Two on Your Side recently did a story about a woman who thought she'd made a love connection online, but instead, found a fraud. She met a man on Yahoo! Personals who said initially he lived in California, but later admitted he was in Nigeria. That's red flag #1. With so many scams emanating from the West African nation, the man's location should have been the first tip-off. "John" sent our viewer a check for $48 thousand. Our viewer took it to the bank and learned, as she suspected, that it was fake. Other women haven't been so lucky, though. Read about one woman who did get taken:
http://www.freemaninstitute.com/419new.htm

This story emphasizes the fact you never really know who's lurking in Cyberspace. Beware the posers, especially anyone who asks for money. Yes, it's common sense, but sometimes, it's easy to suspend reality when someone who appears to be Prince Charming tries to sweep you off your feet.
"John" is still at it, looking for women who'll fall for his prose. I joined Yahoo! Personals, and sure enough, "John" (screen name: momentofbliss147) replied. He used many of the exact same phrases with me as with our viewer, saying he valued honesty, and was "embarking on a new and exciting road full of potentials." [sic]
If you come across verse like that, you'd be wise to kick Mr. Romance to the Internet curb.

Update: A spokeswoman says Yahoo! has deactivated "John's" (momentofbliss147) account. Of course, that doesn't prevent him from opening another e-mail account. Also of interest is the fact that Yahoo!, even after our repeated queries, would not tell Two on Your Side how many instances of fraud have been reported to the website.

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