One Gang of Scammers

What do all these people have in common?



Their pictures have all been stolen by scammers to use for Romance Scams on singles sites.

Who they claim to be and what site they are on:

A Mark Leon from Bayard Iowa on Person.com
B Shevi from El Paso Texas on FreeDate 24/7
C Andre Francis from North America on Trust Cupid
D Dorah from California on Mingles
E Julius from El Paso Texas on Friendster
F Daniel Baker from Colorado on Tagged and DateMeFree
G Thomas From El Paso Texas on Mingles
H Grace from Sinn el Fil Lebanon on DateAid International
I Andre from Costa Mesa US on EnableRomance (disability site)
J Andre from London England on TrustCupid.com
K Rob from El Paso Texas on Dating-today.net
and Golah from El Paso Texas on the same site
L Marisa from Ohio on myspace
M John from Baltimore US on Syl.com
N Andre Francis from Costa Mesa on Bebo
O Charles from Ghana on MyDailyFlog
P Osaka from Nigeria on Tubely
Q Anderson from New York on Lovecity.com

Of the above, Grace and Daniel Baker have been identified as scammers on anti-scammer sites.

Another thing these people have in common is that they all have one or more of the following paragraphs in their write-ups:

to love each other each day as if it will be our last day on earth, to get to know each other better each day of our life. I want us to be spiritually close to each other and to feel each other Quite the opposite, I.d like us to be different and have different interests so we could complement one another, I could learn from you and you could learn from me.

Speaking about my character, I am not a typical man, but just like any human being, I.m always different depending on the situation and environment. I can be quiet, shy and reserved in a new environment. I prefer to observe and listen to people before voicing my opinion. With friends and people that are close and dear for me, I.m open, outgoing and joyful. I like to make jokes and laugh with people who know me. I have a great sense of humor and a life that other people tell me makes them feel good to be near me.

I love people and I am always kind and friendly. I would like to tell you about my likes and dislikes. I like nature and animals. I like going to the country, to enjoy fresh air and I like to hear all of the music. I like to camp, I like the smell and the sounds that a campfire makes at night, I like to walk on the beach and to be with that special woman that I will love for the rest of my life. I enjoy watching movies, television and reading books as each time they make me see the world in a brand new way.

Some use all three. There are many many more. They are on networking sites, gay sites, S&M sites, Muscular dystrophy sites, deaf sites, straight sites and religious sites. They claim to be everything from artists to a missionary working in an orphanage.

So who are the scammers and what do they look like? I say scammers plural because someone I know fell for one of these guys and she said it sounded like it wasn't always the same person she was talking to.

By searching for key words in the above paragraphs I came up with a person called Monday from Lagos Nigeria:



He has all of the above paragraphs, but unlike the others, he has lots of photos on his page. There are 99 in all, meanwhile the most you get on any other of these sites is 4. Another thing that is different is the comments- they have advice on how to scam people. So I'd say it's a safe bet that he is one of the scammers. Some of his photos have pictures of his friends and family. Possibly they are in on it too. My friend talked to someone who claimed to be his son.

The scammers would have a lot more trouble doing their trade if sites would allow outsiders to report them, but most don't. You have to be a member to send them a message. So, for instance, the three women who are besotted with Daniel Baker on Tagged, will never know. They would assume that if he was a scammer then he would have been shut down. Because he hasn't been despite numerous comments saying he was, they will end up sending him money.

Though maybe they would gladly do that even if they found out. After all, he is giving them romance and excitement and when you are a 45+ woman that is really hard to find. A person I know kept up the friendship even after she found out. She did eventually dump him, but he's still trying to win her back.

There are more pictures of what other scammers look like here.

Monckton the Saviour?

My husband debated Christopher Monckton at the Hilton Hotel in Sydney yesterday. It was two hours and in that time I noticed some of the debating tricks the Viscount used. I thought it would be fun to pass these on.

How to Debate Climate Change Monckton Style

When it is your turn to speak, walk forward to center stage in a deliberate manner, plant your feet far apart and thrust out your belly, leaning forward as much as possible. This will give you the air of pomposity that will remind people that you are nobility and your views should not be challenged. Further this by using an internationally recognized symbol on all your work to impress people:



Start your presentation with something emotional- starving people in Africa is a good topic. Makes it look like you are doing it for them, not for your own bank account and the attention you crave.

Next relate the problem to how it affects your audience. Scare tactics work well here. People will believe anything you say.and won't notice that you are using your right to free speech to tell people they don't have any. Global conspiracy? Sure! Show them they will be the victims and that they need a lord to be their saviour.

Then go to the topic of the discussion. Here you are at a terrible disadvantage because any graph you put up is going to show, even to the least scientific member of the audience that temperatures are rising. So use distractions and big words and terms the audience has never heard of before. It will reinforce that you are a genius and they couldn't ever hope to understand the topic let alone trust what their own eyes are telling them. They will feel dumb and helpless and dependent on you.

Know facts and figures, be well read and have a photographic memory so you can pull any figure out of the air that you need. If you don't know, guess, but say it promptly with authority so no one will know.

Always make it sound like you've spoken with the experts or that you know them personally and that they are on your side.

Answer a question, but let the other side answer first. That makes you look gracious. Then, say “Well no, that's not quite right”. People won't notice when the rest of what you say agrees with the opponent- all they will remember is that you said it was wrong.

Take every opportunity to answer questions. Use these questions to slide right into a speech of a related topic that you have already prepared.

Always compliment the question, even if just to say it is interesting. They'll be thrilled to hear that from someone who is as important as you.

If the opponent makes a good point, give the shortest possible answer to it and go directly into a question and topic that is as far related to it as possible. That will confuse he opponent and kill the impact of your opponent's argument.

When you are making your concluding remarks, remember that the audience is there so you can comfort them. They don't want global warming to be true- who does? What they want is someone who sounds like they know what they are talking about to reassure them that everything's going to be all right and they will fight anyone who says otherwise.

In the end that's all you have to do.

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I photoshopped the Jughead picture which comes from here, and joined it to another picture I photoshopped using one of Monckton's slides and his publicity shot from here.

The top photo comes from here.

Awesome Secret Sea Caves

There's a park between Newcastle and Sydney Australia that has some really impressive sea caves in it, but you can't find it on the net or on the Park's brochures, nor is it marked on any sign. It's at Timber Beach, in the Munmorah State Conservation Area. It's 41 km north of Gosford via Elizabeth Bay Drive off the Pacific Highway. You can get to this beach by going to the second lookout going up the hill from Snapper Point. It's only a ten minute walk down.

Here are some pictures from within the caves:


This is the first sea cave you get to. You can go into this one even when the tide is higher.


This is the second one.


This is the third one which is just around the corner from the second one. This is the passage you have to climb through to get to the fourth cave.


Here's a video of the fourth and biggest cave. There are other passages going off it if you are brave enough to check them out.

There are more pictures here and here.


Note: There are also caves at the next beach over called Ghosties but they aren't as impressive as the ones at Timber beach.

If you do go, bring a strong torch (flashlight) as there are many passages that you can't go into without one. You can only see these caves during extremely low tide (0.2 meters or less) so check the tide tables before you go. Also be careful not to be caught by the incoming tide or you could get trapped in there. I'm guessing this is why the caves aren't publicised. I wouldn't recommend this if you have young children. They might slip or run off into some unknown passage and get themselves lost. Teens on the other hand would love these.

To check the tides go to Ghosties tides.

Could Ear Candling be 2000 Years Old?

Wikipedia says this about ear candling:
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Ear candling, also called ear coning or thermal-auricular therapy, is an alternative medicine practice claimed to improve general health and well-being by lighting one end of a hollow candle and placing the other end in the ear canal.

One end of a cylinder or cone of waxed cloth is lit, and the other placed into the subject's ear. Its proponents claim that the flame creates negative pressure, drawing wax and debris out of the ear canal, which appears as a dark residue.

Origin
Although Biosun, a manufacturer of ear candles, refers to them as "Hopi" ear candles, there is no such treatment within traditional Hopi healing practices. Vanessa Charles, public relations officer for the Hopi Tribal Council, has stated that ear candling "is not and has never been a practice conducted by the Hopi tribe or the Hopi people."The Hopi tribe has repeatedly asked Biosun, the manufacturer of 'Hopi Ear Candles' to stop using the Hopi name. Biosun has not complied with this request and continues to claim that ear candles originated within the Hopi tribe.
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Well, if it the idea didn't come from the Hopi tribe, maybe it came from here:

‘Abodah Zarah 28b

Or else, the ear should be filled with oil, then seven wicks should be made out of green blades of wheat-stalks at the one end of which dry garlic ends and some white thread should be set alight while the other end is placed within the ear, the ear should be exposed to the light but care should be taken that no spark falls on it, each wick [when done with] should be replaced by another. Another version is: One should prepare seven wicks of white thread and dip them in oil of balsam-wood setting light to the one end and placing the other end in the ear, each one, when done with, should be replaced by another, care being taken to avoid any sparks.

This is from the Talmud which records the teachings and practices of the Jewish people from over two thousand years ago. It's still widely read today. I'm guessing this is where Biosun got its idea from but of course I can't be sure.

Oh, by the way, the ear candling doesn't work and is dangerous. Wikipedia says:

The Spokane Ear, Nose, and Throat Clinic conducted a research study in 1996 which concluded that ear candling does not produce negative pressure and was ineffective in removing wax from the ear canal. Several studies have shown that ear candles produce the same residue when burnt without ear insertion and that the residue is simply candle wax and soot.

In a report, Health Canada states "There is no scientific proof to support claims that ear candling provides medical benefits. ... However, there is plenty of proof that ear candling is dangerous."

A 2007 paper in American Family Physician said: Primary care physicians may see complications from ear candling including candle wax occlusion, local burns, and tympanic membrane perforation."

So please don't try it.

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The Talmud quote comes from http://www.come-and-hear.com/zarah/zarah_28.html

Happy Halloween!

What a happy building this is!



It's a local crematorium. And there's an open house there today. How appropriate!

I play dress up

My son got me to try on his Phat pants, hat and jacket while posing aggressivevely with a fire twirling staff. The things I do for my kids!!!!