Friday, May. 30, 2003 - 10:26 p.m.
The Love Scam.
I joined an Online dating service and met a beautiful woman named Connie Young.
If you want to see what she wrote about herself paste this link into your browser and take a look at her photo and profile:
http://www.emode.com/match/profile.jsp?id=28400691
I broke off the budding relationship when I began to have suspicions about her actual gender and identity.
The primary suspicion came when after less than a month she began saying that she loved me. We hardly knew each other. So I asked to talk with her by phone, and gave her my cell phone number to call me. She refused to talk by phone, and insisted that we continued to email in our exchanges. Not even instant messaging, full emails!
I grew suspicious because anyone who loves some one wants to be as close as possible, and a phone call conveys so much with the sound of a voice.
My dearest friend in the whole wide world has a voice that I find pure heaven, and miss her so much when I can’t hear her voice. Connie is definitely not like that at all!
She also told me about her niece Juliet Sear who is entered in the National American Miss Beauty pageant. She said that her niece need a sponsor to raise money for her entry fees of $400, She asked me to send a check to P.O. Box 625, Greenville, NY 12083. When I checked I discovered the PO Box was registered to a Lisa Sear.
Sear is not the maiden name that Connie had by the way.
I WRITE:
Dear Connie:
As your Mother has said, there is some reason to be cautious when meeting people on line. My doubts about you are very basic. Are you who you say you are?
I have been looking for proof that you are a licensed practicing attorney in the state of New York. That you are in fact a female Yale Law School graduate and Officer of the Court in New York State.
So far none of the information you have given me produces proof that you are who you say you are. More basic is the question of your gender, which a phone call would verify. Realizing that you do not want to call, only gives me additional reason at this point to suspect that you are a male posing as a female. I am satisfied to learn whether you are a female attorney or not.
I have checked numerous records, and have talked with several law enforcement agencies to determine the existence of a Connie or Constance Young, 36 years of age, born May 19th practicing in New York State. Lives in Selkirk, NY.
All of which results in no such person or persons. If you are registered anywhere under a different name please tell me now. I have a right to know with whom I am getting involved, especially in light of recent correspondence.
Please end this mystery, and give me some proof of who you are before I go further.
If I don't hear from you again I will assume I have successfully blown your cover and will take appropriate action.
Honestly,
Robert
CONNIE REPLYS:
I am being very open and honest with you. Until I meet you in person and find out if this is going to work, I'd like to keep my maiden name to myself. I have had problems before with people trying to find out where I work, and then start calling me there and when things don't work out, often times they make life very difficult, which then gets me in trouble at work. It's these things that keep me from getting a partnership. When it comes to my profession, I am very protective. And when I fell that it's right to call you, I will. I have totally trusted you for who you say you are. I don't need to go poking around or calling a PI to check up on you. If that's the way this relationship is starting, it might not be one that I want to be in. What will be next, you putting hidden cameras places to check up on me? A tap on my phone?
I need someone who can trust me fully and not be suspicious of my every move. It hurts that you don't trust me at all.
I am who I say I am. Some kind of trust you have there, trying to go behind my back for info? I used my maiden name in my practice, and clients know who I am. With this online dating stuff, I don't disclose business info unless I'm totally sure I trust someone and meet him to make sure I do. I don't mess with that kind of stuff when it comes to my professional life. I am exactly who I say I am, and I'm surprised you would even question me … Let me know when you think you can trust me, and I'll talk to you then. Connie
This type of logic sounds very controlling, and something that a confidence man would say to control his victim. In this case, it’s me.
And so goes the Chronicles. Looking for love in all the wrong places
