Military Romance Scam: Fake US Army Leave Permit Requests (2026)

[Bryon Williams]

Welcome to Scamwarners,

Meanwhile she said she owned a house in NYC and I have never been so of course we'd spend time there

Did you meet her in person face to face not on cam?

Mchelle Miller(Patton)

Did you spell the name correctly?

What is her email address?

[Kober77]

No I have never met her face to face other than than the pictures she sent. No sorry her name was Michelle Miller(Patton) [email protected] .Says Miller was her late husbands last name.

[Bryon Williams]

You will need to print the emails out and take them to your bank. Tell them you are a victim of an online fraud. Speak with your banks fraud dept. Your main concern should be accepting stolen money into your bank account. The money you received were from other scam victims. When these victims realize that they have been scammed they will report you.

You also need to file a report with your local law enforcement. Tell them you are a victim of an online scam.

Also report it here >>> http://www.antifraudcentre-centreantifr ... ex-eng.htm

[Ronsbrat525]

I am going thru this very thing now.
I posted an ad on the dating website okcupid.com. A us army guy named captain Henry Phillips contacted me. He is stationed in Sudan. I know it's not Afghanistan but sounds very familiar.,we've been talking for several days first in email. Now in google hangouts (chat). Then last night he emailed me to have me apply for a leave for him. Kinda sounded fishy so decided to do research on it. Glad I did. Below is the email he sent me with the instructions.

"I'm glad to know you are willing to do anything for us to meet soon my baby, you are really a darling sweetheart...What need to be done is simple sweetheart just that it take some processes my love...And if all is done right on time in few weeks time we will be together my love, lets say by two to three weeks time honey...All what you need to do sweetheart is write the U.S Army through an email requesting for my vacation to come to you..You will need to address the Email to the U.S Army, and in the email you will introduce yourself to them by telling them your name, age, where you are from, what you do for a living, your address, just little things about you sweetheart...You will also tell them you will like to request for the vacation of your boyfriend Captain Henry Phillips who is serving the U.S Army in Camp Khartoum, Sudan to come to you so that we can plan our future together....
The email address you will have to write to is [email protected]"

To all: turn and run while you can. Including me!!!

[Bryon Williams]

^^^ What was the scammers email address and user name on okcupid.

[Jennifer007]

Hello Risa,

All soldiers deployed international their expenses are handled by their government. Like plane tickets, leave, medical insurance and etc. So there's no any reason he can ask money to you.

[sarahaleigh98]

Dear all, please help me!!
Actually this is not new topics because someone named Debbie ever posted the similar cases with title "US ARMY LEAVE SCAM - AFGHANISTAN". But let me tell me what is happening to me.
I have received request from a Sgt Harrison Stone (SSN 32006) in the US Army in Afghanistan to ask for a leave permit to meet him. I send the request to [email protected] and i have got confirmation on behalf of General Benjamin Hanks, Leave Permit Processing Dept., New York, New York, United States.

In the leave request form, they are asking for $ 880.00 (processing fee) to be paid so his leave will be granted. That fee should be send to the financial secretary to the below address:
NAME : SHEILA FERRYMAN
CITY : SPRINGFIELD
STATE : OHIO
ZIP : 45501-0271

Sgt Harrison Stone has an email address [email protected]. We have been corresponding via yahoo messenger.

Please.....please help me because I don't know anything about US Army because I am not American. Am i being scammed?? Harrison Stone also never never asked me for money.
Dear Debbie, if you read my messages, please let me know what should I do??
I am waiting the reply as soon as possible. Thank you.

Risa,
This happened to me about six months ago. I filled out a leave from n sent 1150 for the tariff taxes. I know I will not get that money back. Said he loved me n wanted to meet me. I tried emailing the scam email but never heard from no one about it. I found that one on okcupid.com. Now a couple weeks ago on okcupid again another guy messaged me. Said he was in army stationed in New York for a retraining program that is lasting two months. Well he was trying to get my bank account to get money sent to my account so he can get home to meet me. So why do people get away with this. I have a friend that her husband is in army n I messaged her n told her some stuff. She told me nothing g e has told is false n he probably isn't in army.
Sincerely Sara

[Bryon Williams]

^^^^ Welcome to Scamwarners,

Please post all the email addresses used by the scammer and a couple initial emails from the scammers and fake leave office. Remove your personal information from them prior to submitting.

This will help others avoid his scams.

[Renata Projic]

Welcome to Scamwarners Risa.

Alan is quite correct - a definite scam. Please cease all contact with this scammer.

Thank You for posting this information - it will alert and save others from being scammed.

If you have any questions or concerns please post - we will help you all we can.

This report here on Military scams may help;

http://www.scamwarners.com/forum/viewto ... f=7&t=5836

[tittubum]

Hello my name is Raewyn, and I want to know how you can track down a soldier or an officer to find out weather they are actually in the us army and is currently on active duty in the 9th division special forces mission Unit in Africa or if they are actually in the us army.

[Bryon Williams]

It is 100% a scam. Your scammer is not from the US he is West African. He said that he is stationed there because this is where he will want you to send your money. He is a thief. Everything he has told you is a lie.

Military members do not pay for leave. They earn free leave each year. Also only the member can request leave through his chain of command. His wife, mother, children nor internet girlfriend can do this. Also they would never have contact with his chain of command.

Military members have access to their money. They also do not pay for phones, internet or medical.

Military provides all meals.

Please stop all contact with the scammer. If you confront him he will continue to lie.

Additional information on Fake Military Romance Scammers >> https://www.scamwarners.com/forum/viewt ... =13&t=6527

This is a warning from the Army about this scam.
http://www.army.mil/article/130861/Army ... nce_scams/

QUANTICO, Va. (July 30, 2014) -- Special Agents from the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command, commonly known as CID, are once again warning internet users worldwide about cyber criminals involved in an online crime that CID has dubbed "the Romance Scam."

CID special agents continue to receive numerous reports from victims located around the world regarding various scams of persons impersonating U.S. Soldiers online. Victims are usually unsuspecting women, 30 to 55 years old, who believe they are romantically involved with an American Soldier, yet are being exploited and ultimately robbed, by perpetrators who strike from thousands of miles away.

"We cannot stress enough that people need to stop sending money to persons they meet on the internet and claim to be in the U.S. military," said Chris Grey, Army CID's spokesman.

"It is very troubling to hear these stories over and over again of people who have sent thousands of dollars to someone they have never met and sometimes have never even spoken to on the phone," Grey said.

The majority of the "romance scams," are being perpetrated on social media and dating-type websites where unsuspecting females are the main target.

The criminals are pretending to be U.S. servicemen, routinely serving in a combat zone. The perpetrators will often take the true rank and name of a U.S. Soldier who is honorably serving his country somewhere in the world, or has previously served and been honorably discharged, then marry that up with some photographs of a Soldier off the internet, and then build a false identity to begin prowling the internet for victims.

The scams often involve carefully worded romantic requests for money from the victim to purchase special laptop computers, international telephones, military leave papers, and transportation fees to be used by the fictitious "deployed Soldier" so their false relationship can continue. The scams include asking the victim to send money, often thousands of dollars at a time, to a third party address.

Once victims are hooked, the criminals continue their ruse.

"We've even seen instances where the perpetrators are asking the victims for money to purchase "leave papers" from the Army, help pay for medical expenses from combat wounds or help pay for their flight home so they can leave the war zone," said Grey.

These scams are outright theft and are a grave misrepresentation of the U.S. Army and the tremendous amount of support programs and mechanisms that exist for Soldiers today, especially those serving overseas, said Grey.

Along with the romance-type scams, CID has been receiving complaints from citizens worldwide that they have been the victims of other types of scams -- once again where a cyber crook is impersonating a U.S. service member. One version usually involves the sale of a vehicle; where the service member claims to be living overseas and has to quickly sell their vehicle because they are being sent to another duty station. After sending bogus information regarding the vehicle, the seller requests the buyer do a wire transfer to a third party to complete the purchase. When in reality, the entire exchange is a ruse for the crook to get the wire transfer and leave the buyer high and dry, with no vehicle.

Army CID continues to warn people to be very suspicious if they begin a relationship on the internet with someone claiming to be an American Soldier and within a matter of weeks, the alleged Soldier is asking for money, as well as discussing marriage.

The majority of these scams have a distinct pattern to them, explained Grey.

The perpetrators often tell the victims that their units do not have telephones or they are not allowed to make calls or they need money to "help keep the Army internet running." They often say they are widowers and raising a young child on their own to pull on the heartstrings of their victims.

"We've even seen where the criminals said that the Army won't allow the Soldier to access their personal bank accounts or credit cards," said Grey.

All lies, according to CID officials.

"These perpetrators, often from other countries, most notably from West African countries, are good at what they do and quite familiar with American culture, but the claims about the Army and its regulations are ridiculous," said Grey.

The Army reports that numerous very senior officers and enlisted Soldiers throughout the Army have had their identities stolen to be used in these scams.

To date, there have been no reports to Army CID indicating any U.S. service members have suffered any financial loss as a result of these attacks. Photographs and actual names of U.S. service members have been the only thing utilized. On the contrary, the victims have lost thousands.

One victim revealed that she had sent more than $60,000 to the scammer. Another victim from Great Britain told CID officials that over the course of a year, she had sent more than $75,000 to the con artists.

"The criminals are preying on the emotions and patriotism of their victims," added Grey.

The U.S. has established numerous task force organizations to deal with this and other growing issues; unfortunately, the people committing these scams are using untraceable email addresses on Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail, etc., routing accounts through numerous locations around the world, and utilizing pay-per-hour Internet cyber cafes, which often times maintain no accountability of use. The ability of law enforcement to identify these perpetrators is very limited, so individuals must stay on the alert and be personally responsible to protect themselves.

"Another critical issue is we don't want victims who do not report this crime walking away and thinking that a U.S. serviceman has ripped them off when in fact that serviceman is honorably serving his country and often not even aware that his pictures or identity have been stolen," said Grey.

What to look for:

DON'T EVER SEND MONEY! Be extremely suspicious if you are asked for money for transportation costs, communication fees or marriage processing and medical fees.

Carefully check out the stories you are being told. If it sounds suspicious, there is a reason, it's routinely false -- trust your instincts.

If you do start an internet-based relationship with someone, check them out, research what they are telling you with someone who would know, such as a current or former service member.

Be very suspicious if you never get to actually speak with the person on the phone or are told you cannot write or receive letters in the mail. Servicemen and women serving overseas will often have an APO or FPO mailing address. Internet or not, service members always appreciate a letter in the mail.

Military members have an email address that end in ".mil." If the person you are speaking with cannot sent you at least one email from a ".mil" (that will be the very LAST part of the address and nothing after), then there is a high probability they are not in the military.

Many of the negative claims made about the military and the supposed lack of support and services provided to troops overseas are far from reality -- check the facts.

Be very suspicious if you are asked to send money or ship property to a third party or company. Often times the company exists, but has no idea or is not a part of the scam.

Be aware of common spelling, grammatical or language errors in the emails.

Be cognizant of foreign and regional accents that do not match the person's story.

WHERE TO GO FOR HELP

Report the theft to the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) (FBI-NW3C Partnership) at http://www.ic3.gov/default.aspx.

Report the theft to the Federal Trade Commission at http://www.ftc.gov/idtheft.

Your report helps law enforcement officials across the United States in their investigations.

Report the theft by phone at 1-877-ID-THEFT (438-4338) or TTY, 1-866-653-4261.

Report the theft by mail at the following address:

Identity Theft Clearinghouse
Federal Trade Commission
Washington, DC 20580

Report the fraud by email to the Federal Trade Commission on Nigerian Scams via at [email protected].

For more information on CID, visit http://www.cid.army.mil.

[Bryon Williams]

active duty in the 9th division special forces mission Unit in Africa

That statement alone makes it a scam. If he were special forces on a mission he would not be telling this to internet girlfriends nor bragging about it.

He is an African scammer sitting in an Internet Cafe wanting to steal your money. He has stolen photo's of a real military member and sent you stolen poems.

[YenLe]

Hi there,

I have known a man who is working for the US military as an officer in Los Angeles Hill ( as he said). He said that he is training for the new soldier. I knew him about 6 months ago. And we talk together everyday at my night -time ( Vietnam time). He didnt tell me about money. He was interested in me and my kids. He could see my cam but I couldnt, he explained that cam is prohibited in US army. So we only talked on skype by video call only he could see me. I wondered why the network in US army is so bad. It is disconnected all the time. While we were talking, he typed too slow and I wondered, he said that the connection is slowly, and sometimes he logged out and the day after he explained that it was disconnected. And I suspended disbelief. Last Sunday, while we were talking, he disconnected again and he disappeared until Thursday, he logged in and he explained that no network there and he said he loves me and missed me alot. After that Thursday, he disappeared until now. Im wondering what he said about the network of US army in Los Angeles hill is correct or not. Im very sad and missing him a lot. I hope the network is really disconnected and he couldnt log in for talking with me because of no network. His name is Gold Smith. And he said his family is living in San Francisco. His age is 39. One more things, I checked on his skype contact, he has a lot of friends about 112 persons. I surprised and he said that all of those nick are man and they are soldiers over the worlds. As you said you used to work with the military, pls help me to analyze this issue.

Thanks and Best Regards.

I am from the US, and used to work extensively with a military organization.

1) US Army leave is not bought. There are no fees to be paid before leave will be granted. Military personnel are given a certain amount of leave time, just as your average worker is given a certain amount of vacation time. Additional emergency leaves are handled through official military channels, have very specific requirements, and do not require fees. (Incidentally, a boyfriend/girlfriend/fiancee has no standing whatsoever with the military, and a visit to him/her would not qualify as an emergency leave anyway.)
2) An outside person does not apply for leave for someone in the US military. In other words, if I am serving in the US military (any branch), and I need leave for some reason, I would apply for leave through official military channels. In some cases, my commanding officer might start paperwork, but my spouse/significant other/friend/business partner who is not in the military CANNOT apply for leave on my behalf.

As a general rule, if you are corresponding with someone who claims to be from any branch of the US military, and he asks you to complete ANY military forms, or you are contacted by any "military official" in relation to him/her, it is a scam.

[AlanJones]

I don't have Dotti's US military experience, but I can tell you without a doubt that the person you are talking to is a scammer and not a member of the US military.

If this person really was in a US military camp in America, he would not have a poor network connection that keeps dropping, he would have no problems Skyping with you and showing his face. The reason why this is happening is that he is based elsewhere (probably West Africa or the Far East) and is a young black man (not the soldier in the pictures he has sent you), using a poor Internet connection in a Internaet cafe or similar, or he is cutting off from you to talk to one of the many other women he is in contact with at the moment.

If you can post some more information, such as his email address, Skype ID, photos and examples of the mails he has sent you, we will be able to demonstrate for certain that he is a scammer.

[YenLe]

Hi friend,

His skype is gold smith and his paltalk is gold_smith9. I can not upload his picture because I think my company blocked those pages. So pls help me to log on skype and I will transfer his pic at skype. Many thanks.