October 18, 2012















Romance scams are a thing of the past right?  Surely everyone knows about these by now and no one intelligent could ever be a victim, right? Wrong.  The games and rules have changed.  More people are connecting online than ever before, and not everyone is an experienced internet users.  Senior citizens and new internet users are often the targets, although even the most seasoned and experienced and skeptical internet user can be a victim of military scams online.

Military personnel are generally people we can trust.  They fight for our country and they stand for freedom.  They put their lives in harm’s way for their country.  They are trusted individuals who are moral and honest.  Criminals understand this widely held perception, and they are cashing in on it.  If you ever meet someone from the military on an online dating site or social networking site, extra caution is advised due to the growing fraud risk.  Be safe and skeptical online.

International investigators have seen an alarming rising rate of scammers impersonating as members of the U.S. military claiming to be in Iraq, Afghanistan or elsewhere.  In many cases, a real identity of a real solider will be used, making it very difficult for average citizens to verify.  Often determine what is real and what is a fraud requires the skills and training of a reputable private investigator.  Criminals and online scammer can be so convincing in their dating scams that investigators report even lawyers and members of law enforcement being victims.

Con artists use photographs and profiles of members in the military to convince their victims easily. Public records are often used to gather real identities, so when the victim tries to verify the person’s story, everything appears to check out.  Once trust is established, complications soon follow, and the goal of the criminal will be to either steal your identity or money or both.

According to a report provided by the U.S. Criminal Investigation Command (CIC) warning citizens about military scams, dating scams have cost U.S. citizens over $2 billion USD in 2011.  Military members whose identities have been stolen, report no other harm to themselves other than having their background and photos used to perpetrate these internet crimes to citizens around the world.  The primary victims are women in developed nations, although anyone can be a victim.

The CIC, FBI and professional background international investigators advise extreme caution when being approached by people you don’t know over the internet. In most cases there are red flags and it’s important to listen to your instinct.  In other cases, it will be necessary to contact a reputable investigation company to conduct a dating background check to be safe.

All the best,

S. Birch
© 2012 S. Birch

Different Themes
Posted by the Investigators

This copyrighted article was written and published by the editor and site author, S. Birch, or other guest private investigator, expert or contributor as stated.

9 comments:

  1. i have just had a scam pretending general oliverde de bavinchove ladies beware i was lucky gussed what was up

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    1. Today I got an Inviation on my skype ID, the same man, [10:38:46 AM] olivier banvinchove: obavinchove@gmail.com... I have blocked him.. Thanks for guidance.

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    2. yes he is a cheat and scammer

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  2. My mother is currently being scammed by a general olivier de bavinchove but she will not listen to me despite numerous attempts. She has sent money to him and continues to do so and really believes that he is going to marry her. Have tried to tell her that she is going to end up hurt, but she gets very defensive. Feel angry and sad .....

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    1. I currently have two contacts saying they are Olivier de Bavinchove, their email addresses are :oliverdebanvinchove@outlook.com, twistright003@yahoo.com and generalolivierba@yahoo.com. If your mother has any of these email addresses she may realise then, that who ever she is speaking to isn't a four star general only a class one scammer. I do hope she realises this before she loses any more money.

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  3. Be very careful if someone started chatting to you using the name BEN WALLS, email address ben007walls. He contacts you through the are you interested (AYI), dating site. He will tell you that he is a military who is in government service in afegasnistao, an undercover . He will contact you by yahoo messenger and steal your information, He will ask you to send gifts to his birthday as an apple ipad and money. Be aware that ladies. He is a very dangerous scammer!

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  4. I HAVE VISITED THIS SITE MANY TIMES AND WANTED TO POST A COMMENT, BUT DID NOT!! NOW I THINK I AM READY!! ABOUT 6 MONTHS AGO SOMEONE GOING BY OLIVIER DE BAVINCHOVE APPROACHED ME ON SKYPE AND WE CHATTED FOR JUST A FEW MONTHS UNTIL I WAS NOT ABLE TO FIND A HOUSE IN THE USA FOR HIM TO MOVE INTO WITH ME AND TO SEND A VERY LARGE SUM OF MONEY TO ONE OF HIS DAUGHTERS FOR HER BIRTHDAY!! AT THAT TIME HE WAS GOING BY OLIVIERDEBAVINCHOVE4 ON SKYPE AND olivierdebavinchove@yahoo.com!! THERE IS SO MUCH MORE I COULD TELL YOU BUT WE DO NOT HAVE THE TIME....JUST LOOK OUT FOR EITHER SKYPE ID AND / OR YAHOO EMAIL ADDRESS!! THEN RUN FAST!!!!!!

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  5. I HAVE SINCE ENCOUNTERED OLIVIER AGAIN ON LINKEDIN!! HE GAVE ME A NEW SKYPE ID OLIVIER.DE.BAVINCHOVE10 ALONG WITH A NEW YAHOO EMAIL, generalolivierde@yahoo.com!! THIS TIME WHEN WE CHATTED HE WAS SO IN LOVE WITH ME HE COULD NOT WAIT TO BE WITH ME!! I TOLD HIM THAT WE NEEDED TO GET TO KNOW EACH OTHER BECAUSE WE COME FROM VERY DIFFERENT BACKGROUNDS!! THAT DID NOT BOTHER HIM AT ALL!! FINALLY I WAS RUDE AND STARTED POINTING SOME OF MY FLAWS AND HE DID NOT LIKE THEM!! SO I GUESS THE LOVE STORY ENDED SADLY!!

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  6. I have been chatting to 'olivier de bavinchove' for over a year now. I really believed he was genuine. I have parted with so much money and did not listen to my family telling me it was all a scam. I feel so stupid. My two sons don't want to know me anymore and I am virtually bankrupt. Please learn from my experience. If you receive any emails or contact requests from 'Olivier de Bavinchove' block immediately - you have had a lucky escape. I unfortunately have not been so lucky :(

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