Chief Youth Development Officer victim of Facebook scam

Roach a scammer is using his name and photo on Facebook
Roach said a scammer is using his name and photo on Facebook

Chief Youth Development Officer, John Roach, has called on members of the public to be more vigilant as it relates to making financial transactions through social media.

This, he said, follows a scam on Facebook where his photograph and name are being used to trick young people to believe that he is offering grants.

“Basically, what I want is for our people to be more vigilant about making financial transactions through social media because there is a lot of scam going on out there,” he told Dominica News Online on Thursday.

A page on Facebook popped up last year bearing Roach’s name and photo. A message from the scammer reads, “I want you to benefit from something I did recently, The Caribbean Cash Grant Initiative. I have been given three slots to refer. You are the third. After you are approved you will need to pay an IRS fee. The money came from the United States Treasury Department. I got a grant of $100,000 and paid $1000 for IRS. There are no paybacks, it’s a just a privilege. If you are interested I can refer you.”

Roach said some people are falling for it.

“Some people are actually believing it’s me, but the John Roach that you are seeing on Facebook offering any grants, please know that it is a scam and that is not John Roach, the Chief Youth Development Officer,” he stated.

He said that he became aware of the scam in November 2015.

“In fact, I was in Anguilla and someone called me and asked whether I contacted them on Facebook and I said ‘no,’ then I started getting calls from the United States, Guadeloupe, and a number of calls from young business people in Dominica,” he explained. “I informed them that it was not me.”

Roach stated further that he was informed that someone confronted the scammer and asked that person to stop.

“The person actually said they will stop and that they were unemployed and looking for a job. They have a degree in architecture and cannot get a job that’s why that person is doing that,” he stated. “I thought the person would stop after saying that they were going to stop. After that, I kept getting calls, young people meeting me on the road saying ‘Mr. Roach we are waiting for our grant.’”

According to Roach, he has since then reported the matter to police and also deactivated his personal Facebook account.

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13 Comments

  1. February 15, 2016

    WWW . com …
    Weird, Wicked, and Wild. com…

  2. February 13, 2016

    Well I must say, Dominican s are too gullible and greedy. They like freeness too much.

  3. Me
    February 12, 2016

    I got a similar request from the Director of Tourism in St Lucia, who happened to have been a past co-worker of mine. I realized it was a scam and so I played along with them. They send me a pic of a mailing label of a Dominican who had received funds. Of course I googled and found out that person was a professor in a school in Canada, and furthermore the packing label said, diabetes medication. Then they sent me a pic of a lady in a stall; I told them that could be anybody.

    When I told them I was going to send the money, they gave me a name to send it to via western union. So, I told them why would a government funded program be using western union and not a legit bank; I expected to get an account number and swift code etc.

    Immediately all messages between the scammer and I, disappeared.

  4. star
    February 12, 2016

    if one is a reader, every sentence in this scam leaves one eyebrow raised. Just be careful peeps.

  5. SMH
    February 12, 2016

    Thank you wheel again. I was thinking the same thing. If people informed you about the scam since November. My god I next best thing to do is put out a statement right away.. I fail to believe that our young people are falling for that scam. Young people are too smart to fall for stuff like that..

    Be careful my people there are lots of scammers out there.

    • Barbara Saunders
      February 12, 2016

      This just goes to show us that not everything on the internet, people’s picture and name notwithstanding, is gospel!

      Fortunately for Mr. Roach, we believe that he is not involved in any scam and that his name and picture are just being used in a fraudulent way. Were it someone else, particularly, we know who, we would have believed every word and the comments on this site would have left that person or those persons with a totally damaged character, not to be ever salvaged from that damage.

      I hope that we have all learnt the lesson from this. Sorry Mr. Roach, respectable and upright citizen of Dominica! I am sure that after this experience, if you have not done this before, you will examine more closely any story that you see on facebook or elsewhere.

  6. Grant offer
    February 12, 2016

    Yes this True Just yesterday I was offered a grant too. Thanks Mr. Roach, Better late than never.

  7. Big Bannan
    February 11, 2016

    Where ignorance persist fools come rushing in.

  8. El Chapo
    February 11, 2016

    Lol they make de boy close down his account, D/ca police cannot help themselves, you expect them to help you with Cyber crimes? And how young people falling for that? Not smart they say they smart nuh? Just sending free money for people. :roll:

  9. Wheel again
    February 11, 2016

    Sir, if you became aware of the scam in November 2015, why are you only now making it known to the public three months later, February 2016?

    • TeteMorne I From...
      February 12, 2016

      Maybe he, too, was in denial. Don’t ask me why he took so long to inform people?

    • Just Observing
      February 12, 2016

      This was made known via radio as well….. I heard it in January 2016. But this a long time to make it public, especially the position he holds.

  10. nonamegal
    February 11, 2016

    Very scary stuff. Be safe Mr. Roach and fellow Dominicans.

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