Hopkinsville Police are looking into an identity theft scam online that one local resident has been victimized by.
Reports say the victim met two men through an online dating service, Mate1.com. She told police that not long after meeting with the first man online he began asking her to deposit a check in her bank account and wire money to his account. She suspected this was a scam and broke off communications with him. Shortly after she was contacted by a "James Kay" who seemed legitimate and soon after they started talking, "Kay" asked her for her address so he could send her a birthday gift. She responded with the information and received a birthday cake and cheap jewelry in the mail. She says she began to believe "Kay" was really the first man she had met on the site. The victim told police that she had spoken with the man through text messages, phone calls, and web chat. One day she received a package from UPS and "Kay" began asking her to pick up iPads and laptops at BestBuy in Clarksville and Bowling Green and send them to an address in South Africa. At this point she became very suspicious and contacted police. Through their investigation it was determined that "Kay" had used the personal information he had gotten from the victim to open several credit cards in her name. Further he was purchasing items from local stores with these cards and using the victim to send them to him in South Africa.
From the online profile, "Kay" appears to be a white male. The victim says when she spoke to him on the phone he had a heavy accent and she could only understand every other word. Police advise citizens to never give out personal information to people online that you do not know.
Reports say the victim met two men through an online dating service, Mate1.com. She told police that not long after meeting with the first man online he began asking her to deposit a check in her bank account and wire money to his account. She suspected this was a scam and broke off communications with him. Shortly after she was contacted by a "James Kay" who seemed legitimate and soon after they started talking, "Kay" asked her for her address so he could send her a birthday gift. She responded with the information and received a birthday cake and cheap jewelry in the mail. She says she began to believe "Kay" was really the first man she had met on the site. The victim told police that she had spoken with the man through text messages, phone calls, and web chat. One day she received a package from UPS and "Kay" began asking her to pick up iPads and laptops at BestBuy in Clarksville and Bowling Green and send them to an address in South Africa. At this point she became very suspicious and contacted police. Through their investigation it was determined that "Kay" had used the personal information he had gotten from the victim to open several credit cards in her name. Further he was purchasing items from local stores with these cards and using the victim to send them to him in South Africa.
From the online profile, "Kay" appears to be a white male. The victim says when she spoke to him on the phone he had a heavy accent and she could only understand every other word. Police advise citizens to never give out personal information to people online that you do not know.
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