5 Men in the Military Who Spoke out Against Catfishing

By Jen D., September 5, 2019

Would you consider yourself a detective? According to these five military men, who spoke out against scammers, you may need to start!

It is common for scammers and catfish to take on the fake identity of a real-life military person and use their images to con and trick others online. According to these five men in the military who speak out against romance scammers, catfishers take on the identity of a real-life service member and use their images to con and trick others online.

It may even have happened to you!

You will think you’re falling for someone great, who wants to meet you. However, the scammer is either trying to trick you, steal from you, or using you for their reasons. Whatever the case, no one deserves to be scammed. Let’s learn from these top five Instagram accounts, run by those in the military, and stop scams before they start!

Service Members Speak out Against Catfishing

Juan Avalos

Meet Juan Avalos, a United States Navy Chief who prioritizes family, fitness, and god. A married soldier, he also helps those who might be tricked by online catfish and scammers:

I want people to go the extra mile on knowing exactly who they are chatting with online. Be a detective and investigate as much as you can before you start any romantic relationship online.

Also, check out this YouTube video he posted:

View this post on Instagram

NIGERIAN SCAMMER SPECIAL ??? … ya know they love using these selfies to make innocent women send them some mula , cheese, feria, stacks … whatever ya wanna call it .. once again!! THIS IS MY ONLY PROFILE!! NO FB , NO DATING SITES… I honestly don’t get tired of saying this because I get new followers daily that need to hear this and hope for my long time followers to spread the word of this BILLION DOLLAR a year scam that these people do!! .. BE CAREFUL and take care of each other!!! NOW MONDAY IS UPON US!!! Ya ready for the week!! Ya ready to crush this week!!! Let’s goooo!! Get fired up!! Get excited!! ? . . . #gymtime #gymjunkie #pizza #taco #cheatday #mealprep #scammers #scam #nigeria #nigerianscammers #ogun #navy #marines #usn #usmc #tattedmilitary #tattedbabes #liftedtruck #f150 #lift #35 #temecula #winchester #usa #merica #becareful

A post shared by Juan Avalos (@shreddedmilitary) on Apr 28, 2019 at 8:09pm PDT

View this post on Instagram

SCAMMER ALERT!! This pic will generate over 1 million dollars in NIGERIA by scamming women!! BE CAREFUL !!! ?? . .YOUTUBE VIDEO Nigerian Scammers part 2 coming soon!! – ask questions – demand face time – be a detective – too goo to be true? Probably is – 99% of Military men or women are not seeking online relationships – stop asking me if I have a second account – stop falling in love with just pictures – go to church – find a hobby – if you send money,considered yourself SCAMMED!! . . #scam #military #scammers #nigeria #fake #fakenews #love #uniform #tat #tattoo #money #itunescards #igotscammed

A post shared by Juan Avalos (@shreddedmilitary) on Apr 12, 2019 at 3:51pm PDT

Mike Sency

Meet Mike Sency, who hosts a podcasts and posts videos about scammers and is on active duty, according to his Instagram page:

While it sucks to be scammed by these things you should remember that the serviceman/woman who's pictures they used had nothing to do with it, please stop coming after them because they are victims in this as well.

View this post on Instagram

Woke up and decided to do a PSA….seems to be an influx of fake profiles lately so looks like I’m gonna be doing these videos monthly…..don’t be stupid people ??…..also again love this mug mystery person #goodmorning #dontbestupid #besmart #fakeprofiles #scammers #happysunday

A post shared by Mike Sency (@msency) on Jul 28, 2019 at 7:21am PDT

James Văn Thạch

Meet James, who is more than a Soldier For Life U.S. Army Infantry Captain, he is also a suicide counselor and helps warn against scams through @ScamLifeGuard and his website CaptainThach.com.

On that website, he offers helpful ways to avoid scams:

The use of free posters to educate about romance scams involving the military.
Report scams to the F.B.I.
Find a language to understand “Scams”.
Only meet real military personnel in your area.

While these tips are helpful, you should also always search images of anyone you meet online, to verify their identity.

View this post on Instagram

Captain Thach & LtColonel James Taylor – #NBCNews – #CNN – #CNNNews – #BBC – #BBCNews – #FOXnews – #ATM – #ATMScam – #UnitedNations – #UnitedNation – #EU – #EuropeanUnion – Help #PresidentTrump #DonaldTrump #PresidentDonaldTrump & USA FIGHT – #DatingScams #CIA #Interpol #RomanceScams #Fraud #scammer – #NigerianScam #BlackMail #FBI #419Scam #Scams #Scam #scammers #BusinessScam

A post shared by Captain James Văn Thạch (@captainthach) on Aug 13, 2017 at 9:49pm PDT

GySgt Wu

Meet @gysgtwu, a Marine Corps Recruiter, chef, and fitness enthusiast. He opens up his Instagram to questions about the Marines. He warns his audience to be aware of scams and that no recruiter will ever ask someone for money, nor should they send money to someone they’ve met online but don’t know:

Please be aware of scams. No recruiter will ever ask for money for anything. Also, you should never send money to someone you have never met.

Here are some of his posts specifically about online scammers and catfish:

View this post on Instagram

Please be aware of scams. No recruiter will ever ask for money for anything. Also you should never send money to someone you have never met. #whoiswu #scam #scammer #scams #fake #military #fool #meme

A post shared by GySgt Wu (@gysgtwu) on Jan 22, 2019 at 2:57pm PST

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When you post a pic for scammers with a hidden message! Have fun with the negative things in your life and always realize that if negative things come your way you can balance it with a smile and a positive attitude! #whoiswu #military #fake #marines #scam #scammers #scammer

A post shared by GySgt Wu (@gysgtwu) on Aug 9, 2019 at 6:26pm PDT

View this post on Instagram

There is just no helping some people ! Please if someone is sending my pics know that I am not looking for love or iTunes cards. Some people are so ignorant to the fact they fell in love with a pic and some cheesey words from a stranger that when the real person in those pics says it was a scammer they refuse to believe it. Not insulting their lack of common sense just adressing my concern! #whoiswu #scammer #scam #fake #commonsense

A post shared by GySgt Wu (@gysgtwu) on Mar 6, 2019 at 7:48pm PST

Hiram Meraz

Meet Hiram Meraz, who knows that good looking members of the armed forces often have their images stolen and used by catfish. Follow his warnings:

It's official! Scammers are out there trying to take advantage of you. If you have seen fake profiles of myself or other service members, it's most likely NOT a hater or a joke. It's simply one of the multitudes of fake accounts being generated by scammers. Don't be fooled by accounts that don't reveal themselves in live videos, don't tag their friends, and use bad grammar. If you can't discern a real profile from a fake one, then learn!!

Check his Instagram post regarding catfish scammers:

View this post on Instagram

It’s official! Scammers are out there trying to take advantage of you. If you have seen fake profiles of myself or other servicemembers, it’s most likely NOT a hater or a joke. It’s simply one of the multitude of fake accounts being generated by scammers. Don’t be fooled by accounts that don’t reveal themselves in live videos, don’t tag their friends, and use bad grammar. If you can’t discern a real profile from a fake one, then learn!! . This isn’t personal, these criminals just make a bunch of fake profiles and see who takes the bait… hence the term “catfish.” It’s a numbers game. . Once again, a few things to look out for: 1)won’t reveal themselves in live video 2)won’t make phone calls or skype 3)bad grammar for someone that should be a native speaker . If you guys have any other pointers or advice, be a battle buddy and post them here for people to read. . If you have doubts about a profile, ask me or ask your friends opinions, especially before sending money or gift cards to some stranger!! . Repost this if you need to, tag your friends that need to hear this, let’s get the word out there guys! . #catfished #scammers #fraudalert #battlebuddy

A post shared by Hiram Meraz (@hiram.meraz) on Aug 26, 2018 at 6:56pm PDT

Many service members become interested in scams after finding out a stranger has been using their images to trick others. The victim may be upset and think the serviceman or servicewoman had deceived them when they had no idea their pictures were stolen and used. Be skeptical of anyone you meet online unless you can verify their identity in person and get to know them. Scammers lie for a living and will say anything to get your money or gain your trust.

Make sure your background checking anyone you meet online and encourage others to do the same! You can search all the major search engines, social media accounts, and more with Social Catfish! Search by name, username, image, phone number, and email address:

5 Men in the Military Who Spoke out Against Catfishing

5 Men in the Military Who Spoke out Against Catfishing