Information on romance scams and scammers.
#198190 by funkyluvcat Sun Apr 20, 2014 10:26 pm
This Email sent to me thought something not right.

From: "Frank Gringer" <[email protected]>
To: Removed (BW)
Subject: RE: Hiya,

Xxxxxxx, you must know that I would never take this long to message you intentionally. Nana passed away 3 days ago and I haven't been myself since then. This is the first time I have been on a computer and that includes work related emails. How and why this happened now is beyond my comprehension and to say that I'm mad at the world is an understatement. At the moment I'm in Southampton, her home town, where I have been since Yesterday and had to go to an Internet cafe to send this to you. Not sure when I'll return home at this point, but I'll write you as often as I can. I do hope I'm still on your mind as much as you've been on mine.



Frank


From: "Frank Gringer" <[email protected]>

To: Removed (BW)
Subject: RE: Hiya,

Hey babe. Do you mind if I called you that? Not exactly sure what you have done to my thoughts, but you're roaming in it quite often these days. I did get up to use the loo, but then I recalled I hadn't written you since I yesterday morning and at this stage I believe we deserve to hear from each other more than once a day. I got so upset when we got disconnected. I ran off to try to get a calling card and then I missed your calls. I tried again, but for some reason I couldn't get through. I finally got the calling card, but I don't want to keep you awake for much longer, so I'll wait till you're up about in the day time.

I had a meeting with an old client yesterday who wishes to contract me to travel to Abu Dhabi to make some purchases. If I do get it, I'll be gone just a few days; 4 at the most and it won't coincide with my arrival plans in any manner. I'll roam my mobile and of course have my laptop with me so we won't have communication hassles. The trip will be business related, but I'm certain I'll find time to enjoy the sights. It's quite beautiful over there. There are some great looking beaches in that region although I haven't been there in ages; 11 years to be precise.

Nana was up and about again yesterday, from what I was told and that upset me. Ever since I've known her, she's loved working and I understand her need to always be in motion; however she has to realise that she's getting older. She had been a teacher, worked in an animal shelter (I had once worked under her there at a tender age), worked as a teller, in a hospital...you name it. The list goes on. At some point, I recall her having as many as 3 jobs at a time. I see it in her eyes when all she has to do is sit at home and wait for me to return home, which is why I try to get her out of the house whenever she desires. She loves to cook and taught me a majority of all the dishes I know how to prepare today. Well, her and Perp, my late wife. It most certainly isn't a necessity, but the thought crossed my mind last night.

Xxxxxxxxx, it is quite the question, but have you ever thought of marriage? I know we aren't 35 any more, but I have always imagined what it would be like to be in such a relationship again. I enjoyed being with that special person that made me feel treasured and wanted and I miss having that person to call my own and pamper with all the love and support. It's no deal breaker by any means, but I thought I'd ask either way. Forgive me for venturing deep in the future, but it's one of my thoughts that wouldn't hurt to relive again.

You seem like the kind of woman that would make any man happy and I hope fate blesses me with that opportunity. Do have a wonderful weekend ahead dear and know that my thoughts are always with you.



Frank


From: [email protected]
Subject: RE: Hiya,
To: Removed (BW)

Morning Xxxxxxx. Always a pleasure to hear from you as I have stated and will probably always reiterate. I fancy how you write and what you write, always leaving me wanting to read more from you. I do hope our meeting will be as magical as when I read from you. How are you doing and how has your week been so far? I apologize for not being able to ring last night. The time difference would be a hassle, but I'm certain we could find a way to make it work.

After missing a few days, work has been a bit of a bother lately and I'm always knackered when I return home at the end of the day and with Jackie barking all over the place, it's never easy to get decent rest.
Nana seems to be recuperating quite well which leaves me quite glad and I pray that she remains this way. The stay at home nurse employed for Nana is also a good house keeper and watches her quite efficiently while I'm away. I'm a bit ashamed to say with so much work being done at this time, I'm unable to spend as much time as I would love to on weekdays; however, I try to make up for it by watching as many movies as I can during the weekend and spending as much time as I can after work.

I woke up in the middle of the night and it took me 20 + minutes to fall back to sleep which was unusual. I began thinking of what my life would be like if I had someone beside me in bed at the time, If I had that special someone to wake up and smile to in the morning again. To be more specific, I thought of what it would be like with you in my life. Too early to vault in that direction, but it didn't hurt to ponder. You're an amazing woman, in my opinion and it'd be nice to finally immerse reality into all of this and that I'm extremely anxious for.

What's your favourite colour? BLUE/ BLACK
Favourite meal? ANYTHING FROM THE FRENCH CUISINE, PREFERABLY BREAKFAST
Favourite movie of all time? SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION/ CITIZEN KANE
When was the last time you were on a date? 5 MONTHS AGO/BLIND DATE, DIDN'T ENJOY IT.

How do you spend most of your evenings after work? It's a bit intrusive, but I find myself wanting to learn more about you as each day goes by. It's amazing and quite thrilling how times flies and I must admit I'm not getting any younger and I hope to find the happiness that I seek soon.

What do you think about sms messaging? This way we could keep in constant touch when I'm unable to write you an email or vice versa. You could send me an sms and I'll respond as soon as I get it. I have to get to a virtual meeting, but rest assured I'll write again soon. Do take care.


PS. Photo I attached was taken 8 years ago by my daughter, today would have been her birthday. Thought I'd share that with you.



Frank


Hello Xxxxxxxxx. I am back in Southampton this morning per request of one of Nana's relatives who apparently needed to see my so urgently. Were she not a 74 year old woman, I would not have made the trip because to say things are getting hectic at work would be an understatement. I may be here for the whole day to make sure I don't have to return anytime soon. It is good to see her although I didn't fancy the reason she summoned me. It's a good thing I didn't have an important meeting or that might not have panned out too well. Thank you so much for the place you suggested, however you didn't attach any photographs which would certainly be useful in making my decision.

In other news, you didn't attach any photos as I had hoped you would. The more I read your emails, the more I believe in fate and how it works. No matter what happens, we all get what's coming to us. I don't know what I would have been doing had I skipped your email or not registered on match.com at all. Have you ever imagined that? Where your thoughts would be right now? I know for a fairly large portion of yesterday, the day before and the day before I have been thinking about you. Even while I type this, at every punctuation mark an image of your being sitting across the table comes to me and it's a pleasant 5 seconds before I snap back to reality. You're a beautiful woman and I can't wait to hold your hands and eventually ravish that skin of yours(forgive my aggression). Well, in just a few weeks it will all be reality. I believe I mentioned that a client of mine may be sending me to Dubai. It's still not 100% certain at this time, but I certainly would love the opportunity as it would be a major distraction from all that's happened. Rest assured I'll take a photo or two for you. I'm not a huge fan of photographs, even though my late wife was a part-time photographer. I'll have my laptop with me and my mobile will also be roamed so, we will definitely remain in constant touch :)
Perhaps sometime in the not so distant future, we could both go on a trip to Europe, maybe Greece? It's indeed beautiful there.

I hope tonight I have better luck with the phone communication and we can speak for more than 2 seconds. Even though we have never met, I can proudly say that I miss you. However that works, I don't know, but I do. Have a lovely Easter weekend, and thoughts of you.

Frank


Hello Xxxxxxxx. I departed Southampton earlier today, and I'm back in the east midlands. Sincerely, I'm not in the greatest mood and your voice could certainly help cheer me up this minute. Speaking to you the other day put me at ease, and the thought that I could get to hear that voice a lot more in the future made me smile. I'll be staying away from anything work related for a day or 2 and hopefully get some very much needed sleep.

To say that I wish you were around me would be an understatement. Perhaps if you were here or I were there in your region, you could take me some place and cheer me up. I read your emails and I smile, thankful for the cheers and smiles you've given me these past couple of weeks.
Nana was the only family that I had and all through yesterday I felt like I had been left to walk this world alone, but when I read your emails this morning, my face lit up with a smile and I believe there's a chance I could be happy again. I like that you're down to earth, calm and seem to have a wonderful heart. There's so much I wish to tell you , but I'll wait till we are in the same room.

Would you mind sharing a few more photographs of yourself? Perhaps some of you with family if you wouldn't mind. Doesn't have to be anything extensive if that might be a bother. I hope after my few days off, I could get some work to take my mind off recent happenings. I'm not trying to forget her, as I never want that to happen, but I need to move on. Jackie has been in her room all morning and has refused to leave. That isn't helping matters either.
Just in the case you had tried to call, I kept getting work related calls and I couldn't take any of that with so much load in my heart at the time.

I do hope you're well because I can't wait to finally meet you in person. To say the least, I do wish you were here.


Always in my thoughts,


Frank



As you can see he is very active in his emails.....but he doesn't know I am onto him.

Cheers,
XXXXXXXxX
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#198192 by Bryon Williams Sun Apr 20, 2014 10:47 pm
Welcome to Scamwarners funkyluvcat,

Please stop all communication with him. Just start ignoring him without telling him that he is posted here. Eventually he will go away. Nothing good can come from any further contact. If you have any pictures of him that is not already posted please post them.

Never send money to someone you met over the internet. 99.9% of all dating profiles will be scammers.

You can read some information on Romance Scams here >> viewtopic.php?f=13&t=25 and viewtopic.php?f=13&t=3607

Please contacta moferatorstor if you have a question or information about this post.



Please do not tell the scammer he is posted here.


Please remember the fallen. https://www.odmp.org/
#198923 by Louise56 Sat Apr 26, 2014 10:16 am
Hi funkyluvcat, your information will assist & warn others. I am amazed that this guy has so quickly resumed his scam under a completely different name of course! My last email from him as Michael Stevens was on 9th April 2014, at least it was from his scam lawyer Alex. His emails are basically the same, word for word. His initial story & locations have changed a little. At the end of February when he commenced writing to me, he was living in West Sussex & was just about to move to Melbourne, Australia. I did speak to my local police & the Australian Federal Police & whilst they were very supportive, they did nothing. It makes me cross that there seems there is nothing we can do to get these insidious & despicable people caught. Thank you to those who have posted the most recent photos as I could not figure out how to do that. I also have the one of the three people sitting at a table. There is one headshot of him that was also posted on the LinkedIn professional website. It has since been removed & I did report it to LinkedIn anyway. He did attempt to get money from me & I contacted the bank in Texas, USA, via direct online chat & gave them all the account details to alert them of the scam account.
#198925 by jupa Sat Apr 26, 2014 10:46 am
I still am amazed that these scams are so prolific! Well done, slick...........so much so that I have given up dating sites.........too many scammers to sift thru.............thanks for taking some action.............I never got to the point when money was requested, he was just setting me up when I found this website.........thank goodness..........leaves me with a feeling of violation........so I posted here, pics and emails..........if they can help one gal, that is my "revenge" :laugh-s:
#199841 by Woman123 Sat May 03, 2014 8:33 am
Thank you so much everybody for your posts on this scam artist. I joined Match.com last Week and in just 2 days I was approached by "Patrick Grant" with user name jonastong (Jonas Tong?). Same deal, he was going off the site the next day. With all the duds I had come across in that short time I was fooled into contacting him because he looked and sounded nice. But after his first email I knew something was up. He gave way too much information about his childhood and it was all just too dramatic to be real. So I did some searching in what he said. He was born in Beaumont Ley Leicestershire, but the town is Beaumont Leys with an "s". He said other things that I won't write here because if he ever sees this site, I don't want him to perfect his story.

I wrote him back, but I wasn't sure at that point. So I asked him to for the names of his wife and daughter (who had been tragically killed in a car accident 8 years ago), I figured I could look that up. He wife's name was Perpetua. I didn't have to search very hard until I put in just the right search terms to get to your site. THANK YOU for saving me a lot of emotional investment. I would never have fallen for it, as soon as the money part came up I would have known, but it's nice I got wise in 2 emails.

His definitely stuck to the script you all have recorded in the 2 emails he sent me, but now he is moving from Montreal to Scarborough, and his business is in the hands of a very capable young man in London Ontario (Jonas Tong I wonder).

Even though I figured him out quickly, I still felt like a fool for going off the site, which is what they warn you about. I reported it to match.com, who have "taken the appropriate action", whatever that is. I tried calling the police, but got out on hold at the fraud centre phone line because if another recent scam, I gave up (for now).

I guess your site is the best way to warn people, at least those who are wise or cautious enough to check out his story. I worry about all the other ladies who aren't so cautious. I have no doubt this guy (if he even is a guy) also pulls the same scam on men, by pretending to be a woman. I read an article that says the perpetuators of these frauds say their wife died in a car accident and if a woman, they are an underpaid nurse. The funny part is that research article was from the University of Leicester, which I came across when checking Patrick Grant's story.

Thanks again for your amazing help.
#199842 by TerranceBoyce Sat May 03, 2014 8:51 am
Welcome to Scamwarners Woman123.

Apart from his error in spelling, no one in Leicestershire would ever refer to BL as a town, and it isn't. As you mention, I won't clarify further as he, or an associate, could find this post and use it to correct and improve his script. There are also cultural and social reasons why you would never be so specific about where you were born, using a location only known to so few people.

Scammers often perform a lot of research to set up their fake backgrounds, or he could be using information he's picked up from a friend or relative, but it's interesting that, even if he is correct, if he uses it in the wrong context, it stands out as being fake. I could say that I was born in Clarendon Park, but no one would ever be that specific to anyone outside Leicester as it would be meaningless to them.

CAR ADVERTS - If a car seller mentions escrow - he's scamming you Never ever for any reason pay anything until you have seen and inspected the vehicle
#199894 by Woman123 Sat May 03, 2014 7:43 pm
Hi, I never got to the point of asking for a photo, I only had 2 exchanges with him. His match.com profile photo was at a medium distance and not sharply in focus, but it looks like it might be a different man's photo than the ones posted here. Unfortunately I deleted it so can't share it.

I should have said as well that his email was [email protected] (not gmail.com as he was careful to tell me)
#199968 by Woman123 Sun May 04, 2014 8:40 am
One last thought. I am not sure if it was by design or not, but the name Patrick Grant belongs to a famous person (fashion I think it was). So when I put his name into google it came up with hundreds of hits ( and his were the only photos). So, it made it difficult to sift through, and I got bored of looking (I wasn't that committed, not realizing at that point the guy was a fraud, you still tend to believe in their story as being "possible").

So that might be another red flag, a name that overwhelms the google searcher with too many hits....
#199977 by jupa Sun May 04, 2014 9:53 am
Yes these guys / gals are professional, very slick............I never asked for pics, he sent them! lol Anyhow great that you discovered early on, took me 1 1/2 months to finally hook up with this site...........no money lost, just pride hurt! lol
#200448 by jupa Wed May 07, 2014 10:42 am
I opened my email today, got the shock of my life: a note from "michael".............OMG
It sure has been quite sometime. I suppose after all the skepticism, I wanted you to see that I was being sincere the entire time. It took a while for me to allow myself write you, but I'm human and I really want to see where this route takes me.
I had been trying to send you some photos, but I have not been able to attach them via email, perhaps some issue with the network. I did get my tech godson to help upload them via Google Docs and you can view them here on Admin Drive to access the photos..

Michael

Now "Admin Drive " is a link................to the "pictures" .........wow just can't believe it! lol I am not going to see where the link goes, can't be anywhere good! Watch out ladies...........don't let these slick con artists get you!
#200610 by Louise56 Thu May 08, 2014 11:26 am
Hi Jupa, I had a similar experience with an unexpected email from Michael five days after he'd desperately tried to get money from me. I did write back giving him a piece of my mind. I also asked him a few awkward questions. Of course he did not reply! (Did not expect him too really!) Since then, I thought I should have written back very nicely, just out of curiosity to see where his next move would lead to. No doubt he would have spent more time buttering me up ready for the next attempted sting. Would have been interesting, but I certainly have better things to do with my time. Hopefully, as more & more people cotton on to his scam via this site, the harder it will be for him to succeed. It seems he's already rapidly changing some of the details in his story! His face-book page as Leonard Morgan is intriguing. There are no friends visible, only followers. Back awhile I checked each of the photos there & sure enough some of his 'friends' liked his photos. Took time to look up each of these contacts on FB & they were nearly all women from different countries. Smart enough not to have used any of his alias names or cohorts of Betty Niesen or Alexander Willows (scam lawyer) in his emails to me. The professional administrators would probably know - I suspect this FB page is bogus & is a front. Puzzling thing is the photos he's posted as Leonard Morgan appear identical to photos he sent me!
#200621 by jupa Thu May 08, 2014 1:31 pm
Yes, he is just trying, nothing to lose really................he never did get to the asking for money.........I found this site..........hope springs eternal! I am letting this all go as a learning & growing experience..........I keep posting just incase something I say or post jogs someone into seeing the scam for what it is...........I keep hearing of people falling for these scams thru friends and friends of friends............all about NEED and GREED came to my mind.......after someone told me about her friend that fell for: I have money sitting in an account for you scam..........all you have to do is send $$$$$.........she did.........and waited for her sweetheart to show up..........we all know the ending........SO SAD, SO VERY SAD.............
#201554 by Woman123 Wed May 14, 2014 10:21 pm
For what it's worth, I noted that when I emailed him it was around 7pm, but when he emailed me back, my email string was there and it showed the time as around 4 pm. That tells me that he is probably on the west coast. His first email to me was at 2 am, I had thought that was odd. I bet this guy is in BC.

He did write me again when I hadn't answered. I SO wanted to write back that I was on to him, but thought it best just to cancel the email address.

It's too bad this guy probably won't get caught. All we can hope is that other people find this website. Good luck to everybody.

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