Story about Betty Mesterman

Betty contacted me online, pretending to be a single lady looking for romance. We began to exchange e-mails. She even wrote the following poem, Titled
"Trust"

Like a flower in a desert, trust may be hard to keep alive,
But like anything worthwhile, it is something for which you should strive.
Relationships are also fragile, and can easily be broken,
Feelings bottled up inside would be better off if spoken.
The truth can often hurt, and we must learn to cope,
For only with complete honesty can there be any hope.
Relationships must be built; they must be nurtured and grown,
Your care and your commitment must constantly be shown.
Truth should be the stone on which all things are cast.
If built upon this foundation, they'll more likely last.
Think upon this deeply, as you read this adage,
For every person trustworthy, five more would take advantage.
If you feel that you must lie, in order to save face,
Consider the consequences and whom you may disgrace.
If you feel honesty and loyalty, is a bunch of bunk,
Then just give up, and become a monk.
To be honest with another, you must be honest with yourself,
This cannot be bought, no matter what your wealth.
For truth and integrity can be the sharpest sword,
Feeling good about yourself, can be it's own reward.
So strive to be honest in all ways, is the best advice I can give;
To be able to trust yourself and others, is the only way to live


I started to believe her story, it almost seemed real, but deep within I knew that Betty had a different agenda. To make the long story short, Betty turned out to be just another scam, that was after my money. I received a cashier's check from some one in N.Y. pay to the order of my name, than some new e-mails came from Betty, not so friendly this time, here are some samples:

Hello Dear
How are you today?i hope you got my message yesterday,and i wanna inform you that i got a message from UPS and i was told that the Package will be delivered to you Today, all you need do now is to take the Check to your bank and you will require an instant cash,as soon as you get the cash,send it via western union to the information,i will write my information below.I hope you can do this today so that i can be on the next flight home tomorrow .You are to split the money into 2 and you are to wire it to my information via 2 different western union location and you are to get back to me with 2 western union information... am patiently waiting for your swift and happy response.The Check was re-directed to you by a UPS administrator inside US so tell them at bank that it's your personal Pay Check...Here is my information below



NAME..............Betty Masterman
CITY.................IKEJA
STATE.............LAGOS
COUNTRY........NIGERIA
ZIP CODE.........23401

Hey whats going on with my Money ? Please get back to me soon...

Please go and get it cashed . i assure you that its Good Check..

Take it to another bank and use it to open account there .. Ok

Go to any local cashing store closer to you and get it cashed, tell them to deduct any Charges in the money when they cash it and wire the remaining money to me down here ....



At this time it was obvious, I was being scammed

To all you single guys out-there beware of a scam like Betty, no-matter how touching their story is. Before you decide to deposit such a check in your bank, call the issuing bank first and verify the check. Last time I checked these type of scams accounted for over $100 million
being taken from US Bank accounts. I just can't understand why someone would fall for something like this.

Here are some links you can check-out, if your in doubt:

www.scam.com


www.scambusters.org


www.consumerfraudreporting.org


www.ripoffreport.com

www.419eater.com