Sammy Ackerman
Complaint 131100 Details

I met this person on the iPhone app Skout in late November 2011. This is the story he tells: Says he is 41, bday is Aug. 28. Has 2 children son Windell & daughter Germaine, his wife died in a car accident 3 years ago. He was in LA until November and went back to UK to run his father's construction businesses. His father died 2 years ago. When he is traveling his mother Wendy cares for his children. He initially claimed to come back to West Covina and there I could visit him for New Years, rescheduled for February then for June 25th. I am divorcing after 26 years and am a very trusting, honest and open and was looking for the same. I had thought I had found that. I had thought we had built a wonderful foundation and I was looking forward to meeting him. He claimed to have a client that owed him money and could only transfer to a US Bank account because of trust / legal reasons after a family death. I was skeptical and hesitant but he eventually convinced me to open an account with State Farm online to which he could make deposits to and co-manage due to the time difference. Unfortunately confirmations of the test deposits went to my junk mail folder. Money started coming into the account, I would look online and see pending deposits for $1850 and tell him. The plan was that I was going to purchase his ticket to come to the states. However soon after the money came he changed his story and asked me to wire the money to him and he would make the arrangements. Which I found odd, but like a fool, I trusted him. His communications started tapering off. He claimed to have been traveling to Switzerland for a week to tie up loose ends before coming to the states. I get a call a week later from the bank that the account is negative $1847 because a deposit has been pulled back as "bad" aka fraudulent. I confront him about it. He claimed it was an error and he was taking care of it. I did a little research and noticed that the deposits were being made from a Wells Fargo account in my name and I didn't have any accounts with Wells Fargo. So when I confronted him about it he said the client said it would be easier that way and to trust him. I told the bank to close the account and to allow no further transactions to transpire around May 17th I believe. In early June I received a notice from State Farm that the account is now over drawn $7215.84. I called State Farm to find out why additional transactions had been allowed, and they stated that ALL deposits had been fraudulent and Wells Fargo had drawn them back. When I called Wells Fargo, they claim to not have any accounts open in my name.

I am a single mother of 3 children, jobless and have no means of repaying this debt. I need help!! I guess I was a perfect vulnerable target. He took 7 months before getting what he wanted. I am heartbroken and sickened that anyone can do this to people, and I certainly NEVER thought it would happen to me.

Please Help.