UN doctor in Syria could be a scammer
In a currently popular scam on the Internet, marriage scammers are posing as a doctor in Syria.
Here is a true story from a victim that shows you how the scam works as a doctor working in Damascus or Aleppo.
The criminals look for their victims on the Internet on platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and Twitter or dating sites. The victims are primarily women. Here is the story of a scammer who pretended to be a doctor at the United Nations.
The first contact is made via the Internet
Some time ago, a “Mark Thomas” wrote to me on “Instagram.” However, he could just as well have written via
- Tinder
- Words with friends
- any social media platform
- any dating site
- any dating apps
Curious, I replied to him.
Quite quickly he gave me his cell phone number so we could communicate via WhatsApp. He claims to be an Orthopedic Surgeon working for the UN.
After a short time the American doctor wants to marry me
After a short time, he already wrote that I should become his wife and that he wanted a relationship with me. However, he does this without ever having asked me about private things, such as my hobbies. Who marries a woman he knows nothing about?
Despite all this, I kept in touch with him and asked him to send me a photo of himself. He did and I got a nice photo of him working at the hospital.
I asked him where he was from and where he was now. He replied that he was from New York, USA and that he was currently in the Syrian war zone. He had to stay there for another 4 months and was living in a camp.
Scammers often pose as doctors on missions in foreign countries. Sooner or later something will happen and only your money can help them.
As his wife I should help him to get out of Syria
When I asked him if he was in the country voluntarily or forced, he started whining that I should help him get out of there. I couldn’t want him to die there.
Life there would hardly be bearable. In his camp today, a soldier from the military and two dogs were shot. One of the dogs belonged to him.
I had actually heard a dog barking during several phone calls with him. It was cruel and so terrible in that country. I should help him to get away from there, because he had become afraid for his life.
Disasters in the war zone scare the UN doctor
When I contacted him again in the evening and asked what he was doing, he replied that he was preparing an operation.
He said that today had been a cruel day, that two people had died and that two others were in a coma.
He always sent me nice photos in response to my questions. However, he wrote that he was not allowed to send photos from the hospital. He was only doing this to make me happy, because he felt so much love for me.
His first request for money
Soon after, he asked me for my email address so that he could send me some documents. He also asked me for $1,000.
He needed this amount so that he could register me as his wife. This was necessary so that he could take a vacation and finally visit me. He had no credit card locally, it was in the USA. In addition, he has no access to his account from there.
Video phone calls are supposedly forbidden in the camp
We talked on the phone a few times via WhatsApp. I kept telling him that I would prefer if we talked on Skype, because then I could see him. But he never wanted that. Supposedly, video chat would be forbidden in the camp. Only a normal chat would be possible.
In his WhatsApp messages he talked about “true love” and trust. He seemed to like the photos of me. I must admit that here I was also unfortunately blinded by love.
More and more doubts came
However, somehow doubts came to me. That’s why I wrote him that if he was really interested in me as a woman, then it would be possible for him to come to me without me having to send him money. After all, he was a doctor and should have enough money.
Becoming suspicious, I wrote him that I thought his profile picture was a fake photo. I asked him if he was a scammer. To this he replied rather surprised “What fake? My face?”
I didn’t let up. Instead, I continued to write that I was no longer sure that he was really in Syria working as an orthopedic surgeon or if it was all made up and he was a fraud.
I confronted him about the scam and the fake profile. In response I got only a short message “What? I don’t understand!”
Up to that point, he always responded to my messages very quickly. However, after I told him my doubts and did not transfer any money, the scammer suddenly took his time.
The last message I got from the scammer was a photo and a smiley with heart with the words that he still loves me! So he still hopes that I would give him some money. These scammers are extremely brazen in dealing with victims.
Beware of doctor from Syria contacting via internet
In the past, we have heard of a wide variety of similar scams from the scammers, which many victims have fallen for. According to these, someone often stays on Syrian territory as a doctor, an employee of an aid organization, or in other public activity, or belongs to the military as a soldier or military doctor.
In addition to Syria, other countries popular with the scammers as an alleged place of residence include
- Yemen
- Iraq
- Lebanon
- Afghanistan
All of these scams have one thing in common: the people allegedly want to get out of the country at all costs, need money to do so, and this money is then supposed to be transferred to a faraway country. The money then goes to the scammer via Western Union or to a dubious account of a middleman, so that it is lost for the victims once and for all.
Posing as military personal stationed in a foreign country is very often used by scammers.
Warning signs for military romance scams
Some typical warning signs that you are not dealing with a real representative of the military forces, but with a group of romance scammers:
- You have never met him in person
- All your communication has been strictly online
- He can’t access his bank account
- He needs money
- He is a widower
- Low friend count on social media
- No recent posts on social media accounts
- The account has very few photos
- The photos are posted in the same date range
- He is requesting money to pay for medical procedures for himself
- He needs money for medical treatment for his child. But: Military members never have to pay medical fees for family members
- Asks you for money for transportation costs,
- Needs money for communication fees,
- He asks about fees for the marriage processing
- He asks for a wire transfer for travel arrangements
- He sends his passport copy and documents as proof
Advice: How to avoid becoming a victim of the scammers
If such a person writes to you, it is best to block the contact immediately. One thing you must not do under any circumstances: Transfer money, because otherwise you will quickly become a victim of a scam, which belongs to the so-called scamming. In 90 percent of cases, it is a woman who becomes a victim of scammers.
The fact is: a UN doctor working in a war zone hardly has the time to chat for a long time with a woman anywhere in the world. The man can only be a scammer who wants to cheat a woman out of her savings. In fact, said doctor is likely to be a scammer from Africa in reality.
That’s why the rule always applies: never send money or sensitive information to friends from the Internet whom you have never seen before.
We check doctors in Syria to see if there has been identity theft
Are you connected with a US Army military doctor or a UN doctor on a mission in Kabul, Afghanistan, Damascus, Syria or Aden, Yemen (read the article: Orthopedic Surgeon United Nations in Yemen) or anywhere else from abroad? Or are you in contact with an alleged U.S. soldier in Syria?
Our private investigators will check the man for you in a very discreet way. He will not notice any of this. The verification will cost you some money, but you will know for sure who you are dealing with. With our services you protect yourself from a possible Romance Scam.
Write to us and tell us what data you have from the man. Our detectives will check your chat partner from the Internet and determine whether he is genuine or a fraudster who only wants your money. This verification is possible worldwide.
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