: It's just so hard.
While he was in London, he, he was robbed.
And, and during the robbery, he was stabbed really badly.
And they took him to the hospital.
And, and now they won't let him go until he pays the bill.
And it's $6,000.
But they're demanding that it be paid in full.
He wrote me this email.
He told me that-- that they won't let
him go until he pays $6,000.
And, and then this, this Dr. Murray
called me and he confirmed, yes, they
had to have the money up front.
So I was-- I wanted to help out.
And I sent him all I could afford.
I sent him $3,000.
But, you know, I'm just so worried about him.
I know he's being taken care of in the hospital.
But, you know, his, his daughter's only 14.
And she's in the hotel all by herself.
She doesn't have any money.
And when Tim emailed me from the hospital,
he said that they've confiscated her passport.
And they won't give it back to her
until he pays all the money, and he can get out of the hospital,
and pay the hotel bill.
And it's just-- [SIGHS] you know, it's just,
it's so much to handle right now.
I don't know what to do.
And he needs help.
Please, you just got to help me.
Please.
JIM TUESDAY: You mentioned speaking
with a doctor over the phone.
Did he give you a number to contact him on?
And what was his name again?
JANE PRETTY: It was Doctor John Murray.
Here you go.
There's his telephone number.
TOM COUNCIL: I'm sorry to tell you this, ma'am.
I think you're the victim of an elaborate scam
to get money from you.
You see, Miss Pretty, these guys know that the internet
is the perfect place to hide.
They'll get an attractive photograph,
often from a catalog or other website,
and then enter dating sites or web chat rooms.
They'll spend weeks, sometimes years, forming a relationship
and flattering the person with sweet nothings.
Then, tragedy strikes-- a car accident,
a mugging, a hospitalization-- perhaps
a person's been arrested or detained at the airport.
But one thing is always the same--
they need financial help.
We've seen too many people get scammed out of 100s,
sometimes 1,000s of dollars.
I tell you, what gets me is that it's always
the kind, generous, intelligent people like yourself who
fall into these relationships.
JANE PRETTY: But I don't understand.
We've been dating for seven months.
How could this be?
JIM TUESDAY: I know it's hard to believe you've
been lied to all this time.
But unfortunately, we see this kind of thing day in
and day out.
You're not the first one to be conned by these romance scams.
JANE PRETTY: It's $3,000.
You've just got to help me.
JIM TUESDAY: I'm sorry, ma'am.
As much as we'd like to nail these guys,
there isn't very much we can do to apprehend them.
You should report this to the FBI.
But even if they catch the perps,
it's unlikely you're going to get your money back.
I'm sorry.
The authorities were unable to apprehend
the criminal involved in the lonely heart
scam of Jane Pretty.
Her money was never recovered.
CONSUL GENERAL DERWOOD STAEBEN: Hi, I'm
Derwood Staeben, the Consul General of the American
Embassy in London.
The scene that you have just watched is a dramatization.
However, every day we receive phone calls and emails
from American citizens who are the victims of internet scams.
Many of them have been defrauded out of 100s,
sometimes 1,000s of dollars.
Unfortunately, these scammers are rarely ever caught.
And the money sent is almost never returned.
The majority of these internet scams have a lot in common.
Here are some of the key indicators
that you may be the intended victim of an internet scam.
Some key indicators that you may be a victim of a scam
are-- the scammer and victim meet online, often
through a dating service or internet chat room.
The photographs of the scammer are very attractive,
and look like they've been professionally taken.
After corresponding for an extended period of time
and gaining your trust, the scammer
will suddenly have horribly bad luck.
They will then ask for money or assistance
to get them out of trouble.
Some scammers tell the victims that a hospital, airport,
or even the US Embassy is holding them
until they pay a bill or a fee.
If someone claiming to be a doctor, police officer,
immigration official, or other public service representative
contacts you, they should not be asking you
for money over the phone or by email.
The scammer will often claim to have been born and raised
in the US, but will use grammar and spelling
indicative of a non-native English speaker.
You should always be suspicious of someone
asking you for money, especially if you have never
met them in person before.
There are also several types of scams
that we are contacted about every day.
Here are some that you should be aware of-- hospitalized
and needs money for medical help,
the hotel won't release their passports
until a bill is paid, robbed and needs money
to get home to the United States, detained at airport
and needs funds for travel or to pay a fee, fine or customs
duties, lottery and inheritance scams, hacked Facebook or email
scams, adoption scams, stock and bond scams.
For more tips on avoiding scams and how to report them,
please refer to our website.
And remember, if you know of an American citizen in need
of help overseas, have them contact the nearest US embassy
or consulate for urgent assistance.
Thank you.
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