Catfishing Scam Victims

The Last Promise: How Kevin Stroud Stole Gary's Life Imagine witnessing a private, terrifying moment through an open door: a young man, Gary Phillips, pleading for a visit, while a voice on the phone demands an account number. This chilling scene, observed by a 14-year-old papergirl, was the culmination of a sophisticated romantic scam. What hidden promise was written on that yellow legal pad, underlined three times, and what did it mean for Gary's life? In this episode, we uncover the meticulously planned operation that targeted Gary Phillips, a systems information management graduate, and how a seemingly genuine connection online led him down a path of financial exploitation. We explore the methods used by Kevin Stroud, the architect of this elaborate scheme, and the "Intimacy Scripts" that fueled his deception. Person: Gary Phillips Age: 25 Location: Elmridge Heights, Calloway, Indiana Education: Indiana State University, Systems Information Management Con Artist: Kevin Stroud - Cynthia Hicks, 14, witnessed Gary Phillips on Mercer Street on the fourth Thursday of September 2021. - Gary Phillips graduated 22nd out of 430 students from Indiana State University. - He lived alone in a duplex on Mercer Street since January 2021. - Gary connected with "Dean Allen" on a social network in late May 2021. - The "Intimacy Scripts v4.2" file was found on a laptop seized from Atlanta, Georgia.

The Sunflowers, The Laptop, and Her $83,000 Secret Imagine finding a laptop abandoned on a gravel road at 6:15 AM, its screen glowing with a photo of a man holding sunflowers. This strange discovery in Dellwood County, Wisconsin, quickly escalated into a federal case, revealing an $83,000 romance scam. What secret did the laptop hold that led to this staggering financial loss? In this episode, we uncover the story of Connie Lewis, a dental hygienist who meticulously rebuilt her life after a difficult divorce, only to fall victim to a sophisticated online deception. We explore how a connection request from a man named Marcus Webb led to a series of transfers totaling $83,000 and the unexpected twists that followed the laptop's discovery. Person: Connie Lewis Location: Dellwood County, Wisconsin Amount: $83,000 Case: Federal case file - A laptop was found on a gravel road in Dellwood County, Wisconsin, at 6:15 AM on a Tuesday. - The laptop's wallpaper showed a man holding a fistful of sunflowers. - Connie Lewis, a 48-year-old dental hygienist, transferred $83,000 in eight installments. - The transfers occurred from February through August, with the last one two days before the laptop was found. - The initial discovery was made by Rebecca Petersen, who had driven the Millhaven Cutoff for eleven years.

The Parrot, The Post-it, and The Perfect Predator Imagine finding a cage with a full water dish and a note detailing a parrot's feeding schedule, but no bird, and the person who wrote it is inside the house, unable to function. This chilling discovery hints at a deeper, more sinister story of romantic fraud and isolation. What could drive someone to meticulously plan for a pet's care in their final conscious moments? In this episode, we delve into the unsettling case of April Sharp, a woman whose life was meticulously ordered until a series of losses left her vulnerable. We explore how a seemingly innocuous online connection in a grief forum became the groundwork for a devastating scam, revealing the calculated methods of a predator. Person: April Sharp Age: 32 Location: Millhaven, Tremont Circle Pet: Pistachio, a 16-year-old yellow-naped Amazon parrot Profession: Archivist - April Sharp held a master's degree in library science. - Her mother, Diane Sharp, was diagnosed with early-onset Parkinson's. - The parrot, Pistachio, had a feeding schedule of 7 AM and 11 PM. - April managed her mother's care for approximately two years. - The man calling himself Keith Boyd asked for $4,500 after seven months of online interaction.

The Stolen Face: He Scheduled Her Love Like Meetings Imagine finding a picture frame on a storm drain, glass uncracked, back panel dry despite two days of rain. This wasn't an accident; someone placed it there. What dark secret does this seemingly innocuous object hold about a missing woman and the romantic scam that ensnared her? In this episode, we uncover the chilling story of Teresa Murphy, a 51-year-old nurse whose disappearance was signaled by a single broken weekly call to her son. We explore the 14 months of wire transfers, a stolen identity, and a man who meticulously orchestrated his deception. Person: Teresa Murphy Age: 51 Location: Morrow Falls, Ohio Date: June 4, 2019 Platform: HarborLight - Leon Gardner found a picture frame on Kelloway Greenway at 6:15 AM on June 4, 2019. - Detective Craig Price connected the frame to Teresa Murphy's missing-persons inquiry 11 days later. - Teresa Murphy had called her son every Wednesday for four years without exception until her disappearance. - Wayne Stewart, 29, used Greg Novak's photograph from a 2015 professional networking site. - Wayne and Teresa spoke on the phone three to four times a week starting in January 2018.

The Ring, The Lie, and The Missing $47,000 Imagine finding a wedding ring on a gas line, inscribed "H plus M, June nineteen seventy-one," belonging to a man who hadn't removed it in 46 years. This isn't a story of a lost heirloom, but a chilling detail in a calculated romantic scam that left an 81-year-old widower stripped of his savings and his trust. How did a seemingly ordinary friendship turn into a devastating betrayal? In this episode, we uncover the meticulous planning behind a con artist's infiltration into the life of Harold Ingram, a dependable Ohio widower. We explore how a chance encounter at a farm stand escalated into a deep bond, culminating in the disappearance of Harold's "closest friend" and $47,000. Person: Harold Ingram Date: May 7, 2019 Location: Linden Falls, Ohio Amount: $47,000 Item: Wedding ring - Gina Sullivan, a gas company employee, found the wedding ring on a gas line at 8:47 AM on May 7, 2019. - The ring belonged to 81-year-old Harold Ingram, who had worn it for 34 years of marriage and 12 years of widowhood. - Police found a transfer receipt for $47,000 on a stripped bed at Harold's house. - The con artist, who called himself Warren Brooks, initiated contact with Harold in May 2018 at a Route Nine farm stand. - By November 2018, Harold had given Warren Brooks a key to his house on Mercer Street.

The Carousel Photo: He Watched Her For A Year Imagine receiving a Valentine's card with a photo of a man standing in front of a carousel that was demolished two years prior, sent from a country he'd never visited. This chilling detail is just one piece of a romance scam that cost one woman over $41,000. How did a seemingly ordinary woman fall victim to such an elaborate deception? In this episode, we uncover the meticulous, years-long planning behind a romance scam that targeted Wendy Porter, a 28-year-old bank teller in Tanner, Ohio. Discover how a perpetrator used intimate details of her life to build a convincing, yet entirely fabricated, relationship. Person: Wendy Porter Location: Tanner, Ohio Date: February 9, 2021 (first message) Amount: $41,200 Period: Five months - A Valentine's card found on April 4, 2022, contained a photo of a carousel demolished over two years earlier. - Wendy Porter, 28, worked at Heartland Savings on Millbrook Avenue for three years. - The scammer, posing as "Norman Cole," was actually Brian Ochoa, a software developer whose photos were stolen. - The scam involved $41,200 transferred over five months, starting in October 2021. - The perpetrator had been watching Wendy from 12 feet away at her workplace for over a year before she downloaded the dating app.

The Cardinal Mug: A Widow's Perfect Lie Imagine finding a ceramic mug in a reservoir with a cryptic note inside: "I should have known." This discovery leads to the unraveling of a meticulous deception targeting a kind-hearted widow. How did a seemingly perfect romance turn into a chilling romantic scam? In this episode, we delve into the story of Nancy Stein, a dedicated nurse and church member whose life takes an unexpected turn when she meets Norman Hensley. What secrets did Norman hide, and how did Nancy's friend uncover the shocking truth? Person: Nancy Stein Location: Drayfield, Ohio Date: March 2022 Status: Unresolved Topic: Romantic scam - Angela Turner's dog, Biscuit, found a red cardinal mug in a reservoir in March 2022. - Inside the mug was a note with the words "I should have known" and a local phone number. - Nancy Stein, 54, a licensed practical nurse for 21 years, had been missing her cardinal mug for weeks. - Norman Hensley, 61, met Nancy at Shepherd's Cross Lutheran Church in October 2021. - Monica Bennett, Nancy's friend, discovered Norman had no civil engineering license in five states and that his photograph didn't match the man Nancy knew.

The Dead Soldier, The Fake Tag, And Her 51 Months Imagine finding a soldier's dog tag in a creek, only to discover it belongs to a man who died years ago. This isn't a ghost story, but a chilling tale of how a fake identity, built on stolen valor, became a weapon in a sophisticated romantic scam. How did a dead soldier's name become a tool for deception, and what happened when the truth finally surfaced? In this episode, we uncover the intricate web of deceit woven by Rhonda Pickard, a woman with a prior conviction for check fraud, who meticulously crafted fake personas to exploit trusting individuals. We explore the story of Howard Henderson, a reliable and community-minded man, and how he became entangled in a long-term romantic fraud. Person: Rhonda Pickard Location: Shreveport, Louisiana Victim: Howard Henderson Date: February 11, 2019 Status: Deceased soldier's identity used in scam - Julie Callahan found a metal tag embossed with "AARON DELGADO. U.S. Army" in Cutter Creek on February 11, 2019. - Aaron Delgado, a U.S. Army Specialist, died at age 24 in a 2016 training accident at Fort Campbell, Kentucky. - Rhonda Pickard, 41, had been running fabricated romantic personas for at least four years by 2017. - In October 2017, a Facebook profile named Beverly Cox, with 412 friends and no mutual connections, sent Howard Henderson a friend request. - The first financial request from "Beverly" was for $400 in January 2018, sent via Western Union, which routed to Shreveport, Louisiana.

The Hard Hat Man: Nine Years, Five States, One Photo Imagine finding a photograph of a smiling man in a hard hat, wired to a fence post on a rural road, with no idea he was there. This seemingly random discovery by a county surveyor would eventually unravel nine years of fraud spanning five states. How did a simple photo become the key to exposing such a widespread deception? In this episode, we delve into the meticulous life of Peggy Morgan, a woman whose structured existence made her an unlikely target for a sophisticated romantic scam. We trace the origins of the fraud from a dating app match with "Roger Richardson" to the moment Peggy realized the man in the photo, Colin Marsh, had never heard of her. Person: Susan Walsh Date: January 2023 Location: Dellwood Township, Illinois Case: Romantic fraud Victim: Peggy Morgan - A four-by-six print in a silver pharmacy frame was found on County Road Fourteen. - Peggy Morgan, 38, lived on Perch Street in Dellwood, Illinois, for eleven years. - Peggy's dating app match, "Roger Richardson," claimed to be a structural engineer on an offshore oil platform. - The man in the photo was Colin Marsh, a petroleum engineer from Aberdeen, Scotland. - The first three money requests from "Roger" totaled over eighteen thousand dollars, all of which were returned to Peggy.

The AI Voice That Stole Her Life Savings Imagine a scam so precise it targets not your greed, but your very attentiveness. A 63-year-old English teacher, known for her sharp ear and meticulous grammar, found herself entangled in an 11-month-long deception that began with a language exchange. How could someone so discerning fall victim to a voice that was never human? In this episode, we uncover the chilling story of Patricia Ward, an ESL teacher whose life savings were stolen by an AI voice. We explore how her professional habit of precision became the very vulnerability an attacker engineered, leading to a sophisticated romance scam that baffled investigators. Person: Patricia Ward Age: 63 Location: Harlan County, Kentucky Profession: ESL teacher Duration of scam: 11 months - Pamela Clark found a laptop running at 9:17 AM, two hours and twenty-four minutes after a call ended. - The scammer used the stolen identity of a 51-year-old structural engineer named Alan Harris from Decatur, Georgia. - Patricia Ward had taught ESL for 21 years at Harlan County Middle School. - The AI voice used a semicolon correctly in a spoken analogy, impressing Patricia Ward. - The AI's laugh consistently lasted exactly 4.1 seconds across six recordings.