"Homeless with a laptop gives you tremendous access to the outside world,"

Anyone who would "invest" anything beyond a few keystrokes when dealing online with peeps met in chatrooms or through personal websites is just asking to be ripped off, and it doesn't matter whether the person is "homeless" or not. Which brings up another interesting angle people ought to be very careful and highly suspicious about; people experiencing homelessness who request "donations" on their personal website. I've seen more than a couple of blogs and websites now that are purportedly written by "homeless" individuals soliciting money by lamenting about their lot in life - some even try to sell "advice" about homelessness. Now I'm not saying they aren't valid and written by real individuals experiencing homelessness, but it always strikes me as odd that someone who is savvy enough to blog or establish a website, then maintain it and carry out the effort needed to collect money from it isn't then also savvy enough to find legitimate work with that tool and skillset. It's more than a little disingenuous to me that they instead choose to essentially panhandle online while preying on the compassion and kindheartedness of those who are susceptible to stories about hard times. Not saying you shouldn't follow your heart here but don't exclude your mind's cautions in the process. I'm also very aware that simply because someone may be able to operate a computer efficiently does not then mean that they are also able to hold down a full-time job. But most of the folks I work with are a long way from being able to blog or understand html well enough to craft a decent website and then keep it updated and running smoothly. Those folks who can do this seem pretty hireable to me for a whole host of positions that would easily overlook or work around any personal issues that limit or inhibit their participation in a "standard" employment setting. Some folks are genuinely in need and have no other platform with which to get their message out, but the smart person who's considering giving goes beyond a simple chat and does some thorough homework before sending money into cyberspace. It's very easy to lie, manipulate, mislead and scam gullible folks online, and homelessness is one of those things that touches the hearts of many people in deep and moving ways. Exploiting a person's kindness by misleading them on reasons about one's own homelessness is one of the lowest forms of greed and avarice...

Posted on Thu, May. 29, 2008

Authorities: Homeless man scammed women on dating site

By Derrick Nunnally

INQUIRER STAFF WRITER

Paul S. Krueger is accused of stealing money from women he met on an online dating Web site.

Using only a laptop, his wiles, and his ex-wife's Souderton address, Paul S. Krueger, who is homeless, managed to scam more than $100,000 from 13 victims by posing as a successful music producer seeking partners on the dating Web site MillionaireMatc

h.com, authorities said today.

Krueger was arrested yesterday in Harrah's Atlantic City, one of a string of casinos where he parlayed his ill-gotten gains into a high-roller's comped rooms and meals, Montgomery County District Attorney Risa Ferman said this morning. Among the scammed were a 29-year-old swimsuit model and singer from Detroit and a jewelry designer from Texas who sells her wares on QVC, authorities said.

After meeting the women through the Web site, which claims to make "it easy for the millionaires whose busy lifestyle leaves little time to meet people conventionally," Krueger would say he was a Grammy award-nominated music producer with more than 20 years of industry experience who needed investors for a new enterprise, authorities said. He would provide spreadsheets and other data to document his alleged success, they said.

"Homeless with a laptop gives you tremendous access to the outside world," Ferman said.

Once the supposed investment money was mailed to Souderton and deposited in Krueger's account, he would break off contact with the women, Ferman said.

Krueger, who has prior convictions for theft and indecent exposure in Bucks County, is currently awaiting extradition from New Jersey to face fraud, theft and other charges in Montgomery County.