<when I look at these pictures of him, it makes me sick to my stomach.>
A Central Georgia woman...talking about the man...she thought she loved...and how that romance cost her around 800 thousand dollars.
Good evening everyone.
I'm Frank Malloy.
And I'm Leah Johnson. This is Eyewitness News at 6.
First tonight... she says she gave up everything for love ... Only to find out it was all a lie.
It's what investigators call... the romance scam.
Tom George has the story of a Warner Robins woman who says an online dating site...led her to disaster.
First tonight... she says she gave up everything for love ... Only to find out it was all a lie.
It's what investigators call... the romance scam.
Tom George has the story of a Warner Robins woman who says an online dating site...led her to disaster.
<it was my life savings ... And now it's? And now it's gone.>
Carolyn Benningfield says she had the all-American life - an Air Force husband, two sons, and a middle class home in Warner Robins..
<there was good times and there was bad times>
After her husband died three years ago, she felt lonely .
<that's when you know i thought ... Iwas looking for a good Christian man and I went on Match.com>
And after a few months and a few misses, she thought she found her match - a widow from Macon who shared her Catholic faith.
<when his profile came online, I had prayed to God for .. To meet a good, Christian man and I thought that my dreams had come true. >
The two hit it off early this year, chatting online every day.. But soon the conversation turned to money, when the man said he'd lost his luggage on a business trip to Ecuador.
<he asked me if I could loan him a thousand dollars>
So she did... But as time went on the requests grew larger... He convinced Carolyn to invest thousands in his oil company.
She never met the man...and now believes he was using a false identity.
<the man listed this house on Rocky Creek Road in Macon, but as we found out, not only does he not live here , neither does anyone else..>
Carolyn sent dozens of transfers to different accounts he claimed were used by his company ... $40,000 to a bank in New Zealand, 3,000 each to people in Russia and Ecuador...
<yes, the banks did try to warn me, but I decided not to believe what they said because in my heart, that it was true. >
In the end, she gave him all she had... a total of almost 800 THOUSAND dollars ... And a potential tax lien on her home for emptying out her 401-K.
<I believe that he has traveled the world on my finances.. On my life savings.>
Losing everything .. For the promise of love...
<you think something is right and nobody can tell you any different but when it comes to hindsight like it is now, I can see ... I can see. >
In Warner Robins, Tom George, 13WMAZ Eyewitness News.
Now the type of act we're talking about is something the Federal Trade Commission refers to as romance fraud.
According to the FTC's website, OnGuardOnline-dot-gov... Millions of americans use dating sites, social networking sites, and chat rooms...and can be taken in by those who create profiles.
Some scammers the F-T-C says...even make wedding plans, before disappearing with the money.
The website warns...an online love interest who asks for money is almost certainly a scam artist.
And it offers some tips on how to recognize them.
The relationship may not be what you think...if your online significant other wants to leave the dating site immediately and use personal e-mail or instant messenger.
Another warning sign is...if they're willing to claim love too quickly.
If they claim to be from the U.S....but they're constantly traveling or working overseas... That could be a problem.
And if they plan to visit...but are prevented by a traumatic event...or a business deal that fell through.
Often, they'll even say they're serving abroad in the armed forces.
So what can you do to safeguard yourself?
For one thing...making online purchases or sending packages to other countries can be risky.
And... never wire money...even if the person asking says it's
to cover travel, medical emergencies, hotel bills, hospital bills, visas, or any other temporary financial crises.
Be wary if someone says they were robbed or pick-pocketed on the street.
And...if you suspect a scam...report it immediately to he Federal Trade Commssion...the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center...or your state's attorney general.
From a shooting near a school bus stop .... to a fight at a houston avenue bus stop yesterday -- Bibb County schools have dealt with many incidents on...or near...their school buses.
Candace Adorka spoke to school officials about it. They say it's a big problem, but they're coming up with a plan to handle it.
In Bibb county, it's not always a smooth ride for school bus drivers.
<disrespectful behavior towards staff. Language, those kinds of things, vandalism on school buses, objects being thrown out of windows, property damage>
... And fights, in or around school buses.
Transportation Director Todd Harris says there are safety and discipline incidents on school buses daily.
<kids are kids, but I will say in the last 2 to 3 years some of the behavior has escalated and I feel like a lot of it stems form the community things that happened in the community >
These issues and more are outlined in a safety report the district commissioned this summer.
Safe Haven International recommends more training for transportation employees on handling conflicts, emergencies and special needs, automated incident reporting.
Harris says he'll head up a taskforce that uses the safe haven report as a guideline
<there's always been concerns about weapons on school buses, that's a tough one to prevent but I think we'll extend some of the random wand searches that they do at schools on the bus ramps. >
HE says the taskforce has to make sure procedures and expectations are the same across the district. For example, he says some schools don't handle discipline incidents on the bus as quickly or effectively as others.
<it has been inconsistent across the district. That's nothing new. I think with the commitment from our administration and our superintendent, we'll have some accountability.>
HE says they're dedicated to improving the atmosphere on school buses...for practical safety reasons, but also for the drivers' peace of mind.
<YEa it affects morale, luckily our superintendent spoke with the drivers last week-- we had a driver meeting. He addressed them, and I think he heard their concerns and gave them excellent fedback.>
Harris is still finalizing the 8-member transportation tas kforce, but he says they should be at work by the end of october.
Candace Adorka 13 WMAZ eyewitness news.
One of the school bus safety issues in the safe haven report has to do with Campus Police Response times. On Monday, Russell Bentley, one of the authors of that report will take the reins as the Bibb County Schools' campus police chief.
In our 13WMAZ web poll today.,.. We asked you if you think school buses in your community are safe.
And the results at this hour are an even split...
Fifty percent of you said yes...and fifty percent say no.
To vote now... Visit 13WMAZ.com.
Look for the question on the right side of the homepage.
A school employee was treated for a cut and a student is facing charges..after a fight at Rutland High School..
According to Bibb County school officials...two students got into a fight in the school's front office..
When the employee tried to intervene...the employee suffered a minor cut on the elbow...the school district is not saying if the employee is a teacher or an administrator.
The student was charged with battery on a school employee and disruption of a public school.
Those unused medications in your bathroom cabinet could pose unexpected dangers to you and your family,.
But tomorrow....there's an appropriate...and easy way to dispose of them.
During the Drug Enforcement Administration's national Take Back Day program, drug disposal sites will be set up across the state Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
To find the nearest site....visit 13wmaz.dot.com.
In the top headlines section...find the link to the
www.dea.gov, and click "Drug Disposal".... Then Got Drugs"?
Then...follow the links to a database and enter your zip code.
The service is free and anonymous. This will be the fifth take-back day.
People participating in the four previous events over the last two years turned in 1-point-6 million pounds of prescription drugs nationwide.
You may get more one-on-one medical attention... If you visit Houston Healthcare in the near future.
They just started a residency program.
Dr. William Woolery spearheaded the program.
He says he recognized the need for more doctors in the community.
Woolery says a residency program is a way to bring young medical graduates here.
After several years of work... He now has 9 residents from around the country training under him....with more to come.
The program will grow to 18 resident doctors in the next two years.
<part of our hope is to home grow our physicians. If you get them to stay here three years, and their kids get into school, and they get used to the community, and they like it, they are more apt to stay. That's what were hoping for.>
Woolery says most medical residents choose to continue their practice within 50 miles of their residency.
The Medical Center of Central Georgia is now the area's only other teaching hospital.
About 100 people flocked to Southern Hills Golf and Country Club in Hawkinsville today...to tee off... And support our military veterans.
Find out how they raised money...with each swing of the club...and where those dollars are going.
Today...Georgians went to Southern Hills Golf and Country Club in Hawkinsville not just for a game of golf...but to help military veterans.
Austin Lewis tells us how these golfers are helping out some of America's heroes.
It's a song that resonates with so many here at the second annual Heroes Invitation Tournament to benefit wounded war veterans.
About 100 Georgians hit the course in golf carts...all in an effort to raise money for many of the heroes coming back home.
Kurt Rothe says he's glad to get back in the swing of things
<Kurt Rothe, Brunswick: I had a surgery four months ago so this is my second time out playing golf since the surgery. >
But for Rothe...it's not just about getting the shot
he served and was wounded himself.
<Kurt Rothe, Brunswick: I retired after 20 years and 3 months with the U-S Army I was in the National Guard in my last tour in Afghanistan and we were subject to an IED and I wound up breaking my back in the process. >
Rothe says he knows first hand...how the money raised here ...helps give America's heroes some support.
<Kurt Rothe, Brunswick: You get a little bit of survivor's guilt, you look at the friends that you lost there and a lot of them you consider your brothers you come back you reintergrate and you're here. It's a tough transition you are getting back to normal life, it's a new normal, it's not what you had normal before you deployed before you went through what you went through in Afghanistan or Iraq>
And in the process of helping out veterans...Rothe says he gets the chance to meet new people...and of course enjoy his favorite pasttime.
<Kurt Rothe, Brunswick: It's an individual sport, it's something that I need to focus on to be able to excel at and it's a, golf is a great sport >
And for people here...this game is about g
etting a hole in one...for wounded heroes coming back home.
Austin Lewis 13WMAZ Eyewitness News.
This is the second time they have done this fundraiser.
Last year they raised 62-thousand dollars for service members.