I wanted to share my story as well, because while it’s the same as many others at its core it has some changes that are worth note. I’ll try to keep it small but I want to give a sufficient amount of detail because it is different.
I’m in Richmond, Virginia. I started dating again after a long break and went back to online dating as that is how I’ve met most of my ex-girlfriends. I sign up for Plenty of Fish, OKcupid as well as post and reply to ads on Craigslist. While running errands on my day off I get reply on Craiglist from “Laura” who has many of the same interests as I do, which is why I contacted her. We chat back and forth for a while then the conversation gets (in hindsight, suddenly) sexually aggressive. This wasn’t unwelcomed, so I replied in the same context. She started sending me sexually explicit pictures, but the woman didn’t look the same in all of them. When she asked for the same of me, I took some off google and sent them over. She asked if I wanted to get something to eat if I was available and sent her number which was something like a Hawaii area code. I told her I’d have to see once I was done with a few things and sent her my number. We never exchanged a text message. A few hours pass and she e-mails me an address, I bring it up on google maps and it’s local, but looks like a drug house. While I’m researching the address she sends another e-mail saying that she was only 15 years old and asked if I could bring whiskey. I replied flatly, “Please do not contact me again, I do not want to speak to you again.” Her rebuttal was “I look for older guys because guys my age don’t know how to treat me!”, annoyed that I had spent my day on this kid I lectured her saying she was going to get herself and someone else in trouble by doing these things and that it could ultimately jeopardize her life. She doesn’t reply to the e-mail.
Fast forward to the evening about two days later. While hanging with friends I get a call from (866) 347-2423, assuming it was a telemarketer I reject it. It calls back, I reject, wash, rinse and repeat until I decide to answer it. When I do there is a man on the phone who identifies himself as a Detective for the FBI (I didn’t catch the name, I was freaking out) and would only ask, “Mr. Rollins, is now an okay time to talk?” repeatedly. I excused myself, went outside to find out what it was all about. He said I was being brought up on charges based on a sexual conversation I had with an FBI agent posing as a 15 year old girl. I pointed out that the pictures I sent were not of me and came before I knew of her age as well as the fact I severed all communication once I found out her age. He became outraged and lectured me on severity of the situation and how negligent I was. He cited extreme and lengthy prison sentences and that it was a felony. I googled 8663472423 from my phone and it came back to ICE’s government tip line for illegal immigration and child exploitation. He told me I would have 5 hours to get a lawyer and prepare myself before I’m arrested and that I would need a pen and paper to take down some information. I go inside to gather the supplies and wave for my friend (a local police officer) to come out with me, I put the phone on speaker so he can listen as well. The ‘Detective’ continues to lecture me rather than give me anything to write down and is aggravated with me because it’s 9:30 PM and he won’t see his kids for dinner tonight because of my stupid mistake. He then, unsolicited, asks if I want to speak to his Boss if I don’t believe how severe the situation is. Starting to calm down and catch on, I say yes. He says he will transfer me. Instead, the line disconnects. I use the time to fill my friend in on what the situation is about. The same number calls back 866-347-2423. This time it’s the ‘boss’ Detective, David Higgins, he lectures me the same, but with a less harsh tone. Through the conversation he says he doesn’t want to do all the paperwork over a simple mistake so if I agree to a confidentiality contract (basically an NDA) and pay the costs for the investigation of $1005.65 he will not press charges. I ask if there is a payment plan, he says yes, but then starts to negotiate the minimum payments. I said I couldn’t pay until my next paycheck (10/20) and I started at $50.00 and worked up before he said, “Listen, if you can’t pay, we will just come and get you now.” So I asked what the minimum would be and he said $450.00 with the remaining due within 45 days. I ask how to pay, he says a local FBI office, presumably the one in Richmond, he doesn’t know and will have to look it up since he is in Greensboro, SC. This set off a *ding* in my head and I look at my watch, it isn’t even 9 PM although the last detective said it was 9:30 PM, VA and SC are in the same time zone. Detective David Higgins is unable to give me the specifics of this payment but instead is insisting to set up a time to call on Thursday (the day I get paid). When I push for more detail, he threatens me again saying they will come get me now. We decide on Thursday at 9AM, and he says if I don’t pay or ignore the call I will be picked up by a U.S. Marshal. The call concludes.
I stayed up until 6 AM to call the ICE/IC3 number I was called from. My friend and I broke it down enough to believe it was a scam, but I still wanted confirmation. Once I went through the menu I was able to get someone on the line, I started explaining what happened and before I could finish, he said, “You are fine, we wouldn’t solicit anything from you over the phone. It’s totally bogus. Unfortunately people are able to spoof numbers and ours is easily accessible via the internet so it’s commonly used.” I did breathe a sigh of relief and went to sleep but it still haunted me. Enough that today I kept digging and that’s how I found this thread and felt it was necessary to share my story. Also hoping to get that last little bit of comfort as well, I guess it’s because I know they are going to be contacting me Thursday so it’s bothering me still. Now admittedly, I bought it for almost all of the conversation. I’ve been diagnosed with clinical depression as well as a panic disorder. As it was unfolding, I decided suicide was my out, I had even made my plan. The reason I wanted to bring it up is I’ve found stories of people killing themselves because of this scam. That’s far too powerful for a money grab, this was yet another reason I wanted to share. I hope this helps others and if you have any questions you can post them or Removed (BW)
Thank you for your time and for reading.
