SCARS Institute’s Encyclopedia of Scams™ Published Continuously for 25 Years
SCARS™ A Victim’s Story: Debby Montgomery
Courtesy of WPTV
Courtesy of CBS 4 Miami
The following is courtesy of Fox 29 TV:
A former Air Force intelligence officer trained to keep national secrets, a former bank executive trained to detect fraud, and a former treasurer for Palm Beach County Schools: bullet points on a resume which tell part of Debby Montgomery’s story.
“I worked a lot with customers who had checks that were set to them. Turns out they were scammer checks,” said Montgomery with a grin, sitting in her Lake Worth home.
But there is a part of Montgomery’s story that is hidden from her Air Force medals, her binder of certificates and letters of praise.
“It is not what you know sometimes, but it is what your heart is telling you,” said Montgomery. “You can’t turn your heart off sometimes.”
At 54-years-old, Montgomery fell head over heels for a romance scam.
“It took over my life, you know?”
Alongside the awards, Montgomery has thousands of pages of love letters from a man she spent two years getting to know.
“It was wonderful. I thought I was keeping family history,” she said.
His name was Eric Cole, a British contractor who traveled the world brokering hardwood trees.
“It was fun. It was like I was 16 again, and my heart was just full of butterflies,” Montgomery said.
She never dreamed their love letters would later be at the heart of an FBI investigation.
“A lot of things happened over two years as you can imagine, and I sent him a lot of money,” said Montgomery. “It was $1,080,762 dollars. That is a lot of money.”
If that number shocks you, consider this fact: Montgomery is not alone.
“That is not the first seven-figure loss that I have heard of,” said FBI Supervisory Special Agent Jason Manar.
According to the FBI, Americans lost more than $1.3 billion to scammers in 2016.
“It is very much like a business,” said Manar. “There are bigger operations that are almost call center like, where you have individuals in rows and lines of computer monitors that are doing nothing but sending out these messages in hopes for a response or reply.”
Lonely after her husband of 25 years suddenly died, Montgomery joined a faith-based dating site. She was quickly matched with Cole.
After weeks of living in e-harmony, Cole asked for help.
“It was maybe $40. It was not very much,” said Montgomery, remembering the details.
As her heart grew, so did the contractor’s request.
“I fell in love with the idea of this man,” said Montgomery, who noted the two talked on the phone occasionally but had yet to meet in person.
Dating apps and dating sites match you with strangers, but Contact 5 looked at the fine print often different popular dating companies. All of them included some legal statement which prevents you from suing or blaming the company if one of your matches later scams you.
Also in the fine print? None of the sites we looked at run criminal background checks on their users.
Two years and one million dollars later, Cole confessed: it was really just a scam. His name was Joseph and he lived in Nigeria.
“I put up a smile and pretended that everything was fine, but inside I was just dying,” said Montgomery. “I was hurting, I felt stupid, I felt used. I felt all those emotions that come up with being taken advantage of.”
Montgomery took her records to the FBI, but unless could Joseph to the U.S., he will probably never be prosecuted.
“I think there needs to be a lot more done to protect the profiles and to protect the people, you know, women like me,” said Montgomery.
Inspired to share her story to educate others, Montgomery wrote a book about her loss: The Woman Behind the Smile: Triumph Over the Ultimate Online Dating Betrayal.
Below is an excerpt from Montgomery’s book, a list of things she wishes she had known before she jumped into online dating:
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Scammers usually use last names like Cole, Moore, Smith or Williams.
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A scammer will say they are “God-fearing” and searching for “God-fearing” in a mate.
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They claim they are honest and caring.
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They immediately want to get off the website or app and move to another messaging resource like Yahoo chat.
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Their grammar is inconsistent.
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A scammer might give you a phone number, but it is typically a calling card or a call center; you can rarely get them on the phone.
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The majority of scammers claim to have lost a spouse/child/parent in a horrific accident. They also might claim a loved one is sick or in the hospital.
Presented In The Public Interest – Source: http://www.wflx.com/story/37499055/aimed-at-the-heart-the-biz-of-romance-scams
SCARS™ Team
A SCARS Division
Miami Florida U.S.A.
TAGS: A Victims Story, American Scam Victim, Debby Montgomery, English Scammer, Fake Businessman, Fox 29 TV, Nigerian Scammer, ScamTV
END
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FAQ: How Do You Properly Report Scammers?
It is essential that law enforcement knows about scams & scammers, even though there is nothing (in most cases) that they can do.
Always report scams involving money lost or where you received money to:
- Local Police – ask them to take an “informational” police report – say you need it for your insurance
- Your National Police or FBI (www.IC3.gov »)
- The SCARS|CDN™ Cybercriminal Data Network – Worldwide Reporting Network HERE » or on www.Anyscam.com »
This helps your government understand the problem, and allows law enforcement to add scammers on watch lists worldwide.
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To learn more about SCARS visit www.AgainstScams.org
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If you need to speak with someone now, you can dial 988 or find phone numbers for crisis hotlines all around the world here: www.opencounseling.com/suicide-hotlines
A Note About Labeling!
We often use the term ‘scam victim’ in our articles, but this is a convenience to help those searching for information in search engines like Google. It is just a convenience and has no deeper meaning. If you have come through such an experience, YOU are a Survivor! It was not your fault. You are not alone! Axios!
A Question of Trust
At the SCARS Institute, we invite you to do your own research on the topics we speak about and publish, Our team investigates the subject being discussed, especially when it comes to understanding the scam victims-survivors experience. You can do Google searches but in many cases, you will have to wade through scientific papers and studies. However, remember that biases and perspectives matter and influence the outcome. Regardless, we encourage you to explore these topics as thoroughly as you can for your own awareness.
Statement About Victim Blaming
Some of our articles discuss various aspects of victims. This is both about better understanding victims (the science of victimology) and their behaviors and psychology. This helps us to educate victims/survivors about why these crimes happened and to not blame themselves, better develop recovery programs, and to help victims avoid scams in the future. At times this may sound like blaming the victim, but it does not blame scam victims, we are simply explaining the hows and whys of the experience victims have.
These articles, about the Psychology of Scams or Victim Psychology – meaning that all humans have psychological or cognitive characteristics in common that can either be exploited or work against us – help us all to understand the unique challenges victims face before, during, and after scams, fraud, or cybercrimes. These sometimes talk about some of the vulnerabilities the scammers exploit. Victims rarely have control of them or are even aware of them, until something like a scam happens and then they can learn how their mind works and how to overcome these mechanisms.
Articles like these help victims and others understand these processes and how to help prevent them from being exploited again or to help them recover more easily by understanding their post-scam behaviors. Learn more about the Psychology of Scams at www.ScamPsychology.org
Psychology Disclaimer:
All articles about psychology and the human brain on this website are for information & education only
The information provided in this article is intended for educational and self-help purposes only and should not be construed as a substitute for professional therapy or counseling.
While any self-help techniques outlined herein may be beneficial for scam victims seeking to recover from their experience and move towards recovery, it is important to consult with a qualified mental health professional before initiating any course of action. Each individual’s experience and needs are unique, and what works for one person may not be suitable for another.
Additionally, any approach may not be appropriate for individuals with certain pre-existing mental health conditions or trauma histories. It is advisable to seek guidance from a licensed therapist or counselor who can provide personalized support, guidance, and treatment tailored to your specific needs.
If you are experiencing significant distress or emotional difficulties related to a scam or other traumatic event, please consult your doctor or mental health provider for appropriate care and support.
Also read our SCARS Institute Statement about Professional Care for Scam Victims – click here to go to our ScamsNOW.com website.
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