United Nations Orthopedic Surgeon in Yemen may be Scammer
In recent years, romance scams have become a growing problem as more people turn to online dating sites and social media platforms to find new love. Unfortunately, scammers have also noticed this trend and are now using these platforms to spy on vulnerable individuals. One such example is a romance scam in which a romance scammer poses as an orthopedic surgeon in Yemen.
The process for scammers posing as surgeons
The process is always very similar. A woman meets a man somewhere on the Internet who pretends to be an orthopedic surgeon. This man then begins an online love affair with the woman.
After several weeks of online communication, the surgeon starts asking her for money, claiming that he needs it for various medical expenses. Before that, the men try to gain the victims’ trust, so that the women believe almost everything the scammers claim.
But can I check the legitimacy of a man who says he is an orthopedist working for the UN in Yemen? Well, first of all, you should not believe such stories and be very skeptical. Check his bio, pictures and personal details to see if there are any contradictions. If you get stuck and still want to know the truth, write to us. We can check for you if he or other medical providers are there and are real. This may cost you some money, but it will give you the truth.
Romance Scams and the Medical Profession
Love scams can take many forms, but they typically involve a person pretending to be someone they are not in order to gain the victim’s trust and affection.
Once the scammer has gained the victim’s trust, they will often begin asking for money or other favours.
The perpetrator of a love scam chooses certain professions for their cover, and certain professions are particularly suited to this type of scam. This is especially true for medical professionals, who are often viewed as trustworthy and caring individuals. Scammers may use their position as a medical professional to gain the trust of their victims and lend credibility to their false claims. Typically, an orthopaedic surgeon in a war zone does not have time for online dating. Keep that in mind.
Scammers use stolen pictures of other people. They simply claim to be the person in the pictures.
Real case study of such a fraud
Military Doctor Seeking Wife
My story begins in early December, when a Bentley Jones from the U.S. wrote to me on the Internet through a dating portal (Editor’s note: The scammers also make requests via a social media platform such as Facebook and Instagram).
He introduced himself as a man from Norway who lived in Texas and was looking for a serious relationship. He claims to be an Orthopedic Surgeon working for the UN.
He said he was a U.S. military doctor currently in Yemen. He said that the Doctors without Borders organization has many doctors in local health facilities that are responsible for caring for the population, children and soldiers abroad. Now he is looking forward to his retirement in a few weeks. An orphan and widower, he has an 11-year-old son for whom he is looking for a new mother.
Editor’s note: The same scam works with pretending to be a military doctor in Aleppo, Syria and in any other country where there is a military crisis.
I quickly realized that we were on the same wavelength. We exchanged many pleasantries, as well as our email addresses. Then we connected via Skype, which we used to listen to music together.
Sometimes we would talk all night on Skype. He could see me, but I was not allowed to see him for security reasons. He was in Yemen and didn’t want to get in trouble for breaking the United Nations rules. So a picture transmission over Skype would not be allowed and a video chat is not possible.
Bentley Jones told me about his tough job as a surgeon in the war zone and the wounded soldiers he had to treat. He said that one of his patients had recently died after an attack; it made him very sad. Being a U.S. military doctor, he said, is a dangerous life and he fears for his life just like other doctors. On the ground, he said, the whole work situation is a daily struggle to survive with all the attacks in the war zone. He is constantly afraid of dying.
The box with a lot of money appears
Soon there was talk of love, and he called me honey. Love – that I was still experiencing it at my age. Until one day my doctor let me in on the secret of his life. He had a box with a lot of cash in US dollars and gold, as well as important documents certifying that he could open a private clinic upon his return.
He had received the money from his last general (who had since died) for his good service as a military doctor. I was puzzled as to where the money came from, since the accounts in Yemen were supposedly frozen. He would not have access to the account until he left the army.
For security reasons, he would have had the box shipped from Yemen to Ghana with the Red Cross to a company that often did work for the military and the United Nations. His general would have recommended this reputable Suntech Fast Delivering Service in Accra, Ghana.
For a fee, the box should come to Me
Since the company had no storage facilities, the box was to come to me.
I agreed. After all, it was about our common future, as Bentley kept telling me.
Shortly after that I received the first request for $1800 for the delivery, which should be at my place within 48 hours. I scraped together the money from my credit card and made the payment via Western Union.
Bentley assured me that I would get the money back as soon as the box arrived. He would then give me the code to the combination lock. Meanwhile, a diplomat from the UN would be in touch to work things out with me.
The box / package delivery is often used by scammers. Because scenarios like the need to pay for additional taxes or problems with customs can and will be used to demand more money
The first problems with the box
After 2 days, an e-mail arrived from the diplomat who was to accompany the box. He had arrived by plane at London Heathrow. There was a problem because the documents were not complete.
Missing were
- an anti-drug certificate
- and anti-terror document
which cost money again. Bentley then told me that it was the last payment and that our future could not be ruined by not getting the box because of the small fee.
So I took out a loan because my account was already overdrawn. I always had in the back of my mind that yes, I would have the money immediately after I received the box.
After the payment was made and I received an anti-drug and anti-terror document from the UN, he contacted me again. Now a stamp would be missing because of the delay, otherwise the crate could not be transported any further. So I transferred money again for the fees.
Anti-terror document allegedly missing
Two days later, the box was stuck in my country. A catastrophe, because a local anti-drug and anti-terror document was missing. Because of the delay – 3 weeks had passed in the meantime – the costs amounted to $22,300! I did not have the money.
After negotiations by “my husband”, as he always called himself after a while, the costs were reduced to $11,500, which I also did not have.
I then told the supposed diplomat that I could raise a maximum of $5,000. He accepted. I was able to pay $2,000 via Western Union, the other $3,000 were fortunately not accepted by the bank.
I should borrow money
The diplomat then pressured me to ask friends, family members or colleagues to make the transfer on my behalf via their bank account or Western Union. I didn’t do that because no one would show their ID and details. He had the idea that I could send the money in a package, which I refused.
Bentley wanted to come to me in early February because his contract had expired. He sent me his flight information. He was going to fly out of Riad because he couldn’t get a flight out of the capital, Sanaa, because of the war. I did not know that the distance between these cities was over 800 miles. He would not have made the flight in time because I had talked to him in the afternoon the day before.
Doctor does not show up at the airport
I took 2 weeks off work to pick him up at the airport. Then I waited at the airport for three hours and no one showed up. I was worried, but I could not get any information from the airline. So I went back home.
The man allegedly shot
Four days later, I received an email from a Major Raymond saying that my “husband” had been shot and wounded in the arm on his way out of the country. He was now being brought back to the hospital for surgery. She was a Red Cross doctor, she said, who was taking care of him on behalf of Doctors without Borders.
She would arrange for me to talk to my husband in two days. The treatment would continue until then. The chat worked then, but not much came out of it, as again countless love vows and his concern for the box.
Conversation with an PI opened my eyes
Unfortunately, it was only then that I confided in a friend who gave me the idea that it must be a scam. Her aunt had suffered a similar fate in the past. She had lost a lot of money. She referred me to the detective agency A Plus, which could clarify the facts.
From then on, I ignored the calls from the diplomat, who kept threatening me with customs investigations. I also did not respond to emails and messages from Bentley and his “doctor,” who were all worried because I was not contacting them.
I now know that he is not a military doctor and that UN doctors do not ask for money. All the names are fake and his profile photo is simply stolen.
The end of the love story – high debts
I have not been able to laugh for a long time. The next 10 years I have to suffer from it, because I have to pay off high credit instalments. I have lost a five-digit sum, a fortune for me. Everyone may now think: How can you be so naive?
You wouldn’t believe how quickly you can slip into this network of entanglements. The scammers appear unexpectedly everywhere and work on the victims with such unscrupulous and sophisticated psychological manipulation that a normal person cannot imagine.
These fraudsters are called scammers
I have since read about the scammers’ modus operandi in other testimonials from scam victims on the detective agency’s website Lovescammer.com. After the alleged doctor was exposed as a love scammer, I wrote this article about the scam as a false doctor.
I can only warn all women not to get involved with men from foreign countries on the Internet. Love makes the victims blind. And the perpetrators deliberately take advantage of this.
So it was possible for me to give away a lot of money to foreign people and to go to my limits. Spurred on and motivated by a man who wanted to spend his future with me. Under normal circumstances, I would not have gotten involved.
Scammers are very skilled at manipulating their victims
Unfortunately, I was so skilfully manipulated and pressured that I could hardly think for myself. Rather, I felt like a puppet, a willing victim of the perpetrators.
My doubts were dispelled with reassuring counter-arguments. It is unbelievable that people can be so ruthless and drive their victims to ruin.
The man was exposed as a fraud who was not an Army doctor for the UN. I found out too late because I was not familiar with fraud or romance scams.
The police could not help me to do anything against the perpetrators. It is a pity that I did not know A Plus Detective Agency before.
Usually, scammers are only interested in money.
Preventing Romance Scams
Preventing romance scams can be difficult, but there are some steps individuals can take to protect themselves.
The main rule is to be cautious when communicating with someone online, especially if the relationship is moving quickly or if the person is asking for money or personal information. It is also important to verify the person’s identity and be sceptical of claims that seem too good to be true.
In addition to these rule, it is also important to educate yourself about romance scams and be aware of the latest tactics used by scammers. This can help individuals recognize red flags and avoid becoming a victim.
Our advice: never trust a man you met on Internet web sites or social media accounts and have never seen in person. If he asks you for financial help is very important: never send money to a stranger. Romance scammers have only one thing in mind: to gain other people’s money.
This scam is part of the so-called Military Romance Scams, where scammers pose as military personnel or doctors in war zones. But: real military members do not ask people they just met on the Internet or on a dating site or dating apps for money.
The scammers create fake profiles with stolen photos and use identity theft to do it.
One of the most significant warning signs: People pretending to be Doctors without Borders employees requesting money to pay for
- medical procedures for fictitious patients
- transportation costs
- medical fees
- communication fees
- marriage processing
are most likely a scammer and not service members. Usually they want the money via wire transfer, cash transfer, Bitcoins or gift card.
If you have met someone online, our private investigators will find out the truth about whether or not he or she is a real person.
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