What is Paid Leave?

I think I may be the first man to post on here. I have been talking to a young lady I met on Scout. She too is stationed overseas and needs money added to card for Liberty Leave. However she has sent me a copy of military ID. I get a lot of scammers and usually know by the way they talk and fall in love so quick so I like to play along till I get bored.

@Aryanne24: Please search for my nickname "amypollick" on this page for the responses to your questions and detailed reasons. The short answer is these people are *not* in the military, U.S. or otherwise, do not need money for their leave or medication, and they can access their money any time, no matter where they are.

You are being scammed. Cut off all contact with these people. They are pretending to be military to take your money.

I want to know who pays for the leave for a military person and do they have access to their account anywhere?

I met Sergeant Machado. His base was in Mali. He asked me to pay his ticket and now his medicine. He says he cannot get access to his account.

I've also met two others: Sergeant Collin in Afghanistan. He wants me to pay his leave of 200 dollars and ticket for 500 dollars. The other sergeant, Micheal Smith, asked me to write to the Army and when the Army responded, they asked me for 1500 dollars. I just want to know the truth. I am confused and lost.

I'm Italian, so sorry if my English is not very good. Hope you'll understand. Thanks for all the information about the U.S. Army. Thanks a lot. I've met a "U.S. soldier" on Facebook. His name is Frank Dickson Pedro, but after a few weeks, he asked me for money because he was on a mission in Afghanistan and could not have the access to his account in the States! But fortunately I did not send the money! He wanted $4,700! He says he is a widower with a kid of 6 and the money was for his kid's school fee. Liar!

These people are really terrible. They play with our feelings! It's awful! He hurt me! He has stolen my heart! He was very kind and sent me so many wonderful emails. I feel like a fool now and very sad. Never mind.

I fell in love with his photo at first. He really was wow looking, that U.S. soldier. I have to say, "Wow."

There was a weird thing. On the uniform, in the photo, the surname was Gutierrez. So I asked him why? He said that Frank Dickson is the name on his American passport and Frank Omar Gutierrez was the full registration name in the Army. That was the first meeting I had on the internet and I can say it will be the last one.

I'd like to talk to the real U.S. soldier Gutierrez. He is so handsome in that photo. I love him! Does anyone knows him? In real life, I mean. Any help? Maybe is single, who knows?

Anyway, thanks indeed to those who are helping us on this web site. You are doing a really important job. Thanks again and again for your help. I mean it. Thanks to all the soldiers in the world for their jobs.

@anon346728: Clearly, this scammer uses the same MO as I didn't identify him, but you know what name he is currently operating under. I only tried an internet dating site out of curiosity, but this experience has put me off completely. The dating sites are aware, but is there any other organization we can report him to? Luckily, I didn't get drawn in enough to send money, but he has photos of me and my family.

@anon344182: He is a scammer. I contacted the 'company,' and of course, there was no such person. He will send you lovely pics of a nice looking man. He stole the pictures from someone. At the moment he goes by the name David Turner. Beware. He is a smooth talker.

@amypollick: Thank you for your response. I had my suspicions, but confirmation from a third party just cements those suspicions. He wanted 750 - didn't say Sterling, US Dollars or smarties. I played him along for a while last night before saying no, despite his insistence that I wouldn't regret it! I told him he needs to find someone he knows to pay and if he is as honest as he said, then he wouldn't consider my request unreasonable, and if I didn't hear from him again then my caution was the best course of action.

I don't expect to hear from him again - my only concern I have is that I e-mailed photos including a couple with my teenage lads. I suspect they may use photos gained this way to use with other dating sites? I suppose I just have to put it down to bad experience.

@anon344182: Scam, scam, scam. He doesn't have to pay for a "pass card" to leave the base. He's a private contractor. He doesn't need one. All he has to do is show his ID to the base guards. However, he would be in such unsafe territory that it would be unthinkable for him to leave by himself. He would leave in a convoy, because he would be a sitting duck if he were alone.

The part about him not being able to access his funds is crap. Anyone on a U.S. military base can access their money, just as they can on a UK base. Believe it or not, they have access to ATMs and can also cash checks with the paymaster.

His "UN diplomat" friend is himself. He will give you some third party address where you can wire the money, he will pick it up and you'll either never hear from him again, or he'll have a crapload of excuses why he can't come to see you.

Besides which, private contractors don't get "leave," anyway. They are on a base or wherever for a set amount of time, and they stay the time out, and then come home. Their company pays for their trip home. They are not obliged to pay for it.

The way these characters get away with this, is their stories *sound* plausible. They're counting on women who are not from the U.S. not knowing how the U.S. military and military contractors operate. If you don't know the difference, it sounds perfectly reasonable. But it's not. Don't send this thief anything but a "goodbye," no matter what he tells you.

Having read these posts, I'm not sure if I am in the process of being scammed or not. I "met" this lovely guy on a dating site. He claims to be American living in the UK, working for a well known security company and currently contracted to the UN and working in Pakistan and staying at a military base over there. He tells me his "tour" has been extended, but he is able to apply for leave to return home, but he can't access his funds while working away from home. He is asking if I can pay for the pass card which allows him to leave the base and he will reimburse me when he gets back. The money, apparently will go to a diplomat in the UK.

I have asked questions like why can't his company or the UN arrange/pay for the pass card, but he says it doesn't work that way and his company have their terms and policies. He seems to be involved with government/security. I haven't asked too many questions but maybe I ought to. Any thoughts on whether this seems to be the real thing or just a scam??

Scammers! I fell for it. Beware of these weirdos. Mine did not ask for money, but just a lot of bull crap and playing with your emotions. Wish they were real but they are not. My son warned me. I am so gullible.

I am wondering, if you ask someone who says they are a deployed military soldier in Afghanistan in combat zone or war region- to take a picture of themselves immediately upon request, something funny, like their finger in their ear or whatever...and they do, does this mean they are for real? One "sergeant" I have talked to did this when I asked. He had on a uniform, was supposed to be a marine, had his same last name on the right front pocket.

This same man has also sent me other pictures of himself and buddies, always same last name on his uniform. This same man is also saying his Commander's name is: (David Rodriguez- Cmsgt). My question is also, if you contacted the military base, would the M.B be able to check to see if the soldier is genuine, and can they give you these answers?

I have been in communication with an alleged U.S. military guy, and talked to him for two months.

I found this from scams and asked if he was part of this and he told me that I had nothing to do with it, that he is honest, but then I said to check. He said the truth was he had to arrange a vocational leave, to come to see me, but they would have to pay $300.

I asked him to send a recent photo and military ID and he tells me he can't. I have asked him to stop writing to me but he said he's never going to stop sending me emails, because this is love. He supposedly is Sergeant Bobby Andy Harris, born in Texas.

I had the same experience. I met a US army "serviceman" in Kabul, Kevin Helman, widowed, with a 14-year old son. He seemed to be very nice and wrote to me every day and we chatted online for about one month. He told me he was given a very valuable gift from the king of Kabul and he wanted to send the gift parcel to me to show his undying love because he wanted to marry me. But he asked me to pay $1800 dollars for the shipping since he was serving in Afghanistan and was not allowed to keep cash during the mission. Be careful! It is scam.

I'm currently talking to a Peter Gray of US Army who says he is from Ohio, but is currently in Australia, and is putting on a very good show of saying he loves, etc.

He also has asked me for money so that he can take a leave. I have been through a scam before and I can see this coming again. Last night, I tried to unfriend him and he pleaded with me to be his friend again. I felt sorry because I wasn't so sure about the military leaves and how it all worked. Somehow I stumbled across this and I found my answer. These men should be prosecuted for doing evil things like this, leading a woman on and betraying her. This needs to stop. I had a UK man claiming he was a marine engineer, he also was looking for money!

I have been asked the same too. He said he works for the US Army that is based at Fort Bragg in North Carolina and that now he is based in Kabul. He told me to send an email to his officer that I am his fiancee and that to request leave for him to come home.

So I did that for him and I have received the Family Leave Request Form for me to request leave for him. I haven't done it yet. So this could be a scam too.

I am currently in the loop with this "Capt. Jack F. Smith" and I am way ahead of him. This one's for you ladies! I will keep him twisting in the wind for as long as I can! I will check back for tips if you have any.

@anon297826: I think he's lying and got the news about the dead solider on the Internet. I have said it before: if a solider asks you for money for leave, it's a *fake*! Period! U.S. soldiers do *not* have to pay to fly home, or for leave, and it is extremely rare for one soldier at a time to fly home, unless it's a family emergency. The entire unit leaves at once. I work with a guy whose son is just back stateside from Afghanistan, and he will be back home this week. My co-worker hasn't had to pay a dime to get his son back home, and his son's entire unit left at the same time.

The Army doesn't transfer people in and out of a combat zone one at a time. They do it as a unit except, as I mentioned, for family emergencies.

You said he would come to the U.S. to meet you, so I'm assuming that's where you are. Here's something you can do: call the local Army recruiter in your town and ask him or her about paid leave. I guarantee he or she will tell you the same thing I just did, and that will be from an official source. Don't send any money to this jerk. You're being scammed.

Has anyone out there ever talked to someone stationed in Kabul, Afghanistan named "Stephen Blair"? We met online a week ago and already he wants to marry me. Like others, his wife died seven months ago from liver cancer, he also has nine year old son who is living in North Dakota with his sister Gloria. He has been on cam once and he has sent me pics of him and his friends and with afghan children around him. He asked me to write to his captain requesting vocational leave so that he could come back to the US to meet me.

The person I wrote is named Martin Dempsey who replied and said that there is a fee of $550.00 just to do the paperwork, and when I asked my soldier friend in question how I will pay for his flight home, he said that his sister and I will have to work that out between us.

Last Saturday I saw on the news where a 25 year old soldier from Coral Springs, FL. was killed in Afghanistan and his body was brought home for burial. I mentioned it to him without giving the deceased soldier's name. He replied and confirmed the incident and even mentioned the deceased by name.

I want to believe that he is genuine, but because I have heard so many hard luck stories in the past, I am sort of skeptical. What do you think?

I have two more scammers to add: someone who says he's a staff sergeant in Afghanistan named Eric Thomas Spradlin, known as Tom. Someone supposedly from the Army messaged me for money for his transfer for leave from Afghanistan to Australia, then requested more money to relocate so he could take off from a safer place. The second man says he is Dennis Gilbert, also a staff sergeant, who assisted in the scam. All these people need to be stopped.

My scammer is named John Owen. He found me on a dating site. There was no photo on the dating site, but he immediately left the site, too, as soon as we had contact.

When we started mailing, I got a photo immediately. He says he is in Kabul in the army. He said his wife and two of three sons died in a plane crash seven years ago. He never asked me for money. My scammer has money -- lots of money.

What did he want then? My daughter opened my eyes yesterday, and in the wonderful mail this morning, he wrote that he enjoyed it so much to be online with me yesterday evening. Only we weren't online. I'm shocked and feel so silly.

He's not only a scammer, he is a poet and understands very well what women want. Oh! Did I fall for him!

I met a guy on facebook who says he is Colonel Bowen Smith Cliff. He is not real and is a scammer. He stole the picture from some other US Army guy's facebook page.

I always talked to him on yahoo messenger with the web cam, but he would never show his face because he was really from a third world country.

He told me he loved me after only one day. He said he had a mansion in Los Angeles, in America. They were all lies but it wasn't until he rang my house phone that I knew he was not American. He asked me to request his leave and that he didn't have access to his account. I kissed him out then.

I know US Army guys have always got access to ATM machines and their money. At least I didn't send him money.

I have had the same experience with Sgt. Michael Stranks, and boy did I fall for it. He told me he loved me and wanted to marry me. He asked me for 200 pounds for his son as his mum was poor and needed an operation. I never sent any money, but then he asked me for clothes, deodorant and soap. I did send it, but to my amazement, the parcel came back to me and I didn't lose out -- he did.

He then said I could do a web cam and see and talk to him to know he is real which would cost me 150 pounds, which I can't afford. He thinks I am going to send it. Well, he can think again. They have no shame for the real soldiers fighting over there.

He's really good, but I feel like an idiot now. There's still got to be someone out there who means what they say.

@anon288356: See my response in Post 122, item 5. Short answer: He's lying to you.

I've met a man who's a soldier in the U.S Army who says he's deployed in Afghanistan, and since we met he says he wants to meet me. However he said because he's in Afghanistan, he does not have access to his ATM card or credit cards etc, to be able to use to pay for a flight to see me.

He asked me to pay for his flight and said he gets an Army discount so it's cheap for me. I have not sent him anything yet and won't until I get the facts right that he's being truthful to me about what he said. But can you please find out this for me whether what he says is true or he's lying to me?

@anon286056: I've said it before, but it bears repeating: these people are *not* U.S. soldiers. Or British, Australian, etc. Anyone can set up a Facebook page and can copy photos from someone else's page. I'm betting the photos on his page are also on another page under another name. The people who do this are professional scammers. Period. They are out to get your money from the start.

Here are some good points to remember if you run into someone who says he is a U.S. soldier and needs money for something.

1. U.S. soldiers have good health insurance through the government for themselves and family members. They have no need to ask you to give them money for a child's medical bills. This is covered.

2. The armed forces provide them with ample clothing, food and necessities, and they can buy clothes and toiletries on base.

3. They receive regular paychecks and can access their money at any time, unless they're on a mission, fighting, obviously. If they're on base, they can get to their money.

4. They can call home anytime via Skype or phone cards. They don't need you to buy them some satellite phone.

5. The armed forces arranges their leave. They don't have to pay for *anything* and their families do not have to request it. The *soldier* requests the leave and it is approved by his commanding officer. In forward areas like Afghanistan, individual leave is *only* approved for something like a death in the family. Otherwise, entire units are sent on leave at the same time. They are then replaced by other units. Soldiers don't just request leave from Afghanistan.

So, if *any* guy says he's in the armed forces, and does anything that conflicts with the above points, he's not in the military and is trying to get your money.

These people are counting on women from other countries not knowing much about how the U.S. military works, so they make up stories that sound plausible, and count on women outside the U.S. to not know any different. They don't know much about how the military operates, either, but they also figure no one outside the U.S. does. Be wary.

I'm adding a solider who says he's from Kabul, Afghanistan. The same thing has happened to me. It started off that he wanted $200 to help pay for his son's operation because he could not do anything. His mother is poor and his wife died in a car accident. I told him I was sorry that I could not help I'm a a single parent. He got weird and took me off Facebook, then he asked me to be his friend again, which I did. I was a silly cow to fall for his charm. I could not believe he wanted to marry me.

Everything was fine, then he told me that he needed clothes, deodorant and toilet soap, which I sent, then he said he could not wait to see me and he wanted to surprise me and marry me. Well, I was over the moon. I could not believe someone wanted to marry me.

He said he wanted to come over and plan the wedding and he would pay for everything and didn't want to break my heart. He said I was the best thing to happen to him since his wife died. I was all bloody dreamy over him – what we women like.

So then, he asked me to request a leave for him. I said OK, then he said he was worried because he knew my financial status so I asked how much and he said $500, and said I would get it back. I told him I was so sorry but I did not have that kind of money. He was fine with that and said he understood and would wait until I saved for it, which I was going to do, but after reading all this, he has no chance.

What a fool I have been. My two boys were saying it was all wrong and I was saying yeah, but he is true. I could not believe a good looking man like him wanted to marry me. It sounds desperate, but I just want to be loved and want happiness, but if they think this is happiness they are horrible for playing with our heads and hearts. What gives them the right? The soldier's name is Sgt. Michael Stranks, so beware, ladies. I feel gutted. I sent the clothes, but at least I haven't sent any money, which is a good thing.

A Sgt. Ronney Smith Becker has contacted me too, through an online dating site and has professed his undying love. He says he is on a peacekeeping mission in Pakistan and is due home shortly.

He says his wife passed away two years ago in a car accident. He also says he has two little boys who live in Germany with his sister and he lives in New Jersey. I did ask him his wife's name, and he said it was Brenda Thompson. He said he loved me after couple days and now after a month chatting, he wants me to request leave for him regard the email address: us-army-info@consultat, and also I need to pay for his leave the mission, then the army will give me a refund! He sent me more than ten pictures of himself. I don't know how he got them.

@anon281691: You are being scammed. I'm in the U.S. and have many friends in service, including a co-worker who has a son serving in Afghanistan. The Army covers *all* base transfer expenses.

A soldier does have to request leave, it's true, but he or she has access to his or her money at all times. The soldier has a bank account in a U.S. bank, just like anyone else, and if stationed somewhere like the UK, can easily use his or her ATM card to get money to pay for whatever they need. Their paychecks are electronically deposited to their accounts and their money is always available to them, especially in European countries, where there's never a problem locating an ATM, or a bank that would cash traveler's checks. A soldier can also get a personal check cashed on the military base.

You also can't request a transfer for a soldier. The soldier puts in for a transfer, and if approved, the military pays all moving expenses. A soldier also requests his or her own leave, and is responsible for travel expenses. Say a soldier in the UK requested leave to go home to the US. He or she would have to pay for the plane ticket, but no one outside the base would have to pay for food or anything. He or she would pay for it.

If this jerk is saying something like he can't access his bank account or some crap like that, he's lying to you. Military personnel always have access to their money. It just depends on whether they're somewhere they can actually spend the money.

I hate to tell you, but you're being taken for a ride. Read some of the other posts on here about women who have sent money like this, and what happened. This guy doesn't exist. He's some scammer in a third world country, in all likelihood. He stole the photos from some soldier's Facebook page and is selling you a line of garbage.

Don't send him another cent and block him from contacting you. You've lost enough money on him. Don't lose any more.

Can anyone tell me about how things work for U.S Army soldiers wanting to get transfers? The guy I met has asked me to request a transfer for him and it's been approved but I have to pay for his expenses such as food, etc. since he's been on a base in the U.K., before he can leave to live in the base here in Australia.

I already paid the transfer fee because he said it's up to him to request for leave and not the Army's.

A SGT Ronney Smith Becker has contacted me through an online dating site and has professed his undying love. He says he is on a peacekeeping mission in Pakistan and is due home shortly. He has not asked me for money yet. He says his wife passed away two years ago in a car accident. He also says he has two little boys who live in Germany with his sister and he lives in New Jersey. I did ask him his wife's name, and he said it was Brenda Thompson. Luckily, I looked him up when he first contacted me and found this website. I also looked up his wife's name and nothing. Big surprise. Be very wary of him.

Well ladies, all I can advise is to keep all receipts, emails and photos of these dropkicks and contact the FBI with the information.

Please don't allow these idiots to take advantage of you.

I have been to hell and back, but there is a justice system and if you have the information and documentation and are prepared to pay an independent lawyer, then justice will be served.

A genuine military soldier will never ask you for money if he loves you.

I got to this site too late because the same thing happened to me. I met a guy online named Billy Marvel. He said he is a colonel by profession in the US Army, Isaf base in Kabul, Afghanistan.

At the beginning, he wanted to marry me and said I had to pay a vocational leave fee of $2,500 USD and later he asked me to buy a telephone for him to call me.

I registered the amount of $1,500 USD and he called me every day at first, and later he said the signal is poor.

I paid for all these things he requested and and sent it by Western Union to his agent in Nigeria. His name was as follows: Usonwu Chisomaga Charles, Ulogbenga Ola Daniel, and one from Arlington, Texas named Miguel Perez.

All in all, I have already sent him more than $10,000USD and until now he keeps on asking me to send more money to him. What a trick he is pulling to fool someone. He is really a scammer. Is there anyone who can help me by tracking who he is?

Other names to watch for are Sgt. Caden Moran and Col. Alexander Morgan or Jimmy Alexander. I have obviously also been scammed. He has not asked for money yet but my account number on a vocational leave form and my work and income details. Why they would want to know this rang alarm bells for me.

I met a man on a dating site and he's supposed to be in the US Army of Defense in Kabul, Afghanistan. He is supposed to be from Norfolk, Iowa and he's only supposed to have one son. He's been asking me to try to get his leave to come to Canada and marry me. He asked for $450 dollars. I think It's all a scam. Am I right?

Well ladies,I may have been scammed also. This guy is just like all the above mentioned! He has been going along as sweet as honey and now he needs money to help get back to see me in Australia, etc., etc., and he is asking me to put money into a lawyer's account in Benin? This will help towards the money that he has already paid. He is also on the frontline and can't get to his money. To me, that made sense but after reading all the above above posts, scam comes into mind!

I am so disappointed but that is life. But I do feel very upset as I just lost my Mum and this guy went through the whole thing with me. Jerk! His name is Sgt. Sam West. Has anyone else met him? He says he is in Kabul and from the U.S.

@margerie: Yes, regrettably, your sister is being scammed.

I don't know any Sgt. Jack Smith, but that's a fairly generic name, even for an American. It also follows the pattern of the others on here: widowed, one child, etc.

Here's the red flag: the bank account. I'm from the U.S., so obviously, I know people who have served overseas. Someone serving in the U.S. Armed Forces *never* has a problem getting to their money. Every branch of service has a system set up so all personnel have access to their money, even if there's nowhere to spend it. Any U.S. service person in the UK, for instance, probably has an ATM card and you know that ATM machines are everywhere, and probably give you the best exchange rate.

I've posted before on here, but I repeat: U.S. service personnel never have to pay for their transport home or to another base. The military pays for all that. No one has to request leave for them; they do their own leave requests, and these go entirely through military channels -- mostly so transport can be arranged.

The bottom line is *anyone* who says he is in the U.S. Armed Forces and asks for money for leave, etc., is without question, no doubt, unequivocally, a scammer. No one should waste their time with a scammer.

I think my sister is being scammed. Sgt. Jack Smith (anyone heard of him?) contacted her through internet dating site a few months ago. He's supposedly a serving US soldier in afghanistan.

He's been there 18 months, widower (wife killed in car crash), one daughter living in the USA. He says he's fallen in love with her, is going to request transfer to UK base and mentioned marriage.

He has asked her to open a bank account in her name so that he can use it. He sent one photo, which looks like it's uploaded from google.

Bottom line: my sister has fallen for him big way, believes his every word, is always online to him, day and night. It's very dodgy. Any ideas, folks? Anyone heard of him?

Thank you all. Reading all this has really saved me from making a prize idiot of myself.

I was contacted online with a really sweet message saying, "sweetness - I cannot believe my eyes - I cannot take my eyes off your picture." I noticed he came from the UK. I replied saying thank you for your nice message, but sweetness? Anyway, half an hour later, he replied, saying he really wanted to meet someone to call his own, and it was at this point, I noticed his location had changed to Chicago, Illinois.

I asked him how he could be in two places at once, and he said it was because his dad came from Bedford in the UK and married his mum, who was American. His dad had been a soldier in the royal engineer army (I thought that was a strange way to describe his dad's regiment).

Anyway, he sent me his email address, and asked if I would write to him (which I did) and I noticed he never called me by my name -- ever -- and always ended his little replies with Your Army Boy. He was supposed to be 52 years old -- hardly a boy! Plus, he has been divorced for five years. A lot of things didn't add up to me (being an ex wife of the armed services), so today I went back to the site and noticed he has deleted his account. Good thing I have saved all his messages. When I put these messages on my file to save, I noticed at the top of the text it says hi xxxxx and there are 927 profiles of men available! Also, I took the time to re-read his opening letter, and he actually says his name is moses. Why did I not see that before? Well, he can't be calling himself moses one minute, then signing off the next, gregg.

I have blocked and deleted him from my hotmail and I have contacted the site, saying I believe he is a scammer. I just thank my lucky stars I did listen to my gut instinct, and was wary, and now it has made me all the more vigilant. I certainly will be making sure I don't fall for this scam again.

I think he is getting better at the game because the new name, which is Sgt. Antonsanti Davis, was accompanied by a real picture of the person, probably taken from a website. It looks like an army gathering and he used the exact name as his e-mail address, but never used a web cam claiming that he is in a war zone (by the way the picture and the name were very clear), but I e-mailed the army and the response was simply, "ignore the whole thing. it is a scam."

I don't think this is right because it is taking an emotional toll on us as women, plus this person is using actual pictures of real solders with a real name tag who I don't think deserve to be ignored if his picture and name used to scam people. (With respect to Mr. Antonsanti) because I realized that he is a victim as well.

started talking to a steve cunninham this week saw my picture on facebook, sent me a message and have been talking on yahoo because he does not like facebook.he has noy tried to scam me yet but going to fast. he says he can not share pictures or receive phone calls on base it is not allowed! which to me sounds funny and he web camed me one picture and of course he looked older then his facebook picture!says he is a sergeant in the army no children and does not want any of his own and is 39 years old.so if anyone has heard of him let me know so i do not get hurt! already got scamed by a guy on facebook who says he was a contractor for an oil company sent him eight hundred dollars because he said he could not acess his account from scotland and was trying to get a contract in africa which ended up being nigeria and then he needed me to open an account so they could transfer him money which seemed okay because he was putting his money in it and wire it to him ! do not do it luckily the bank stopped the transaction because they thought it was fraud so i a m not out of money for that but if it had gotten through i would have been out another thousand, so if anyone ask you to open a bank account and they will put money in it and you wire it to them do not it is a scam and you will be responsible for all yhe money!

My friend met this guy on facebook who says he's in Afghanistan. He's promised to marry her and tells her he is coming to visit and that's been every since Christmas and she hasn't seen him yet.

He told her his wife is dead and he has a daughter that is living with his family. She sends him money through western union and money gram but in a different name. She recently gave him her social security number and all her other information because he told her he wants to make her his beneficiary of his life insurance and she just signed a paper that says Notification of Leave Bonuses that states she will receive $200,000 because he is getting out of the military. Is this even a military form?

She gets very upset when her friends tell her this is a scam. Why would a person you have never seen face to face offer you this kind of money when they have family they can make their beneficiary?

Add Major Danny Smith to this long list of imposter scammers. Luckily, someone I found by accident alerted me today. We compared e-mails today and they were pretty much word for word the same. He only changed where he was from and where he was based.

I feel foolish, but when I look back now, there were warning signs. I was in the military and told him so, maybe that's why he didn't use the leave crap on me; I obviously know better. Thanks C, you are the best ! You could have kept it to yourself because like everyone of us on this post, you felt foolish, but you were kind enough to share what you know with me and I'm grateful.

I also have been talking to a military man said he was in kabul, afghanistan. He told me that his wife died two years ago from cancer. He sent me a pic of himself and his two daughters and one with him in uniform and his other pic was with his buddies. We were supposed to get married, also, and he wanted me to send him $5,000 dollars so he could get home. His ID was green and had a different last name. He goes by major beaver danny or danny beaver wallace. He seemed to be a very sweet man. He was a good talker. Knows what he is doing.

Like so many others, I have been talking to a guy that I met on a singles site called Mingle2. he said that his name is Brian Ray Nicosen, and like so many other comments above he has stated that his wife was killed in a car accident six years ago, he has two boys (whom he has sent me photos of ).

Brian has said that he is stationed in Kabul and has consistently asked me to apply for his leave. He has told me that he has millions of dollars in the bank but has no access to his account.

I felt right away that this may be a scam, and after reading the above I am now totally sure that it is. Lucky for me I never gave any information or sent any money. So attention all ladies -- Brian Ray Nicosen is a fraud. Be aware and stay clear.

anon247752: Tell the guy good one. Agent 99 maxwell smart is on the case. Do they think we are all bimbos?

My mother started talking to some Army man she met online who was apparently stationed in Afghanistan named Captain Jacob Witty. They met on some random dating site I have never heard of. Anyway, he ended up telling her about how his wife died seven years ago from breast cancer and he wanted to leave the army and get out of Afghanistan ASAP and he wanted my mother to send this email to LT. Colonel Robert Gonzalez at saying that she was his fiancee. I thought that was pretty strange, because how could an email prove anything?

Anyway, within an hour they responded with a picture of a Privacy and Instruction For Leave document, and all she had to do was send an email back saying that she understood. Then they responded again within an hour and this is exactly what it said:

"Dear Madam,

This is to inform you that, Captain Jacob Witty's leave request has been approved from the U.S Army Central.

All soldier leaving the camp on a family or spouse request should have a liberty pass card with him or her at the departure.

All officer applying for permanent leave will be liable to receive some amount of money as his or her retirement claim.

All leaving officers will be liable to leave to his designated country 72 hours after all processing is completed.

All the payment made by you during this leave process will be sent back to you as soon as Captain Jacob Witty arrives with you with bonus under the military policy and act.

The leave charges are listed below:

1) Liberty pass card charges- 500 us dollars.

2) War region officers clearance charges- 450 us dollars.

The total charges is 950 us dollars.

We are waiting for your respond in due time.

Thanks for your cooperation.

Leave officer in charge"

What kind of crap is that? Then he wanted the email forwarded to him, and then he was saying he can't access his bank account where he is. How can you not access your bank account online if you are on these websites? So he was trying to convince my mom to pay this $950 US, and my mother said she doesn't have that money, only credit and he said he was confused, and he would pay her back as soon as he was out of there.

So, I decided to google the names Jacob Witty and his email, along with Robert Gonzalez and I found many links to sites like this where people (I'm assuming women) warn others about scammers.

This is the end of their conversation, where you can see he was obviously mad about my mother finding out it was a scam:

jacob witty: the money is very small for me but the only problem is my account..

my mom:‎ how jacob

jacob_witty: it is 950 US dollars love

my mom:‎ you know i would but...i do not have money, only credit, scaring me

jacob_witty: You can help me to get it love and will have it pay back to you as soon as am out of here..

my mom:‎ i am lost for words,

jacob_witty: i promise will never let you down honey..this is the only chance i have to get out of here now..

jacob_witty: yeah i know how you feel love..but i promise you will never regret of getting me out...

my mom:‎ is this a scam

jacob_witty: whats is scam plss

jacob_witty:OK plss forget it

jacob_witty:don't go that way plsss

jacob_witty: i will be here plss

jacob_witty: let talk about somethings else OK..

jacob_witty: you make me cry with that word you think bad on me...

jacob_witty: i don't need any help from you

jacob_witty: I will wait here don't worry of..

jacob_witty: (15 Feb 1:41):‎ i'm sorry if i hot you in any way

jacob_witty: it is just how i feel to see you

my mom:‎ okay jacob from nigeria?????

jacob_witty: (15 Feb 1:42):‎ what the --- are you talking about

jacob_witty: hey plss stop that plssss

jacob_witty: don't like those words

my mom:‎ your english seems to have gotten better, did see

my mom:‎ scam

jacob_witty: of thanks for calling me names

jacob_witty: God bless you

The first thing i noticed when I saw her talking to him was his English was awful. Clearly, he didn't know English very well which I pointed out, and then when my mother told him I was at home he started saying he "didn't want trouble and to not think bad on him". And then the whole email request to leave which is not official. Anyway, it's a scam.

Women should be more smart and be aware! Don't talk to strangers unless you know they are a real person!

@beckieda18, Post 49: Yes, I have started chatting to Edwards Fedric or Eddy in August 2011. We met online. He told me he lived in Kingswood, Bristol, had a 10 year old daughter called Helen. He said he was serving in Kabul, Afghanistan, and then told me he lived in Everett, Washington, in the US. I think he may be the same man you spoke to.

There seems to be a lot of dead wives in the USA. Better not marry a man from the USA.

@brokenhearts and others: You know, I think it's just safe to say that, any time someone claiming to be U.S. military asks you to send money online, for paid leave, for a satellite phone, for *anything,* it's someone not in the military at all, U.S. or otherwise, and he's trying to scam you.

These people are not totally stupid, and saying they're widowed, with children, etc., is designed to soften you up so when they ask for money, you're thinking, "There's no way this nice man could be scamming me!" But he is. Remember, on the Internet, anyone can pretend to be anybody: soldier, sailor, tinker, spy, so to speak. People can copy photos from other social networking sites and they set up a nice little site that's designed especially to gain a girl's sympathy and trust, in order to lure her into parting with her money.

Just make it a rule of thumb *never* to send money to someone you've never met in person. Nine times out of 10, it's a scam of the first order! I think all these posts bear that out clearly.

@anon243628: This is the same camp mine is in and same story about the phone.

@anon244392: Do you have a photo of this man? That's the same story my guy told me. His name is Frank.

Does anyone know of this nickname "rayjawo"? It's used in email addresses.

I have met a soldier in the army who is stationed in Afghanistan and he asked me to marry him. He says that he can get off on leave if I can give him 1,000 dollars but that he will pay it back as soon as he gets over here to access his account. He went as far as giving me some bank info so that I could let him know how much was in the account.

It was real -- or appeared to be -- but he is still asking for the money to get to me and says when he gets over here he will pay me back in full, he just doesn't want to be apart from me any longer and cannot access his money and neither can his daughter.

He seems honest but is always asking for money for leave. I want to know if I am being scammed or is he for real?

Has anyone ever heard more from John William Raymond?

I can't believe this! My name is Jennifer, and I am from Kentucky. I am so shocked to read these postings, after coming across them by accident looking for what a paid leave consisted of.

I too, have been talking to a man in Iraq, for quite some time now. I met him on myyearbook, but he insisted we chat on yahoo. He immediately wooed me, telling me how attractive I was, how much he loved me, he wanted to be with me and marry me. I at first thought OK, he's just a lonely soldier. Then a few red flags started going up. He started asking me for money to bring him home. He said he no longer wanted to be apart from me, and that I had to send him the money, because he didn't have access to his banks here in the US, from in Iraq. I told him I didn't have that kind of money, and he promised to pay it back when he got home.

I managed to get him off that subject in time to test him more. I have been chatting with him for over five months now. Before Christmas, he started asking me for money again, then asking if could at least sent him money for him to get his basic hygiene supplies. I asked him why could I not send him a care package, that soldiers get them all the time. He told me where he was stationed, they could not receive packages or mail, and another red flag went up. But I broke and sent him $70 via western union. He gave me instructions to send it to Nigeria and said that his transit officer would be picking it up because he couldn't leave.

He is asking for more money again this month and said his internet is about to be disconnected, and he is out of supplies again. Off and on I have felt he was scamming me. It's so hard to see all of the signs at first when you're a lonely female, and they are so charming, kind and good looking. He said he was a Sgt. Nicholas Sean Wolf. I really thought he was sincere, until I started reading all these posts.

So very pleased to read and have your comments. I have already posted another scam. Fortunately I have not parted with any of my hard earned money. I know better. I think I'll just get a loyal dog to walk on the beach with. Don't send any money, ever! Anyone genuine will not ask or need it.

I am in the UK and have at the moment a Col. Ronny Smith trying to scam me. He says he is widowed seven years, and has a 14 year old son. He is serving in Kabul in Afghanistan.

He has tried to get me to send money to an American diplomat to purchase things he needs, e.g., a suit, an ipod, three perfumes. He even got the diplomat to email me. And guess where the money had to go? Via Western Union. He finishes in the US Army supposedly in 2012. I have not fallen for it.

He continues with his persistence. I have now received a hospital bill for his son's emergency operation on his appendix. He purports to have a care taker for his son.

He says he is French - sounds more Nigerian to me. His uncle was English, and his deceased wife is supposed to have been Scottish.

I know he is trying to scam me. Please warn others. He is using Ebuddy via hotmail

It was apparently very hot in Kabul yesterday. I happen to know that it was -1 deg. Don't let him catch you out.

Regards, H

@Jo: U.S. military personnel do not have to ask for money from their families for paid leave. The military makes all these arrangements for service personnel coming home.

This person is not in the military, U.S. or otherwise. He wants to get money from you, or your bank account number so he can clean you out. Cut off all communication with him. Change your e-mail address and do not respond to him in any way. You are being scammed.

I have been chatting to a US soldier. His name is bennett hollinks from New York, serving out in afghanistan. Yes he loves me and yes he wants to marry me, but wants me to send money for leave! I know he is on facebook, but he has given me his yahoo account, and we chat. Well, he sends offline messages at 7 am GMT and then we chat at 2 p.m. and later.

Alarm bells were starting to ring when he said I have to apply for leave since I am his wife (yeah, right). He is very good looking, girls, if that's who he really is. I have asked for pictures he said he would send soon via email.

I did notice today how ever that his status on facebook has changed to engaged and some other women has clicked like x. I am not a friend on his facebook, by the way, so I am wondering is he trying to scam her also. I think I may send her a message. I am english living in the UK, so please advise what do I do now?

Best wishes, Jo. I am so very glad I found this site.

These people changed their name on the net. Today, after my last post to Will (George Williams) I met a Gill with same beautiful little boy on his pictures. Imagine? It is really a criminal. He used automatic translator on his "english" to my serbian! Oh, what a comedy! These people are dangerous! Avoid them.

Does any one know this guy Frank Gutierrez?

I was talking to him and he was so nice, but when I called him a scammer after I found his photo on a scam site, he got very nasty and said, "Your face looks like a monster. You should be with the devil, because you are a nightmare if I am looking at you."

Sorry, my english is not good. Today morning i met on badoo net a US soldier in Afghanistan named George Williams with a seven year old son and a dead wife. He is searching for a wife and trusting love. He wants to meet me only on email and as I see it, it is a similar story to yours. Tonight is our e-mail messinger date and it seems I will not be there. Thank you girls for your stories.

I have been contacted by Sgt. Michael Hernandez, who is supposedly in Afghanistan. I had read this information after about two messages from him professing his undying love.

I wrote back and asked him if he was the Michael Hernandez that was scamming women for money. It took him several days to come up with a good excuse/reasonable explanation and denied it all.

He never asked me for money, but I have no doubt that if I had not read this site, he would have.

Now I have some answers about what I have to do.

He asked me to pay for leave, US $2000, and I said I have no money. He said his friend will donate US $1000, and I have to pay the balance of US $1000. He said he works at a base in Korea, but when I looked for some information via browsing this site, now I have the answer that I need to forget it. It is one of bad cases on the internet where we have to be more careful.

I received a contact at a dating website from someone in Afghanistan who says he is a sergeant in the army with a son, he's a widower. You guessed it: after a long chat, he told me he loved me and would I fill out some kind of leave absence form so he could come to me and marry me as soon as possible. I figured he was crazy. He did send lots of pictures; I figure they were stolen from somewhere. No money mentioned. I figured it was a scam, and now I have found this website and know it is. Thanks for the info!

Don't fall for Capt. Jack F. Smith. He says he's stationed in afghanistian. He's a fake scammer.

I am in Australia and have been chatting with a David Collins who is on a peacekeeping mission in Iraq right now. I had found this site beforehand so have been very careful and have been following your recommendations. He seems real, hasn't asked for me to fill out a vocational leave form, and although has explained he does not have access to his funds, one poster has explain that can be correct!

He has not pushed me into a time frame. Does this normally happen? Do they get pushy, as in how long can the chatting go on for? He has asked about my job but it isn't anything overly exciting. I have told him it is but he doesn't need to know. I have said to him if he is after a woman of wealth, he better go find someone else and he got cross saying he's not materialistic and loves me for me and not what I have!

However, I have read a post on here similar to his story tonight, saying he has a son and has lost his wife? I have done as you suggest and asked him to send photos of himself with his workmates and he did straight away. They have their neck tags on and are in khakis and I can see barracks behind him?

He did ask me to get quotes on flights before saying maybe his contact could get cheaper? Any thoughts please as it makes me sick worrying. Our time difference is nuts, so it's hard to chat to him as he is always behind me time wise. He does call me and I have had him call quite often. I haven't seen him on msn, only via pictures. He is not white but not african either. I would describe him as 'iced coffee.' No pun intended while he says his son is in military college at.

Please help me find out if he is legitimate Army personnel.

I have been chatting with a Sgt. John Raymond Williams, 43 years oldm, who was stationed in iraq, apparently at the time we met in June 2010. He was telling me he was a US Army soldier and wanted to come and meet me in Australia. He asked that I request his leave to his commander, Lt. Col. Robert Gonzalez. His commander replied with an email with a leave request form for me to copy, fill, scan and email back and then John told me I had to pay $1,650 USD for his flight to Australia and then I had to pay $2,000 USD for his BTA which is basic travel allowance and then John got stranded in Abu Dhabi for three weeks on visa issues which cost me $1,000 USD and another BTA $2,000 USD and then I didn't hear from him for four days. Then I got an email from John with a mobile number saying he was now in London and I could text him.

Then it just went on and on and on, with different excuses about the papers he needed me to pay for before he could travel from the UK to Australia. While in London he wanted money for his food, because the British Army wanted him to pay for his food in the barracks and then at one stage he only liked healthy food so I had to send him the amount of 500 pounds every two weeks, since he didn't like eating the army food; he wanted to eat in restaurants.

Then he ended up in hospital, so he said, because a guy accidentally dropped a weight on his knee cap. Then he wanted me to pay for medication. He always had a reason why he needed money. Finally I had enough, I found on scamwarners many similar stories about request forms and then I knew it was was a scam, the forms were fake and John was a fake. He also uses the names Sgt. John Raymond and John Williams.

Girls, please don't believe him. He will never come, He's a fake and just wants to steal your money. He also has a secretary operating out of Nigeria named Johnny Donna Rivera and he tells you she is there for meetings. Crap, crap crap. I'm shattered he's not the real guy in the picture's he sent me.

I am from Holland and have (till today) chat contact with a man saying he is a captain in Afghanistan. We also had contact through webcam, but I have never heard his voice or seen his face. He told me that it is forbidden for him to chat or have any other contact. I spoke to him the last four weeks every day and most of the time early in the morning and late in the evening.

Although I am from Holland, my English writing is much better than his. Sometimes he writes very good English, but most of the time it was not what you expect from someone who is American!

He told me he had lived for 19 years in Holland, that his mother is Dutch and that his dad was an American (he died). He told me that he and his mother went to America after his father died, and that he has been in the US military since he was 20 years old. He told me he has a house in New York and that his mother lives there with his daughter.

He said he got divorced three years ago, but never wanted to answer any questions about his ex-wife of marriage. I have two pictures of him, and on one of them is a date in 2008.

He tells me he is in love with me, wants to marry me and wants to be a family with me and our kids. Told me he has a 19 year old daughter, gave me her (msn) email address. I wrote to her, and she replied to me with a short e-mail.

He wanted me to ask by mail for his leave. I wrote this mail and the next day I got a reply back. This mail was filled with mistakes, had no salutation and the letters were in blue! In the letter they spoke about several amounts and they were in Euros! There was also attached a form I had to fill in.

I said to him that I didn't have the money (650 euro). He asked me to pay then if I received my salary and that, when he would come here in a few weeks, he would pay me the money back and take care of me.

When I said that I am not going to do that, he asked me to fill in the form, so that the military already could get everything in order for his leave.

Told me also that he couldn't reach his own money, that the military puts that on a different account, that they only get cheques of their bonus to spend over there.

Because I don't believe all the things he said, I started searching on the internet and found out that the form doesn't exist and that nobody has to pay for their leave!

I had him on chat this afternoon and he told me he had the day off. After asking him some questions he suddenly had to leave for a mission. Yeah, right!

I am curious if he will come back online ever. I don't think so. Thank you for sharing your stories. They opened my eyes on time!

I to was contacted by Sgt. Ron Becker, from a dating site. He told me he has never been married, no kids and how he was in love with me, but actually gave me his account name and password to delete him from the site. Has he done this with any others?

But like many others, he asked for me to pay a fee for his leave. I told him I would just wait until he came home from his deployment. He is probably one of the best if he is scamming. He says he is from Illinois, if that is true. Any answers? I know I will not send any hard earned money ever, and I'm sorry for those who have.

can anyone tell me about Capt. Jack F.Smith? is he real? or is it a scam?

Like the rest of you, I met a guy who said he was in an Army fire rescue unit and after contact with him, he said he was retiring but was tired of being in Iraq and wanted to retire early. He said he was head over heels in love with me and wanted to marry me and he could come home early and marry me and then retire.

He asked me to email and request leave for him for marriage plans' leave. He then proceeded to tell me that $450,000 would be put into my account for his bonus leave. I knew at this point it was a bunch of crap, but I played along. I emailed the address he gave me and two forms came one to be his beneficiary the other for leave request. I have to say they were beautifully done on American Flag stationary. So I filled them out with an incorrect address etc., notice *incorrect,* scanned them and sent them back. Then they kept emailing me with the process procedures and wanted as it was written “7500 usdollars,” I knew for a fact I was being scammed. Any American knows we do not write monetary amounts this way and that our military is not that hard up that they would charge a civilian money and not take it out of the soldier's check if there was a fee.

So I kept playing and my 22 year old daughter got involved and told him she was so excited that he was going to be a part our family, but for us to get the $7,500 she needed to have some information from him and if he could answer a few questions then she would have the proof that he is who he says he is. They were simple questions like what was the year he graduated from high school and the name of the school, his parents names? What school his son goes to now and his teacher's name? these type of questions. He got very defensive and said he is a man and should be trusted on his word, and would not give the answers to half of the questions. He also said his money was secured and that he could not get to it.

He was good, really good I'll have to say. He could write like you have never seen a man write, had it down, knew how to play this scam with perfection. His only problem was he met his match with me. To this day, he thinks I am still going to send the money for him to come back but what he doesn't realize is I’m onto him and now it is just a waste of his time. Ladies, as soon as they say “give me,” then you know they are up to something. Also the military only uses their own email addresses not usa.com.

I've come across Sgt John Raymond also (post 45). Interestingly, he told me he was in Iraq too but had to go to UK for a conference.

He asked me to send him money while in the UK (I didn't). He suggested he wants to meet me, but the conversation is always about him coming to me, and as he is the one taking the risk flying and leaving his job, I should pay. I suggested meeting halfway, somewhere like Hawaii and we both pay for ourselves. Surprise, he doesn't seem interested.

These scammers really do try and tarnish the names of real servicemen. Hopefully something can be done about that. Lucky for me, I've seen through it in time, but it's been entertaining seeing the lengths people will go to.

You shouldn't believe him. The bottom line is the US Military takes care of their own. Any real US service member will not need to beg you for money for any reason. If a US Service member begs you for money for any reason they are scammers.

Listen carefully. You have been contacted by scammers. Any real US service member will not need to ask you for money for anything, as they have access to their money at all times so all of this money these scammers are asking for is a load of crap. They are a bunch of lazy, uneducated jerks.

US service members do not have to pay for anything: no food, no transportation and if they have children or dependents, a care plan must be made before they deploy, so do not fall for the bullcrap that they need care for a child the military takes care of its own.

Do not fall for this crap. It is a scam. Tell them if they are real US service members to take a picture of themselves in uniform holding a sign that says "I love you --whatever your name may be," and make sure he or she holds their military id so that you can see it and make sure their last names match. I guarantee you they will come up with an excuse. One word: scam.

Ask them to send you a picture of their military ID as military ID cards cannot be duplicated under any circumstances. I have a hint for you: they are not green, and they do not look like business or credit cards. If you are sent a fake one. watch for spelling errors, as most of them are a bunch of stupid idiots.

Lastly, if it feels too good to be true, it is. Most have hideous accents and you cannot understand one word they are saying. These clowns are not US service members. They are lazy, broke and are thieves in an internet cafe all day. They will not contact you on a Sunday because guess what? The cafes are closed on Sundays unless they have been able to scam someone else into buying them a computer of their own.

You have been warned. No US service member who is authentic will ask you for money.

Sgt Ron (Aaron) Becker was the one that scammed me. It all started out very innocently. Out of the blue he asked how much money I was earning. Alarm bells started at that point but didn't give it much notice, then he told me his daughter needed money, could he borrow it and he'd repay me. He wanted a 'care package' sent - "a mobile phone or a laptop would do." These scammers are everywhere, and they all seem to have a yahoo e-mail address.

Sgt Becker does exist in the US Army, however I don't think it was him I was speaking with! I'm positive genuine soldiers fighting for their country would not ask for anything to be sent to them from anyone other than family! Beware ladies.

has anyone ever chatted to a sgt edward frederic he is claiming to be in afghanistan and is hoping to relocate to the uk. he also says he has a 10 year old daughter but claims he was born in bristol.

not just women are subject to be scammed, i just was scammed by a Sgt. Vanessa Marx Bauer in Bagram Base, Afghanistan.

I have paid fees for a phone line to talk to her and to a Colonel Dennis Royse based in England. And i'm not connected with my beloved one and i never will be lol. And when he took the money, Sgt. Vanessa Marx Bauer said to me that i would need to pay vocational leave. I'm lucky that i found some information about this scam. I stopped communications. I lost money and more trust too.

Also, don't fall for someone named Captain Jack F. Smith who says he is in Afghanistan in Special Operations - he met his match with me.

Hi has anyone ever heard of the name Sgt John W Raymond who was in Iraq but is now in London? He's an American, I think, and we met on a dating site last year, and he has promised to come to me too. After money sent to western Union in Nigeria, I still haven't seen him.

He won't get on live cam either and refuses to call my mobile phone and refuses to give me his home address back in the U.S. But what he's now wanting is money to pay for his housing and feeding where he's staying in an English Army base near London. Can someone tell me if it's true that soldiers have to pay for their housing and feeding in bases in other countries or not. seeing as though they're a guest there.

Another scammer to look out for girls, is Raymond Hatfield. Says he is from London but went to live in the US at the age of 5, English dad, US mum. Dead wife to an automobile accident, one daughter, katherine, aged 16 living in Canada with Ray's sister.

It all sounded so plausible and I was hooked in good and proper. He loves me! (Ha) He wants to marry me (really) he wants me to file for his leave (hmm?). OK I email, supposedly Gen. Petraeus out in Kabul and get a reply next day saying leave granted but they want £2424 to allow him home to the UK!

I have been on Fb with this guy and spent hours "chatting" to him. Yes, the English a bit dodgy but then Yanks don't speak like we do. He was extremely plausible, til the Vocational Leave Form was sent me and I didn't complete it and told him I had no money at all. Things (funnily enough) went all quiet then. No more love, marriage or Ray.

I feel a little foolish but other than a bruised ego I am still bank account intact and I am now looking for a real bloke! The pics of him were really cute. It's a shame he is a scammer!

Same situation. Army Sgt. Michael Hernandez wants $6000 to come home on leave from Afghanistan! Sent me pix. What a scammer he turned out to be!

I am so glad I found this site. I have been chatting with a Captain Michael Ring who is apparently in Afghanistan Kabul Barracks for a few weeks and he has asked me do do this vocational leave form and send $850 US dollars via Western Union to Malaysia. The alarm bells started and then I goggled vocational leave and found this site. Can't say I'm not hurt, but am glad to know the truth,

I'm curious whether anyone has ever received gifts from these guys. i did: roses, chocolate, sparkling grape juice.

Back in October he asked me to marry him. I said I didn't know. He said he was coming home this april, but now he says his time got extended. I asked if he could come home for a short leave and he said yes, but he would have to pay for a plane ticket so i said OK, then i got the gift today.

It was then later today when i talked to him again it was then that he asked me if i had a bank account. I asked why and he said he loaned money to a friend before he left and that the friend was leaving the state. i told him no and then he said, no problem, but shortly after that, he had to go to bed. does this possibly sound like a scam?

I have recently had contact with a US soldier in Iraq, the first week he asked me to send money via Western Union to Nigeria, he IS on Facebook but my gut feeling after reading all this is that it is a scam, He wants me to send £800 which he will pay back so he can come and see me. Alarm bells are ringing and i don't have the money, anyway. So glad i found this site. Would the army get him here on leave without me having to pay?

Sgt Ron Beckers contacted me as well. Do not get taken in by this man.

Girls, watch out for Sgt.Nathaniel Tormala on yahoo, supposedly in Afghanistan. Pictures are stolen - "fee" for a 15-day vocational leave: 3.750,-- €, which of course will be refunded after the soldier's safe return.

I met also an us soldier in iraq on a single site named badoo. His name is William G.David, lost his wife a few years ago to breast cancer and has a son seven years old named Sean.

he was so in love with me and i really liked him. he had send me several pictures of himself and his son. He also asked me to fill in a leave form so that he could come over for two months, because he wanted me to be his wife. He asked me if i could pay for his ticket because he had no access to his account.

I contacted a friend of mine who is a us marine and he told me that sometimes it's possible that they have no access to their funds; it all depends on where they are located/stationed.

But even thought my feelings for this person were so strong something told me not to do it. He also gave me the name of the base in iraq and the base exists. There are still 50,000 us soldiers in iraq, but the way americans write is different then these guys.

So ladies, don't think only with your heart, but also with your mind. These guys may have given you a feeling that you're special and that they will take care of you, but it's all a scam. U.S. soldiers do not use live.com as an e-mail address!

I was on a dating website and on our fourth day chatting he asked if I could assist him and request Fiance Vocational Leave. He did call me and had a Nigerian accent. I looked up the international calling code and it was from Nigeria. I didn't fall for the scam, thank God but he had me fooled. The name he is using is Col. Adam Aguilar from the Army. They are good at what they do. please beware of this scam.

I joined christianmingle and came across user Westonseeks.

We chatted for a bit in IM and I admit I was excited

but then he sent a follow-up email within seconds of the chat ending - it was two pages long and well written. Hmmmm, I thought. This must be formatted. I went back to his pic and enlarged it all the certificates behind him had the name blurred out. I went back to the chat session he mentioned needing a satellite phone and was hoping we could take vocational leave together.

Did I mention he is a widower with a son? Anyway - it is fake, ladies. Steve Weston is a fake. Don't fall for it. I have two dear friends who are truly serving overseas and I can assure you anything they need is paid for as well as travel to the states.

There is a new scammer on the CS dating sites. He goes by the name of john lake, or john lakic. His photo on the jacket insignia is "Mayville", most definitely a stolen photo. he also asks you to send an e-mail to military vocational transit at usa.com.

I've let him go the usual mile, with marry me, one kid in the States, widowed, granny in a home, please send money which will be refunded...

Ladies, there are loads of genuine soldiers out there who are genuinely looking for a decent woman, so try not to be put off by the scammers. Just expose them. Stay safe and Happy New Year to all our forces serving our countries. We think of you with pride.

This has happened to me also. He had me mail him a care package to somewhere else, I should of know but stupidly sent it anyway. Then he wanted $1,000 to help him come home. So it was a scam after all. Beware of a Sgt. Ron Becker or Sgt Aaron Becker.

Wow I have run into the same thing. Did he ask you to marry him? I started noticing signs right away. But the marriage and the vocational thing really set me off. I broke off contact real quick. He even said he had a daughter and wanted her to talk to me.

@anon114733: The military personnel take care of this themselves. They do not need their spouses to fill out paperwork so they can get leave. Don't fill it out and cut off contact with this guy. Five'll get you ten he's not even in the military. It's 100 percent sure he's trying to scam you.

For anyone being taken in by this scam, just contact the local service branch recruiting office in your area and they can tell you the same thing. Please don't fall for this, or you'll be wondering where your bank account went, and will start getting bills for credit cards you don't have.

I have been in contact with a soldier over in

Afghanistan, and he wanted me to fill out the vocational leave application and say I was his spouse. There is no way I am lying to the US government or army. The actual application even looked weird. Does this form exist? Please someone help me.

i supposedly got a letter from the army general requesting $1000 USD for a sergeant's leave. I am on to this. they even sent me a policy statement that supposedly came from the army for this vocational leave and saying all money will be refunded after the soldier is home safely.

I found this site after receiving my own "vocational leave form" from someone who says they are a lawyer, a liaison for the captain Harry C. that I have had a two month relationship with. I have paid for a phone call that got botched and explained away and now I just got the form to request his leave.

I have fallen head over heels for this guy and am heartbroken to find all of this out. I do not have the $930 that I was asked (not by him but the liaison, cleverly enough) to pay so there was no danger of that. I'm out the $230 I already paid, though -- a lesson learned.

He does not know I found this out and I don't know what to do next. I am so sad, I almost wish I would not have found out. heartbroken in PA

i found one of these scammers on a single site and he tried the same mess with me, except I have a lot of family in the military, so I know he is full of it. he wanted 3,500 for vocational leave and also $500 for satellite phone service.

His name is Capt. Steve G. Weston, so he says.

And yes all the money they want you to send is via money gram to the same women every time. but i played him back and boy was it good payback.

Don't believe these so-called soldiers. It's all a scam.

An army Sgt. in Iraq wanted over $1,000 dollars for a vocational leave form. There is no such thing as a vocational leave form. They can't leave early, only for an emergency like a death in the family. It's a scam. Don't believe it. Run away

Whats the soldier's name in iraq anon45035? No, don't believe it,

I have been talking to a Captin Michael Ring who is in Iraq who is wanting money to come home on. Now that I have found this site I know its a scam.

He first asked for $600 and said he would pay me back when he got back in the states then as time went on, I guess he forgot that he said $600 because he then said the form was $500 so that's what really got me looking into this vocational form. Can't the Army stop these guys?

I too written to an Iraq soldier, and there is no such thing as a vocational leave form. The army checks it out over here.

I have also met a guy online who said he was a captain and wanted me to fill out a vocational leave form and it would be $600 to file it.

So I called an army base here close to me and they said that the soldiers have a finance person stationed in Iraq to accompany them in their leave, so i was getting scammed as well, but I called to make sure and i found out before it was too late.

I'm on a fixed income disability with a little girl I'm raising by myself and he was scamming me and not even thinking of what he was asking me to do and hurt my daughter in the process.

So whatever you do, don't do any of this because it is a scam.

I'm from england and it's going on over here in a very big way. Be careful of the following names: rick miller or geff miller; frank black; jack johnson; sgt. eric jay landon; cpt. matthew swain; sgt. mcbrad jonus edwards; zachery j rhyner. They are all scammers.

Please-- the us army does all that a soldier needs back in the States. if they use "am" instead of "i am," it's a red flag for you. Your guys say navy or army, not with a "US" before it -- another red flag. They can't spell or write when you are on yahoo or msn, but if they send you a mail it's perfect.

Another red flag: the information they can give you includes: the station they are based at home,

the base they are deployed to, their US e-mail address. They can't advise on the mission, but

they can phone you as, and when, the lines are working. They also have a us mailing address

i spoke to a guy online and I was given his id number and a copy of his passport and it was not the person who it belonged to.

i hope this helps you.

kind regards, diane

Two different men from a singles site have now tried using this to scam me out of money. Also beware of them asking you to send them your bank routing number for them to put money into. They will only take the money from you.

The leave form is just a way of them trying to gain your trust. It is horrible! The scam ring is all over so even if they want you to send money to someone here in the states its part of the scam.

Any time they ask you to western union money it should be a red flag. Good luck to all of you others trying to distinguish between an honest man and a scammer.

can anyone tell me what you have found out about this? I think a friend has been scammed!

Do not believe any of this Vocational Leave crap. It is all a scam.

If they are in the Army, they have officers state-side specifically to deal with getting men back and forth when they are out of country and need to come back to the US for any reason. Yes, there are a lot of guys on singles sites trying this scam. It's a crock of horse-doo.

i met a man on a singles site and he was in the UK and had me fill out a US Army Vocational Leave Permit so he could come and visit me. He ended up wanting me to send him money via western union for his ticket. It is not a real form.

I showed it to a person who was in the army for his career and he said it was fake. It is just a scam to get your money. I wish I could talk to you to compare our stories but they seem very similar.

it is a scam! I had the exact same situation happen. They end up wanting money to travel to the US.

Did you find out about the vocational leave procedure. I find myself in the same situation as you and I don't know whether to believe it. What did you find out?

I have exactly the same situation. Did you ever get your answer? I would like to know if this is true.

Can anyone tell me if they have ever heard of US Army Vocational Leave and if so what is it and how does it work. I have been in contact with a US soldier in Iraq and he has asked me put in an application for his Vocational Leave but I'm not sure I believe him. Does anyone know?