Looks legit
November 16th, 2012
Some love lorn woman in Austria sent me this ID photo of a guy she met on the internet asking if he’s legit. She thinks he is for real because he only asked her for $300 instead of the thousands that scammers usually ask her for;
There are no first sergeants by the name of Louis Morgan in AKO, not that it matters. He also sent her some stock photos of guys whose faces you can’t really see as proof that he’s in Afghanistan.
Ladies, a real soldier wouldn’t send you a scan of his ID card. It’s really that simple.
November 16th, 2012 at 8:15 am
No, totally legit. My CAC card says “Italy Special Forces Identification Card” on the bottom of it too.
November 16th, 2012 at 8:19 am
I’m gald she contacted you, before sending chuckles any cash.
November 16th, 2012 at 8:20 am
Also, by the picture, he’s got the officer thing cooking, but he says he’s a 1SG???
November 16th, 2012 at 8:24 am
Crap, I must have a fake CAC since mine says “Geneva Conventions Identification Card” at the bottom.
He seems legit. Doesn’t everybody scan their ID cards to women they met on the internet?
November 16th, 2012 at 8:24 am
That’s about as legit as the white van with the hand-written “FREE CANDY” sign on the side.
November 16th, 2012 at 8:25 am
OT, to my untrained eye it also looks like the beret is photoshoped on.
November 16th, 2012 at 8:34 am
Tough call. I met a Lt. 1st Sgt. from Cannoli Co., 3rd Pepperoni Brigade some years ago. He could be with that outfit.
November 16th, 2012 at 8:52 am
Why did he even photoshop a beret on? And on second glance it just looks like he photoshopped the uniform AND the beret onto himself..
November 16th, 2012 at 9:00 am
A closer look at the CAC reminds me of hose activity books they used to have back in the 1960′s where you would have decals of clothes and place them on the characters on the book, then peel them off and stick other stickers on the drawing. Anyoe know what I am referring to, or is old age setting in at the ripe old ogae of 49?
November 16th, 2012 at 9:05 am
Even the BEARD looks added on…
Funny- Nigerians usually don’t look this pale.
Betcha he lives in a van, down by the river
November 16th, 2012 at 9:06 am
My CAC is much more of a headshot… Which makes sense since an ID is to identify the face, not the uniform. I recall my last CAC being the same–closer to a passport photo than what this guy photoshopped into the image. I could be wrong, but I don’t know of any ID card photographers who would snap a picture of a guy’s bling… the photo stops just below the neck. And since they all make you sit in the same seat that is the same distance from the computer camera thing, I’d say this is all jacked up.
November 16th, 2012 at 9:06 am
Hack – sounds like you are describing something more modern than the paper dolls we had back in the dark ages. Same principle, but there were tabs you bent over the shoulders of the figures you were “dressing.”
November 16th, 2012 at 9:14 am
@9 – Hack: I know what you’re talking about. The pieces were paper thin vinyl sheets, kind of rubbery and would adhere to the characters. I recall it was manufactured by Colorform. You’re not getting old, they just don’t make cool toys like that anymore.
November 16th, 2012 at 9:19 am
Hack, I remember those things and I’m a member of the Atari 2600 generation.
November 16th, 2012 at 9:21 am
@4. Geneva seceded from Switzerland and joined Italy. Didn’t you get that e-mail?
Looks like he photoshopped his head onto an actual officers body, along with his name on the nameplate. Rockin’ a 1-17 Cav flash with a blue cord? I don’t think so.
November 16th, 2012 at 9:22 am
@9. No, I remember those. Of course, I’m 47.
November 16th, 2012 at 9:23 am
Rank is no longer permitted as part of your CAC photo.
November 16th, 2012 at 9:23 am
@15, 1-17 is an Infantry Battalion that was part of the 172nd SBCT in Alaska until it was deactivated in December of 2006. It was then reactivated in one of the SBCTs at Lewis.
November 16th, 2012 at 9:25 am
Re his CAC card rank: I’m geezing and can’t remember. Is 1SG a rank? I remember it as a position that MSG E8′s were assigned to…1SG (First Shirt) or at a diff time and place, S3 NCOIC. E.g., a CPT can be a Company Commander or he can be the Asst S3, etc. Genuine question…I just can’t remember (or maybe it changed).
November 16th, 2012 at 9:29 am
The bottom of the ID reads Italy Special Force Identification Card! LMO!
November 16th, 2012 at 9:29 am
@19 Yes 1SG is a rank, but you have to be in the duty position to have that rank otherwise you are a MSG. It’s the same thing as with CPL/SPC.
November 16th, 2012 at 9:39 am
@9 – Hack, yes, I remember those press-apply sticker costumes for paper dolls. I used to give the books to one of my nieces for birthdays. I made my own paper dolls out of cardboard and made the costumes with the tabs out of typing paper. I also made dioramas of spaceships and planets out of cardboard, colored with crayons and tempera paint.
November 16th, 2012 at 9:44 am
What happened to “Stranger Danger?” That used to be a thing…
November 16th, 2012 at 9:53 am
Did those Jib Jab fellows make an Internetz cartoon about military ID cards?
November 16th, 2012 at 10:10 am
@21: Thanks. Do you keep the “1SG” designation/rank when you leave that slot, e.g., to be the S3 NCOIC?
November 16th, 2012 at 10:14 am
@25, No you do not. When you leave the slot you go to being a MSG. Both ranks have 3 chevrons and 3 rockers. The only difference is 1SG has a diamond in the middle. It is a lateral move since they are both the same pay grade.
November 16th, 2012 at 10:30 am
@18. The flash on Doofus’ beret is that of the 1-17 CAV, not 1-17 IN (Not that they ever had a flash to begin with). It’s an attack aviation battalion in Division. So, 1-17 Cav + Blue Cord = Poser Fail.
November 16th, 2012 at 10:36 am
@27, Yeah I caught the flash part after I had already posted. I was hopeing I could slide through without getting called out on it.
November 16th, 2012 at 10:37 am
ANALYSIS
“Italy Special Force Identification Card”
vs.
“Italian Special Forces Identification Card”
Based soley on this observation, ABSOLUTELY LEGIT!
END OF ANALYSIS
November 16th, 2012 at 10:42 am
God, I love Al Gore.
Google Images –> “Louis Morgan Special Forces”
Brings you right back to TAH.
God Bless America and Al Gore for inventing the internet!
November 16th, 2012 at 10:47 am
@28. No worries, Brah! We’re all friends up in here.
November 16th, 2012 at 11:09 am
Is that a beret or a beanie? Maybe if he’d shave that fro, it might sit on his noggin better…
November 16th, 2012 at 11:45 am
Colorforms is the toy you’re trying to remember.
November 16th, 2012 at 11:50 am
Photoshop? beret looks more like MS Paint.
November 16th, 2012 at 12:05 pm
I served with the Italy Special Force once. You’ve probably heard of them by their nom de guerre: The Spaghetti Benders. They were headed up by Brigadier General Ron Zoni and Master Sgt Al Dente. They trained at Camp Botch-A-Galoop in Paisano, Italy for the infamous Operation Olive Garden.
November 16th, 2012 at 12:06 pm
Thanks USMCE8Ret12@13. The only clear recollection I have of stuff as a snot nosed kid were Rock-Em Sock-Em Robots and Battling Tops. Later on, Battling Tops would be more appropriate for two MSgts duking it out. For those that do not know about Coloform, thanks to Al Gore’s inventing the internet, we have this bit of history: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colorforms
November 16th, 2012 at 12:07 pm
Yep, that beard is definately photo-shopped, too.
November 16th, 2012 at 12:41 pm
The Italian Army does not even have the that Rank of 1SG.
November 16th, 2012 at 12:43 pm
@9,13 – They still make them, they’re called Reusable Stickers now. And just to make most of us feel even older, Amazon has a 60th Anniversary set of Colorforms:
http://www.amazon.com/Colorforms-Activity-Original-Anniversary-Edition/dp/B000BNEODU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1353084061&sr=8-1&keywords=colorform
November 16th, 2012 at 12:44 pm
“She thinks he is for real because he only asked her for $300 instead of the thousands that scammers usually ask her for”
Might let her know that isn’t a very good gauge. Start small and lead your mark to the big score.
November 16th, 2012 at 12:46 pm
@ 35 … Simply Brilliant!
November 16th, 2012 at 12:48 pm
Addendum… Colorforms is still going strong too. It must be the off-brand version that’s referred to as Reusable Stickers.
@36 – My siblings and I LOVED Battling Tops! We may even still have the game sitting around somewhere. the robots were more my brother’s thing, the rest of us loved our Barbies.
November 16th, 2012 at 12:51 pm
Serious Note:
Can someone give me idea …
What state did the solicitation happen in?
Plus Army CID should take this case.
With the email and a bit of internet wizard work … this guy can be apprehended quite easily!
The FEDs take the ID card issues quite seriously.
November 16th, 2012 at 12:55 pm
This reminds me of when I was stationed in DC.
We(our platoon) had part time jobs working security/bouncers at a handful of bars in Gtown, Adams Morgan, 17th and N area, etc. One of the jobs was to check ID’s due to high influx of college kids.
Had this clown show me a miliray ID. No issue there. However he had a mullet and a mustache in the ID. Claimed IN. Right.
Sent him on his way. I would not call this turkjey a “poser”, per se but what a moron trying to get a fake ID, a military one at that, with the mullet and the mustache.
Loser.
November 16th, 2012 at 1:00 pm
I think the flash is from 1-40 CAV from 4/25 ABCT in Alaska.
November 16th, 2012 at 8:01 pm
He’s struck again. A woman just wrote to us and sent the text of one of his emails, so if she sends me an email as an attachment, we can track the little shit down. Here’s the email he wrote her;
Hi dear ,
i am currently in italy Vicenza in the veneto region , The situation here is the same you hear in the media, so far so good all is under control , the level of security over here is very tight and we are limited to a lot of things, how I spend my time depends on my schedule, when am on duty and off duties, I’m in the army and I specialize on weapons and logistics, As for my duty here in italy is to keep peace, law and order, My job may be dangerous and it take a very physical and brave man to do this. But with all that i’m still a soft hearted man, let me just say I have two personalities. My military personality is different from my civil personality. I don’t know if you understand what am trying to say.
I went to john harris high school, in Pennsylvania form there I went to west point for 4 years, then from west point to Iraq,
I don’t have a big family but a very happy one…lol, I live in chicago, my mom is past on, my dad is irish he lives in Pennsylvania , my son lives with his mom, my sister is happily married with kids and lives with her husband in UK. I miss them all and they are so important to me. When am on vacation i try my best to spend quality time with family and friends i am a very outgoing person. shy at first but i loosen up fast. I love to reading books, I love alternative music. I don’t drink I don’t smoke .i love to go out or stay in . i have a sarcastic sense of humor and i love to laugh. I love trying new things and i love learning about anything and everything. I am a very honest person and sometimes i am a little to blunt about things
I guess that’s a summary about me. Would like u to tell me all you can tell about yourself.
Hope to hear from you soon
Thanks
Louis
By the way, there are indeed two Louis Morgans in the Army, but they’re not this guy.
November 16th, 2012 at 8:07 pm
“..very physical and brave man to do this..”
HA. HAHAHA. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.
Seriously? Some dude wrote that? And expected to be taken seriously?
November 16th, 2012 at 8:10 pm
Well, you have to admit that it’s encouraging that we’ve finally nailed that security thing down in Italy.
November 16th, 2012 at 8:23 pm
A lot of that email is the standard glob of feces that many guys use as an attempt to appear as appealing as possible. The poseur stuff just makes it more humorous.
“..i love to go out or stay in..”
Really? Well no shit. Most people love to go out or stay in. What a fucking revelation that was.
“..i try my best to spend quality time with family and friends..”
Well yee-haw. I’m quite relieved to hear you don’t try to avoid spending quality time with F&F. Or that you try your best to spend shit-tastic time with them. But what I’m guessing is that he really wants to spend some..ahem..”quality time” with total strangers. If ya know what I mean.
“i am a very outgoing person. shy at first but i loosen up fast.”
Well which is it? Are you “very” outgoing, or are you shy at first? Because if you’re shy at first, you’re not too fucking outgoing.
“and i love to laugh”
That’s good to hear. I dated this girl for a while that hated to laugh. Seriously, she’d break down and sob for hours if she was forced to laugh. Jim Carrey was absolutely banned from her house.
I could go on, but…really? Really? No wonder dating online has such a bad rap. Cheesedicks like this spitting out meaningless, contradictory, and cliched lines and pretending to have something vaguely resembling a personality give the rest of my gender a bad name.
November 16th, 2012 at 8:32 pm
Questions to be asked in response to said e-mail:
A – What part of Chicago does he call home?
B – Cubs or Sox?
C – Bears or Packers?
D – Cubby Bear or Jimbo’s?
Per the attached link, there does not seem to be much going on in the Veneto region other than a referendum about becoming an indepdent state:
http://www.liberoquotidiano.it/news/politica/1123815/Veneto–Zaia–referendum-per-indipendenza-non-e–sfida.html
and this about a Prosecco at a local ristorante:
http://www.topix.net/it/veneto/2012/11/a-veneto-journey-to-farm-and-table-in-one
Also, it would be a good idea to find out at which base he’s stationed, because there are seven, but only two (Casermo Ederle and Aviano) are anywhere near Vicenza, and Aviano is USAF.
I would want specifics about this. Is he living on the base? Casermo Ederle is not very big. I would ask some questions that require very specific answers, without giving away any hints.
November 16th, 2012 at 8:55 pm
Any bets on whether the continent of origin is actually closer to Africa? The writer did not learn “English” in the US as a first language, and I would guess never visited the US either. In person, that is.
November 16th, 2012 at 10:44 pm
I went to john harris high school, in Pennsylvania form there I went to west point for 4 years, then from west point to Iraq
Well, he never said he GRADUATED from West Point… or, come to think of it, that he even attended.
November 16th, 2012 at 10:47 pm
I went to Harvard once….mostly out of curiosity. Then I left.
November 16th, 2012 at 10:53 pm
I bumped that photo up to 200%. It looks like the aiguilette on his left shoulder does not go through the epaulette on his jacket. I’m not familiar with Army shoulder ropes, but somehow that doesn’t look right to me. My drill team aiguilette from boot camp had the knot at the top, with the metal drop in front. Somewhere I have the photo of that.
November 16th, 2012 at 10:59 pm
This is interesting: I found a website for the preservation of John Harris High School, in Harrisburg, PA, 1926 to 1971:
Historical Preservation.
Accounting of all who ATTENDED or were on STAFF at
JOHN HARRIS HIGH SCHOOL.
Years of its existence: 1926 to 1971.
Included are 1971 juniors/sophomores.
Graduation is not a requirement.
Here is the link to the website:
http://www.johnharrishighschool.org/
The school closed before he was born, unless he went there in Professor Peabody’s Wayback machine. Looks like our special guy is another lying sack of fecal matter.
GOTCHA!!!!
November 16th, 2012 at 11:09 pm
This is the REASON I WILL NEVER DATE VIA THE INTERNET!!
November 16th, 2012 at 11:27 pm
@56 – Because you’ll get found out?
November 16th, 2012 at 11:27 pm
Kidding!!!!
November 16th, 2012 at 11:33 pm
but what everyone wants to know is…
…is he ‘All In?’
November 16th, 2012 at 11:39 pm
@57 LOL!! No two of my very dear but STUPID friends were conned by some Nigerian scam artist!!! And the whole internet dating kinda creepy!!! Plus you know us Marines we are all so shy!!! hehe
November 16th, 2012 at 11:47 pm
Oh, they have my sympathies!!
November 17th, 2012 at 9:50 am
Went to West Point for 4 years? Which one? West Point, GA? MS? VA?
Doubt it’s NY, though. Somehow he just doesn’t look like the “Uncle Sam’s Community College” type.
November 17th, 2012 at 10:03 am
But Hondo, he claimed to have gone to a high school that was closed before he was born.
See my post @55 above.
He’d have to be my age to have even GONE to John Harris High School.
November 18th, 2012 at 1:25 pm
Who ever got their CAC card picture taken while in Class A’s anyway?
And besides, shouldn’t he be wearing the ASU by now? It’s 2012, pal, Class A’s went the way of the BDU years ago…
November 18th, 2012 at 2:04 pm
He says,
“I don’t have a big family but a very happy one…lol, I live in chicago, my mom is past on, my dad is irish he lives in Pennsylvania , my son lives with his mom, my sister is happily married with kids and lives with her husband in UK.”
This guy is not what he says, obviously. He is a gypsy, itinerant, traveller, or better described as a thief!
“My dad is Irish” … bullshit … if he is part Irish, then I have a British Royal Crown on my Irish pecker! A small one at that!
Always picking on the Irish!
January 27th, 2013 at 1:10 am
I’m surprised he’s not asking for emergency airfare to get home from his Camp in Paprika!!