Hi there!
It has been a while since I dropped a life-saving gem on this blog, but that ends today. 😜
In the period of my hiatus I noticed a common trend by people who fall victim to the average scammer's antics, and I am here to help you recognize one of the very simple and ubiquitous patterns that a fraudster employs.
This piece might save you from giving away your hard earned money to an undeserving thief.
It all starts with a "Hi". And when you respond the scammer sounds neutral at first, delicately asking about your country of origin, your gender, and your general online interests.
Somewhere in the conversation, you are made to believe it's just for 'fun', and you let your guard down. After all this stranger doesn't appear to be trying to harm you...
And then instead of subjecting you to further scrutiny, there is a "Scam Inflection". The scammer starts by telling you nice things about himself (or herself, because female scammers also exist), based on the things YOU indicated interest in...
This person paints a glorious story of someone who has dreams and plans in life. They create a persona of an active, honest and dedicated business person to you. And then they stop chatting for that moment, letting you absorb the details of the conversation...giving you the impression of having met an interesting new stranger online.
The noose has been set around you at this point. The ends are in the stranger's hands but you are not aware. Often the scammer has identified you as a "Maga" or a "Client" (Street slang in Nigeria for human 'Cash cow') but you are unaware.
Depending on how engaging the first conversation was, you may even be the first to say "hello" the next time. Often, the scammer engages again, trying to make you feel comfortable, to make you believe you are speaking with an intelligent, interesting and forward-thinking person with great plans.
This is when the bait is pushed gently to you...after a few conversations the scammer WILL have an "emergency", an item or package that was purchased at a expensive rate...a thing or object of high value for which the price is already paid.
The only thing left is that it somehow got stuck with "Customs", or there is an emergency preventing your "friend" from paying the clearing fees...😏
This is the bait and it looks harmless, innocuous in appearance. You reason about it and empathize with the stranger. You really want to help this person get out of an urgent and unpleasant situation.
The stranger has purchased something worth like $4,325 and needs only $250 to clear it. This is the hook embedded in the bait. This is the line to watch for in 75% of online chat or email scams. It is often an item X worth $YYYY, and URGENTLY needs $ZZZ, a fraction of the cost of the product or item, to receive or clear it.
These days scammers use Google Hangouts, Google Meet, without video calls, or the WhatsApp for Business, so that you may believe you are truly chatting with a merchant. 😂😂
The moment you decide to help, this stranger will not provide a real account number with a bank (most of the time). They will instead ask for an Amazon Card, an iTunes Card, a Western Union Money transfer or a World Remit transaction to the tune of the dollar request. Anything that preserves the anonymity of the receiver is perfect, because the goal is to vanish afterwards.
So you send the money. You bite the bait. The stranger assesses whether to follow this same process with you AGAIN, or you are too much of a risky engagement to run a repeat operation on.
Often they prey on your desire to meet new lovers online, so they package a persona that will look like your dream thing, and then they will start asking for money for 'Birthdays', 'Medial check-ups', sudden 'important trips' and so on. They could even ask you to lend them a couple thousand dollars depending on the profile you presented to them innocently.
If you are able to recognize the 'hook n bait', just say you are sorry but you can only send money to a real bank account via direct deposit, and you need a live video with a government issued ID on live video to process the transfer... or you don't have money. 🙌
Most times your 'sweet' friend will disappear.
Sometimes they will insult you before they vanish.
Come to this blog for more...😜😜😜
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