Jones Knox Miller

Came into contact with him on Dating Direct webiste, whilst browsing during "free week".

I had never used one of these website before, so had no idea what to expect. He came on asked me what I was doing on the website and how long I had been on it. I seemed fine to chat to , so I gave him my chat address, although not my main one.

He initally informed me he has been a widower for 7 years, as his wife (Beatrice, as name he used later) had died and left him with a 14 year old son Michael. Michael resided in the UK with a "caretaker", whist he was deployed in Afghanistan. He was a Major in the US army and intented to retire in four weeks time. He had put in his retirement form , but had not been given a specific date. He sent me the attached photos of himself and a few others of Michael and him on a skiing trip and another of Michael with is puppy, possibly taken a few years back.

His story seemed plausible except he would contradict himself with the small distails, but I let that go. We started chatting on the 18 January 2012 and this continued for a week or so.

He then asked me to keep a "small" parcel on his behalf as he intended to come via the UK on his way home and would collect it. I said fine so long as he let me know what it was.

He spent the whole day of 29th of January talking to me about this package and then added to me that I would need to pay a shipping charge on his behalf , as he could not access his money while in Afghanistan. I asked him how much and he said approximately US$300. I said sorry I did not have the available and what made him think I would. He then said he though I could afford it and it would be good if I borrowed it from my friends or family as she needed help to get the parcel. We had a disagreement.

The next day or a day after, I received an email from from the follwong personal email address:- richard lamptey" , saying that the shipment fees of $500 were needed to transport the package to me.

The most amazing thing was that a Contract Bond, showing that Richard was apparently the owner of Gold to the value of $45m and this was the package. I then declined and said I did not want the package, it had nothing to do with me and why would he ask me such a thing or say it was a small parcel.

We continued in this manager for a while then I received another email, apparently transfering ownership of the goods to me, once I paid the shipment fees, which Richard would collect on his arrival. I now catergorically refused, told him to borrow money from his army mates and or friends ( since he told me he had no family..since his father who had brought him up died).

I also informed him that if he wanted to open his jewelry shop which was apparently his deam, it would probably be in his best interests to meet someone in the US, as I am sure that is where he intended to set up shop, and I am sure there would be no shortage of women. (By this time something did seem to be right, it was to fantastical a story and which American in his right mind invests US$45m in 2002 and leaves it in Africa, without taking it home, insuring it and putting it in a secure place.) I was also sure I was not keen on any guy with that type of money, as it could be dealing in illegal goods.

Anyway after I refused and apprently told the "manager" of the mine. Richard Lamptey, I was not paying the money, we stopped chatting.

I was quite cheesed off to be taken for a sucker, but at the same time I guess because of the Uniform and his saying his was honest and ethical, one still gives another person the benefit of the doubt even when your instinct may be saying something else. I sent a few emails, going through what I though of the whole thing for a few days.

He also uses the following email adress:- "richard walker" , I came to realise.

I chatted to him again on the 14th February, but by this time he had apparently been in Accra, Ghana for two weeks, trying to sort out his "stuffs" to sendto the US and this was likely to take a few more days. ( I was amazed as they were going to ship it to me in 2 days apparently had I paid and here he was personally in Ghana, waiting for 2 weeks, after having apparently paid the shipment costs).

Next I new, the request was for £100 to assist with the Hotel fees at La Palma, but I declined so it went down to £70. I still declined, as I said in both incidents I do not have the money and nor was I likely to send it to someone I had not seen in person or even spoken too...these are the days of webcam right. He would not show his face, which made me start to wonder if he was a geniune guy.

I then also told him we had started to chat and I was only getting to know him. There is no gurantee that if we met there would be a relationship and I was getting tired of him involving me in his personal problems, I had enough of my own.

I also told him that I thought he was stupid for not going to Ghana without a plan, especially if he was supposed to be a Major. One would expect him to have a plan and be able to use his credit cards to pay his hotel bills, if he was so well off. He said he could not access his money, I told him to contact his bank in the US and I am sure they would assist him.

In the end he took offence at me calling him names, ie Stupid and an idiot for not planning things properly and expecting me to bail him out and after having read an email I sent telling him to go away and leave me alone, as I was finding his constant requests for money irritating and annoying and I thought he was trying to scam me. He said he gets very upset when people dont believe him. I said he needs to think about whether he would send his hard earned cash to someone he had never seen, I doubt it, espeically if he was a Major in the Army as he poports to be. He is apparently a Mechanical Engineer by trade, took care of the jeeps and other equipment, knew abit about guns and ammunition and trained his troops to keep them fit.

Well I hope that is enough of the storry to stop someone from being scammed, but lucky for me I did not pay out anything. Had I done so this scam would have been a 7, as $500 is quite a bit to me, one weeks rent and groceries. (Another person may have paid much, much more based on the paperwork I saw, if they thought it was authentic, and did not notice the typo's having not seen similar legal documents before)

However, I will give this a 6, although the use of fake certificates, with spelling errors and transfer of ownership certifciates which look authentic, but had the UK army emblem on and not the US, it could have been much worse for someone else.

I work with money and am not bribed by large values or verbal promises, they are nice to hear, but I put more weight on actions and only will make a decision after meeting the individual in person on several occassions.

I guess the uniform has some impact on us thinking that there may be some truth in the story but in the end, the uniform is only as good as the person who wears it.

He says he come from the Bronx in NY.