17

I have been in touch with someone romantically and I suspect that he is not who he says he is. He sent me this itinerary. Is it a fake?

expedia itinerary

He never showed when I went to meet him and he says he is being held by customs in Dubai because he has something of value that he needs the correct paperwork to get through customs. He needs $ for taxes, insurance etc. and says, if he can't pay, they will jail him because, they think his items are stolen. He is an E-9 Sergeant Major who is retiring.

Improve this question
7
  • 13
    99%. Have you ever met in person? It reads like the standard scam, but I could be wrong. Why would he be in Dubai customs when it's only transiting?
    – Weather Vane
    Commented Oct 19 at 13:53
  • 82
    They didn’t even update their scam template to take into account the new Expedia logo which changed over a year ago…
    – jcaron
    Commented Oct 19 at 14:05
  • 49
    "Welcome James" email "Donald Webb" Yes, it's a scam. Don't send money.
    – Berend
    Commented Oct 19 at 14:20
  • 30
    And someone who is retiring from the military does not have to pay their own way home. And E-9 pay is $123k per year. So even if this person isn't scamming you, then they have very bad financial skills
    – Peter M
    Commented Oct 19 at 15:22
  • 53
    As a rule if you have to ask yourself "Is this a scam" the answer is "Yes".
    – mdewey
    Commented Oct 19 at 15:29

2 Answers 2

Reset to default
55

Even if the itinerary is for real, the chances of you being scammed are very high.

It is not hard to fake an itinerary and even tickets. All signs point to scam.

Even if you have met the person someone can fake being them.

Do NOT send any money and best contact your local police, certainly if you have already send money in the past.

Improve this answer
2
  • 28
    Not "high", 100%. The customs don't jail people for failing to pay their dues, they confiscate the items. Unless it's drugs, in which case they'd be in jail already and without their communication devices.
    – Therac
    Commented Oct 20 at 20:04
  • 7
    @Therac : and in the latter case, sending them money for "taxes and insurance" won't let them out of jail to continue their journey.
    – vsz
    Commented Oct 21 at 4:55
48

This itinerary is fake, and there are multiple signs to that as mentioned in the various comments. Anyone who's ever booked from Expedia should be able to immediately tell that it is fake.

This is a classic "romance scam". Disengage, do not send any money, do not continue to communicate, do not provide any information. Report scams to the FBI at the IC3 website.

Improve this answer
2

You must log in to answer this question.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .