Young echoed a similar stance for Lakenheath’s security forces but stressed that airmen should report identity theft. They might be watching it but right now we have no case on file for this.” “It has never been filed as a criminal case. “At this time there is no case,” said OSI spokeswoman Linda Card. However, she added that they couldn’t do anything with the misrepresented airmen as it’s not considered a crime.Īs a result, Air Force OSI agents have not opened up an investigation on it. airmen.Ī Met police spokeswoman said last week that the Greenwich Police Station would determine if there is a case. Stripes notified London’s Metropolitan Police of these details and the misrepresentation of U.S. Citing identity protection rules, he wouldn’t verify the name on the account with the one that Stripes had obtained. “If fraudulent activity is discovered, the account would then be closed.”ĭawson also urged anyone financially affected by this scam to contact their bank as soon as possible. “We’re taking appropriate measures at the moment,” said bank manager Bjorn Dawson. NatWest confirmed to Stars and Stripes that the bank account was active and its fraud department has launched an investigation into it. To complete his deceitful transaction, the scammer asked Mackey to transfer his money using a fake eBay invoice to a different person’s bank account at NatWest Bank in London’s Greenwich area. “They didn’t even look at my paperwork,” O’Connor continued, “I got the guy’s information right here,” he said while holding up a sheet of paper he got from Mackey with the alleged scammer’s details. “They said if no information of yours was stolen or no money exchanged hands, then there’s nothing we can do,” O’Connor said. Greg O’Connor is clearly upset with his name being exploited in a scam but also at the lack of help from the Air Force Office of Special Investigations. Most of the names don’t exist, while a few are of actual airmen unaware their identities have been used, according to spokeswoman Staff Sgt. Greg O’Connor appeared to have released his personal and banking account information.Īt least 12 people have contacted Lakenheath since November to verify the names of airmen misrepresented in this online scam. While attempting to rip off Oregon native David Mackey out of $7,500 for a phony Toyota Sienna online last month, a scam artist who called himself Staff Sgt. But even armed with the alleged scammer’s own bank account details, airmen have little recourse to fight back legally. RAF LAKENHEATH, England - An online scam involving misrepresented RAF Lakenheath airmen has recently been traced to a London bank account. “ if something sounds too good to be true, like they always say, it probably is.” “It’s easier to make the story sound legit,” he said. airman, Mackey thought it helped sell his phony story. “He was using my photo to scam people.”Īs for the scammer calling himself a U.S. Although nothing was touched, he was still upset that a thief used his good name in a scam. O’Connor then checked his credit report and banking accounts to see if anything was out of the ordinary. “I thought it was someone playing a prank on me.” When Mackey first contacted O’Connor, the airman thought it was a joke. Still not convinced, Mackey tracked down O’Connor himself to see if the deal was valid.
Greg O’Connor, who works at Lakenheath’s optometry clinic, to build his trust.
The scammer also sent Mackey a photo of the real Staff Sgt. “I believe this protects both buyer and seller and it’s the right way to do this.”
The phishing e-mails sent to them read: “So how this actually works? Simple: The buyer sends the payment to eBay and they hold the money until the car is delivered I ship the car to US I get my money only after the buyer receives the car and makes sure everything is agreed. The genuine e-Bay company later branded it a “phishing e-mail” scam, Mackey said.
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Mackey’s e-mail correspondence with was similar to Boileau’s - a cheap left-hand-drive car in England with free overseas shipping and the payment only to be done through an eBay account. O’ConnorAt about the same time, Mackey tried to buy a Toyota Sienna for $7,500 from a seller who identified himself as Staff Sgt. “It probably happens a lot with military because they get moved around a lot and people can’t keep track of them.” “I feel bad for because, hopefully, this person doesn’t ruin name,” she said. However, Aviano public affairs said Kosman has been aware of the issue for awhile.īoileau found out about the ruse when she called Lakenheath’s public affairs to confirm what the scammer told her. John Kosman - once stationed at Lakenheath but now at Aviano Air Base, Italy - is currently deployed to Iraq and could not be reached for comment.