The Sad Tale Of Glenda Seim

The Story of a Romance ScamScam A Scam is a confidence trick - a crime -  is an attempt to defraud a person or group after first gaining their trust through deception. Scams or confidence tricks exploit victims using their credulity, naïveté, compassion, vanity, irresponsibility, or greed and exploiting that. Researchers have defined confidence tricks as "a distinctive species of fraudulent conduct ... intending to further voluntary exchanges that are not mutually beneficial", as they "benefit con operators ('con men' - criminals) at the expense of their victims (the 'marks')". A scam is a crime even if no money was lost. Victim who became a Money MuleMoney Mule A money mule sometimes called a "smurfer," is a person who transfers money acquired illegally (e.g., stolen) in person, through a courier service, or electronically, on behalf of others (usually criminals that they are knowingly or unknowingly affiliated). Typically, the mule is paid for services with a small part of the money transferred - but not always. Mules may or may not be aware that they are performing these actions. Money mules are often dupes recruited online for what they think is legitimate employment, not aware that the money they are transferring is the product of crime. The money is transferred from the mule's account to the scam operator, typically in another country. Similar techniques are used to transfer illegal merchandise. Mules can be prosecuted for numerous crimes. then a Federal Convict at age 81

A SCARSSCARS SCARS - Society of Citizens Against Relationship Scams Inc. A government registered crime victims' assistance & crime prevention nonprofit organization based in Miami, Florida, U.S.A. SCARS supports the victims of scams worldwide and through its partners in more than 60 countries around the world. Incorporated in 2015, its team has 30 years of continuous experience educating and supporting scam victims. Visit www.AgainstScams.org to learn more about SCARS. Victim Story

Glenda Seim, Convicted Money Mule!

An 81-Year-Old Kirkwood Woman Pleaded Guilty To Being A “Money Mule” For An Online ScammerScammer A Scammer or Fraudster is someone that engages in deception to obtain money or achieve another objective. They are criminals that attempt to deceive a victim into sending more or performing some other activity that benefits the scammer.

81-year-old Kirkwood, Missouri woman pleads guilty to being “money mule”

An 81-year-old Kirkwood woman pleaded guilty to being a “money mule” for an online scammer.

Glenda Seim made the plea to U. S. District Court Judge Stephen Clark on November 2 for two counts of identity theftIdentity Theft Identity theft is when someone uses another person's personal identifying information, without their permission, to commit fraud or other crimes. In both the U.K. and the United States it is the theft of personally identifiable information. Identity theft deliberately uses someone else's identity as a method to gain financial advantages or obtain credit and other benefits, and perhaps to cause other person's loss. The person whose identity has been stolen may suffer adverse consequences, especially if they are falsely held responsible for the perpetrator's actions. Personally identifiable information generally includes a person's name, date of birth, social security number, driver's license number, bank account or credit card numbers, PINs, electronic signatures, fingerprints, passwords, or any other information that can be used to access a person's financial resources..

In a release from the Department of Justice, Eastern District of Missouri, a “money mule” is described as a person who receives stolen money and merchandise for a scammer and then sends the proceeds to the scammer.

In 2014, Seim started an online relationship with a person who claimed to be an American citizen with business interests in Nigeria. The scammer would ask her to send him money for what he claimed were fees, taxes, and penalties for the Nigerian government or business associates.

Seim also began sending him her Social Security retirement benefits and pension.

The scammer also had Seim pawn electronic equipment he mailed to her, and she sent the money back.

Seim also began receiving MoneyGram wire transfers from people she did not know, depositing counterfeit and stolen checks, allowing the scammer to transfer stolen money to her, and accepting unemployment benefits for people she did not know.

Seim also deposited a $100,000 check stolen in a romance fraudFraud In law, fraud is intentional deception to secure unfair or unlawful gain (money or other assets), or to deprive a victim of a legal right. Fraud can violate civil law (e.g., a fraud victim may sue the fraud perpetrator to avoid the fraud or recover monetary compensation) or criminal law (e.g., a fraud perpetrator may be prosecuted and imprisoned by governmental authorities), or it may cause no loss of money, property, or legal right but still be an element of another civil or criminal wrong. The purpose of fraud may be monetary gain or other benefits, for example by obtaining a passport, travel document, or driver's license, or mortgage fraud, where the perpetrator may attempt to qualify for a mortgage by way of false statements. A fraud can also be a hoax, which is a distinct concept that involves deliberate deception without the intention of gain or of materially damaging or depriving a victim. scheme.

Officials say Seim continued to give the scammer money, despite warnings from wire transfer agencies, law enforcement officials, bank officials, and even though her financial accounts were forcibly closed.

Between June 2014 and February 2021, Seim tried to conduct transactions between $550,000 and $1,500,000.

81-Year-Old Woman Helped Online Scammers Steal As Much As USD$1.5M

According to the United States Department of Justice:

United States District Court Judge Stephen R. Clark accepted a plea of guilty from Glenda Seim, 81 years old of Kirkwood, Missouri on November 2, 2021 for two counts of identity theft related to her participation as a “money mule” in various fraudulent schemes on behalf of her online romantic interest.  A grand jury in the Eastern District of Missouri previously indicted Seim for the charges.

A “money mule” is a person who receives fraudulently obtained money and merchandise on behalf of a scammer, and then forwards the proceeds to the scammer.

Sometime during 2014, Seim began an online relationship with an individual who claimed to be a United States citizen with business interests in Nigeria. Throughout the years, Seim’s purported romantic interest would ask for her assistance in paying fees, taxes, and penalties to the Nigerian government or his business associates. He claimed that he could not leave Nigeria unless he paid those funds. Despite having never met her romantic interest in person or communicated with him in any form other than texting, Seim began sending him money from her Social Security retirement benefits and pension. He later asked her to pawn electronic equipment that he had others send to her in the mail and forward the funds to him.

Because the return was not as high as he wanted, Seim began participating in other fraudulent schemes including: receiving MoneyGram wire transfers from senders she did not know; depositing counterfeit and fraudulently obtained checks into financial accounts she opened; allowing her romantic interest to fraudulently transfer funds from the financial accounts of various businesses into her financial accounts; and accepting unemployment insurance benefit payments on behalf of individuals she did not know.  A check drawn on the retirement account of a romance fraud victim in the amount of $100,000 was among Seim’s fraudulent deposits. Seim kept a portion of the funds fraudulently obtained before providing the balance to her online romantic partner.

Despite warnings by wire transfer agencies, local policeLocal Police The Local Police is your first responder in most countries. In most English-speaking countries and in Europe report to them first. In other countries look for your national cybercrime police units to report scams to. In the U.S., Canada, & Australia, you must report to the local police first. officers, federal law enforcement representatives, and bank representatives and the forced closing of her financial accounts, Seim continued to facilitate the transfer of funds on behalf of her online romantic interest. Between June 2014 and February 2021, Seim attempted to conduct fraudulent transactions between $550,000 and $1,500,000.

Seim is scheduled to be sentenced on February 10, 2022.

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the United States Secret Service.

This Is A Particularly Sad Case

Glenda was clearly manipulated and controlled by the scammers engineering the romance scam and the subsequent activities.

As we know, romance scamsScams A Scam is a confidence trick - a crime -  is an attempt to defraud a person or group after first gaining their trust through deception. Scams or confidence tricks exploit victims using their credulity, naïveté, compassion, vanity, irresponsibility, or greed and exploiting that. Researchers have defined confidence tricks as "a distinctive species of fraudulent conduct ... intending to further voluntary exchanges that are not mutually beneficial", as they "benefit con operators ('con men' - criminals) at the expense of their victims (the 'marks')". A scam is a crime even if no money was lost. are especially powerful both in their psychology and in the level of manipulation that can be employed against a victim. And while clearly, this victim was warned by authorities, she was powerless to stop. However, instead of a proper psychiatric determination, the government decided to prosecute.

To make a determination from a distance is very hard, but seeing the above video leads to an inescapable conclusion that she still exists in substantial denialDenial Denial is a refusal or unwillingness to accept something or to accept reality. Refusal to admit the truth or reality of something, refusal to acknowledge something unpleasant; And as a term of Psychology: denial is a defense mechanism in which confrontation with a personal problem or with reality is avoided by denying the existence of the problem or reality.. She shows hallmarks of traumaTrauma Emotional and psychological trauma is the result of extraordinarily stressful events that shatter your sense of security, making you feel helpless in a dangerous world. Psychological trauma can leave you struggling with upsetting emotions, memories, and anxiety that won’t go away. It can also leave you feeling numb, disconnected, and unable to trust other people. Traumatic experiences often involve a threat to life or safety or other emotional shocks, but any situation that leaves you feeling overwhelmed and isolated can result in trauma, even if it doesn’t involve physical harm. It’s not the objective circumstances that determine whether an event is traumatic, but your subjective emotional experience of the event. The more frightened and helpless you feel, the more likely you are to be traumatized. Trauma requires treatment, either through counseling or therapy or through trauma-oriented support programs, such as those offered by SCARS. in her demeanor as well.

As we have written about many times, the level of manipulation that victims go through is extraordinary. Significant trauma can result with the ending of a romance scam and it is natural for a victim to avoid that ending by living in a state of denial.

LEARN MORE ABOUT MONEY MULES HERE!

What is especially striking in this case, and in most others of elderly victims that were converted into money mulesMoney mules Money mules are a type of money laundering where a person transfers illicit funds through a medium (such as a bank account) to obfuscate where the money came from. There are different types of money mules including witting, unwitting, and complicit. or even accomplices, is that they did this will under the full control of the criminals. Putting someone like this through a trial and conviction and sentencing is cruel and unnecessary. This is a mental healthMental health Mental health, defined by the World Health Organization (WHO), is "a state of well-being in which the individual realizes his or her own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to his or her community". According to WHO, mental health includes "subjective well-being, perceived self-efficacy, autonomy, competence, intergenerational dependence, and self-actualization of one's intellectual and emotional potential, among others". From the perspectives of positive psychology or of holism, mental health may include an individual's ability to enjoy life and to create a balance between life activities and efforts to achieve psychological resilience. Cultural differences, subjective assessments, and competing professional theories all affect how one defines "mental health". issue not a criminalCriminal A criminal is any person who through a decision or act engages in a crime. This can be complicated, as many people break laws unknowingly, however, in our context, it is a person who makes a decision to engage in unlawful acts or to place themselves with others who do this. A criminal always has the ability to decide not to break the law, or if they initially engage in crime to stop doing it, but instead continues. justice issue.

In no way do we condone her actions, but these were not the actions of a person who had otherwise led a life of morality and integrity. These were the actions of someone under the control and manipulation of professional criminals focused only on their own gain.

Unfortunately, this is the model that law enforcement is increasingly turning to, to stop money mules. Arresting and prosecuting them, instead of institutional mental healthcare.

As long as there are romance scams, and as long as there are romance scam victims, there will be money mules who live in such denial that they cannot accept reality. But we need to find a better way to end their activities with greater compassion because the difference between a normal scam victim and someone like this is the slimmest of margins.

Resources

To learn more about money mules and how to stop or help them we suggest the following:

• 5 Steps Guide For Money Mules
• Find a trauma counselor or therapist: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists/trauma-and-ptsd
• Find a criminal law attorney: Criminal Law – FindLaw

SCARS RSN Articles About Mules:

• What Is A Money Mule? – An Overview
• Money Laundering Presents Grave Dangers For Scam Victims & Mules
• Money Mule Series: About Banking & Legal Responsibility
• All About Money Mules
• Scam Victims & Violating The Law
• Giving Out Your Banking Information – SCARS™ Scam Warning
• What Are Scammer Money Mules?
• Understanding and Protecting Yourself Against Money Mule Schemes
• The Difference Between A Scammer’s MULE and a MOLE
• Landmark Case Changes Everything For Money Mules
• Criminal Crack Down On Money Mules Worldwide
• Europe Continues The Global Crackdown On Money Mules
• Missouri Money/Parcel Mule Convicted
• Another Senior Faces Jail As A Scammer Drug Mule
• Scam Basics: From Victim To Criminal
• FBI Warning About Scammers Recruiting Mules
• Rubberband Bank Wire Transfer Scams [Infographic]
• Why Reporting Matters?
• Editorial: Attitudes Are Changing