Fraud

Michael E. Holtby, LCSW, BCD

DenverPsychotherapy.com

DENVER THERAPIST THE VICTIM OF

FRAUDULENT IMPERSONATION

October 24, 2000

Thomas Ramey Watson, Ph.D. thought he was helping a colleague on 10/20/00 when he sent Michael E. Holtby, LCSW air fare to return from Los Angeles. Holtby was purportedly mugged and stranded without money, credit cards or I.D. while attending a professional conference. Holtby and his wife were, in fact, away for the weekend; but they had gone to a family wedding, and were not in California. The person who called Watson appealing for help was not Holtby, but a con man who tried the same con in February, 2000. On that occasion he called Aurora therapist Larry Weckbaugh whose wary secretary, Renee Roop didn't buy the ploy.

The con man then posed as a Boulder, Colorado therapist, and appealed to Robin Bohannan, the director of the Boulder AIDS Project, saying he had been stabbed in L.A. and needed money to get back to Denver. Ms. Bohannan knew personally the therapist, and realized immediately it was an impersonation.

The same phone scam was run in January, 2000 by an individual who claimed to be the Lambda Community Center Director from Fort Collins.

If this happens to you, contact the Internet Fraud Watch 1-800-876-7060 (on line at www.fraud.org), and/or Dolores Garza, Fraud Division, Ft. Collins Police Department 970-221-6540 (fax: 970-221-6639). Also please let Mr. Holtby know, to include your experience in the data base of this perpetrator's attempted scams: holtby@DenverPsychotherapy.com

The perpetrator of these impersonations is an individual in Los Angeles - West Hollywood who gets his information off the web sites of his victims, and then calls that persons' colleagues in the Denver area. He calls collect from public phones. He has targeted therapists who cater to the gay community, and is gay himself. He also, most probably, lived in the Denver area at one time, and may have been a past client of one or more of these therapists.

You may consider agreeing to send him money, establish a pick up location via Western Union, and then contact Western Union and the police in that area.

Last messed with April 5, 2002