Watch out for fraudsters and scammers! You might think they only pick on senior women, but anyone can be a target.
When we’re watching the news we often hear sad stories of people who got scammed. The victims lost money, and some lose their hearts, too.
Where do con artists lurk?
Scammers don’t lurk only on dating websites.
Fraudsters and scammers have expanded to social media. They will follow you or ask for a friend request. Then they’ll send out a simple greeting: hello.
If someone says “hi” back, the scammer will attempt to continue the conversation.
It doesn’t matter whether or not you are single or even if you’re looking for a romantic connection. These scammers are part of big criminal organizations operating out of huge office buildings, generally in Nigeria.
I’m not a Facebook person, but I do have an account. If I’m on Facebook five minutes a month, that’s a lot for me. I get tons of requests from suspicious sounding men wanting to be my friend. Today a David Larry from the UK sent me a friend request on Facebook. Nigerian scammers use two first names for their first and last name. I don’t know anyone by this name so to hell with David Larry. Ignore. Delete. Block.
Watch out for scammers and fraudsters on social media! Their job is to steal your money. It’s a business transaction.
Real life Twitter scammer
Today’s post will help you spot a scammer on social media.
One day The Lifestyle Digs Twitter account gets a new follower: Donald Feldman Larry.
Donald Larry. Two first names used as both a first and last name. Scammer alert goes up.
Donald Larry has a really weird bio to the effect of being a sweet, romantic man. This numb nuts is confused whether he’s on Twitter or an online dating site!
The really interesting thing is he’s pretending to be in Antarctica – ha ha ha!
I’m kind of curious, so I follow him back and he hits me up with a conversation starter.
My next step is an image search. The photo belongs to a man from Eastern Europe that was taken when he was on vacation in Las Vegas (if I’m remembering correctly). Stolen photo.
Scammer!
Twitter message with a scammer
Twitter has a message system, like email. Sometimes called a DM – direct message.
In the screen captures below, the scammer’s conversation is on the left side along with the photo he stole. My responses are on the right side with the blue background.
Let me start by saying my intention is not to disrespect anyone who has gone through the loss of a spouse. Everyone’s grief process is different. People can grieve for years and I’m not suggesting there should be any time limit on processing grief after a loved one passes away. Because there was no doubt in my mind I was dealing with a scammer, I chose to insult him, but it probably went right over his head.
I also decided if this guy can pretend to be a Texan living in Antarctica, I can pretend that I’m married, from Oregon, currently living in Vancouver for work.
It’s time to laugh at the Twitter scammer
We’ve already made fun of the stolen photo, the dumb bio, and two first names.
Do you know how to spot a romance scammer by their online dating profile?
By being diligent and using only a little effort, we’ve already checked off three things.
We can also check off widow!
Another way to spot a romance scammer is by their occupation. Usually they’re in the military, work on an oil rig, work as an engineer, or a contractor. Donald claims to be an engineer. And further, he’s an astronaut engineer. Hunh? Like that occupation is high in demand in Antarctica instead of Cape Canaveral or Houston.
Spelling counts! You have to be pretty smart to be a space engineer. This guy has all kinds of grammar issues typical of people not from North America. If you’re living in McMurdo you probably know it’s all one word. Mistakes a smart man wouldn’t make.
How do you like where I asked him the temperature in Antarctica? Now any bozo can look online for temperature anywhere in the world. Scammer’s answer? -12 degrees centigrade. Centigrade? Come on, centigrade? Ha ha! In Canada, like many places overseas, we’re on the metric system and temperature is Celsius. I learned Fahrenheit in school and that’s the way I still think when it comes to temperature. The Imperial measurement is used in the United States. Anyone born and educated in the United States is going to give the weather temperature in Fahrenheit. No one from North America is referring to the temperature in centigrade. Ha ha ha!
After I’ve already told the scammer about my husband, the last thing he asks is if I’ve ever been married with kids before. He’s not too observant, is he? That’s a creepy question to ask someone you don’t know on Twitter during casual conversation.
Watch out for fraudsters and scammers!
Scammers count on their victims overlooking grammar errors. These victims are more likely to overlook other inconsistencies, too, including the absurd stories they churn out about why they need cash.
There’s a simple piece of advice that too many people ignore: Don’t give money to people you’ve never met.
Have you ever caught on to a scammer hitting you up on social media?
Published by Cheryl @ The Lifestyle Digs on November 15, 2021.
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