Hackers, Scams, and I Think I Love You – please send money
I have read a couple of blogs lately that have dealt with hackers getting into your email and or Facebook to send messages to your contacts saying they are in trouble, usually on a foreign trip and everything has been stolen and are bereft left with nothing and please send money to help them out.
That got me thinking about dating site scams I have encountered but never fell for. Ah yes, before your brow crinkles in puzzlement and surprise, I rode that train for awhile. Two or three yeas as I recall because it wasn’t that long ago. Anyway I had fun and made a couple of life long friends.
The online chats were pretty good and the people for the most part were decent enough. What I did find is that most people go on line in hopes of actually meeting someone, but then something changes. They find a smorgasbord too tempting to resist and then end up becoming serial daters always checking out the next one just in case.
But I digress. One chap, whose picture was nothing short of gorgeous started a chat. How charming and refined! Wealthy. He lived not too far from me but not too close either. He seemed quite content to get to know me over time. He travelled brokering gold and diamonds and as a matter of fact happened to be in Ghana right now but was looking forward to meeting on his return. He would recount his adventures of the day in detail. This went on for several days and then the tone of his messages changed. He felt in his heart and soul that we had something special. This baffled me because I was content but harbored no great feelings for him.
Then one night he messaged that something had gone wrong with his credit card and his company was trying to get it straightened out but could I please send him money.
Well I read this to the girls in the office, more experienced than I who filled me in, as it were. I had already told him no anyway.
Within twenty-four hours I get another email from an equally handsome chatee I had been corresponding with who guess what!- had exactly the same situation in exactly the same country. Well what could I do?
I responded immediately to send me his exact map coordinates and I would send my private jet to retrieve him. Then alas, I had suddenly realized my jet was on loan to our Prime Minister but I had the perfect solution. I gave him the name of my other poor love, who happened to be in the same city. Perhaps they could get together and figure a way out. This particular scam is called the Nigerian/Ghana Emergency Scan.
Sadly I have to report I have met women, needy and wanting to believe someone could love them that fell for this and sent large amounts of money they could not afford.
There is a link below to an excellent site which discusses all kinds of scams. Wouldn’t hurt to look them over. Better to ne prepared!
bridgesburning 