ℍ𝕆𝕎 𝔻𝕆 𝕐𝕆𝕌 𝕂ℕ𝕆𝕎 𝕀𝔽 𝕐𝕆𝕌 𝔸ℝ𝔼 𝕀ℕ 𝔻𝔸ℕ𝔾𝔼ℝ 𝕆𝔽 𝔹𝔼𝕀ℕ𝔾 𝕀ℕ𝕍𝕆𝕃𝕍𝔼𝔻 𝕀ℕ 𝔸 ℝ𝕆𝕄𝔸ℕℂ𝔼 𝕊ℂ𝔸𝕄.

 

ℍ𝕆𝕎 𝔻𝕆 𝕐𝕆𝕌 𝕂ℕ𝕆𝕎 𝕀𝔽 𝕐𝕆𝕌 𝔸ℝ𝔼 𝕀ℕ 𝔻𝔸ℕ𝔾𝔼ℝ 𝕆𝔽 𝔹𝔼𝕀ℕ𝔾 𝕀ℕ𝕍𝕆𝕃𝕍𝔼𝔻 𝕀ℕ 𝔸 ℝ𝕆𝕄𝔸ℕℂ𝔼 𝕊ℂ𝔸𝕄.

HOW DO YOU KNOW IF YOU ARE IN DANGER OF BEING INVOLVED IN A ROMANCE SCAM. (women being contacted by men pictures).

PART ONE

In the real world, as much as everyone would like, hunks don’t hunt and gorgeous girls are not out searching for a man to go home to. ! So let’s get that over and done with as nobody listens to that advice. Basically ANY friend or follow request on ANY social media will be a scam. If you see that your friends have accepted them so you think you may know them, don’t accept. If it is a stranger to you, don’t accept the request.

Include in that Words with Friends, Scrabble and games like those and even Fitbit app… anywhere there is a place to contact.. they will !

Some are silly….

‘I am sorry to have invaded your privacy. They say a picture is worth a thousand words, but when I saw your picture it was more than words could explain. You are so beautiful and charming with a beautiful smile. I really like the content you shared on your timeline. So I sent you a friend request, but it didn't work out. If you don't mind, can you send me a friend request here so we can be friends here?’

To the more mundane ‘Hello Pretty’ or ‘Hello Beautiful’. Sometimes even just a ‘Hi how are you?’

Then often comes ‘What is your name and where are you from?’

Most popular jobs for this new contact from this (usually) good looking man :

Military, Oil Rig (or ship) , Contractor (some sort of Engineer who works overseas, fitness instructor, pilot, cruise ship, car dealer.

The scam starts as soon as you respond. Most people give their full name and where they are now, sometimes even, well I am from New York but now I live in Florida. As soon as you respond it is ‘game on’ and the scammers will start a ‘file’ on you. Follow it with, how old are you! A little later they may ask your birthday! So getting your date of birth.

There will be an excuse why they need to move to Google Chat (the old Hangouts), getting your email address, Whatsapp (getting your phone number) , Telegram or their preferred chat app. Why? They are hunting across every platform, so getting their ‘Clients’ (victims) to a central place is efficient for them. You become, dear, baby, honey, my lady and even the much mocked ‘my queen’. That way they can’t get their ladies mixed up and call them by the wrong name… and everyone likes endearments? Right? A romance scam is no more ‘loving’ than that. There is no love in a Romance Scam. It is ‘business’ only with a view to getting the maximum amount from the client. As a person you are not important, they won’t even know who you are or what you look like. All the texting is with a view to money.

Your new love is very attentive. Tries to get to know you through a series of questions, often copy and paste script. They are following what they call a ‘format’. They will tell you all about how they are a widower (wife died of Cancer, car crash, childbirth or Covid). They will usually have a child in a boarding school or being looked after by someone. No parents or siblings. Then he could be divorced. Wife cheated on him with another man(men) and maybe even on drugs and took all his money and property!

Immediately getting his new lady interest feeling maternal and concerned and sorry for the sad life he has had. Every night there will be a romantic Goodnight, dream of me honey! and maybe a silly flowery picture. Every morning there will be more attention and romance. More silly pictures! Often you can Google your romance and find it easily online. As there are a team of them, there are plenty to ‘service’ the clients and they will all get the same copy and paste words from their ‘love.

Love often comes fast if you are an attentive victim. They will judge you as the grooming period changes from client to client. They will go slow if you say ‘look I’ve been hurt before online, I’ve been scammed’, but when you don’t then leave them… they will keep going, just slower. Often in 3 days they will be in love. He is in Syria, Iraq, Yemen or some other war zone and he must stay safe ! He is working hard on the oil rig, he is on a contract. The love brings an added surge of caring from the clients. A little more control from the scammer.

Depending on who you have as your scammers here there can be a time of prolonged chatting. Maybe you ask questions, they won’t answer them all, usually they read a few words and make a half hearted answer as they can’t really comment on previous loves or the character of the man they are pretending to be. Some after a few days may ask for a card. Steam, iTunes are still popular as are Amazon cards.

IN PART 2 …..

Where it goes next…….