Facebook Scams

[JoeWras]

Having recently dipped my toe into Facebook Marketplace for the first time, I have lost all hope in the human condition.

 

[Sojourner]

I do "scambaiting" as a hobby. I am heartened by the number of attractive young women working on oil platforms these days. I met one a few months who needed a few things so I was going to buy them for her (no, not really!). She sent me links. I'm not sure why she needed a racing jacket and some of the other things on an oil platform off Norway but I played along. Her list totaled about $2500 worth of stuff. But these guys really aren't too bright. "She" wanted me to ship it to an address in Pennsylvania so her aunt could send it on to her on the oil platform. She could not explain why I couldn't just have the merchandise shipped to her and got very angry after that. We broke up soon after.

I have been so tempted to do this in recent months, particularly in response to the frequent "wrong number" phishing texts I get every week. I had visions of texting them back enthusiastically, saying that of course I would like to be friends, and oh yes, as a matter of fact I have been looking into doing some cryptocurrency investing. And then stringing them along for days, promising to send money, wasting their time and eventually calling their bluff.

But... then I read about how these scams actually work. Typically, the people sending the texts are abused and captive workers operating from within a heavily guarded compound run by shady gambling rings in Southeast Asia. Each scammer is responsible for operating multiple phones at a time, attempting to con numerous people into investing in phony cryptocurrency platforms. I don't think I'd take much joy in going out of my way to inflict even more suffering on these low-level slaves by stringing them along for days and then dashing their hopes. Better just to not respond at all, IMHO.

 

[SecondAttempt]

You clicked on links in an email from a scammer?

I have numerous tools and precautions in place. I have been doing this for over 20 years.

 

[Sunset]

..... when it comes to matters of the heart, or my days as a radio and party DJ (where I saw many instances of "the vision from the voice does not match reality" ). .....

I certainly was shocked to see the singer Paul Simon after hearing the song "50 Ways to leave your lover" .

 

[street]

Interesting to see this thread. I just got off the phone with a friend that said, him and his wife just got scammed from buying a dog through Facebook. The scammer had a price for a puppy and wanted a gift card for partial payment then would deliver and they could pay in full.

Well, you know the rest of the story. Sad deal but like he said he should have known better.

 

[Global Wizzo]

Text messages

I’ve been getting more and more of similar schemes via text. Got a stock response. I’m unemployed and homeless. Can you help me with some cash. Instant disappearing act.

 

[athena53]

I’ve been getting more and more of similar schemes via text. Got a stock response. I’m unemployed and homeless. Can you help me with some cash. Instant disappearing act.

Ooh, I like it! My version: I'm a 70-year old unemployed widow on SS and right now I have less than $50 cash in my wallet. All of which is true.

 

[RobbieB]

Before they were known as "scammers" they were called "con artists"

Con is short for confidence. They build confidence and paint a bright future.

"There's a sucker born every day"

If you haven't seen The Sting with Newman and Redford...

Yeah, nothing in mankind has changed, only the technology.

 

[HGTVFanatic]

Many of those pics are real people whose photos have been purloined for these scams. These people would probably be appalled that their likeness is being used in this manner.

 

[HGTVFanatic]

On his show, Dr. Phil would periodically feature men and women who had fallen for these sorts of "romance scams".....to the tune of hundreds of thousands of dollars. Usually sending almost all of their money over the course of time. Very sad.

I never understood why the targets never got a clue after several weeks of “dating,” why they are being asked for money. Not a responsible person I’d want to continue a relationship with.

 

[athena53]

Many of those pics are real people whose photos have been purloined for these scams. These people would probably be appalled that their likeness is being used in this manner.

I agree. One FB friend request I got was supposedly from a guy in the Canadian military. I looked him up and found news articles on him- he was the real thing. I suspect his FaceBook profile was not. I ran another picture of a guy in a military uniform from another request through Google images and found news stories about how he was real, was happily married and had had his info stolen and used in fake profiles.

Sadly, the military are a target- the uniform carries credibility and they have a ready excuse for not meeting in person and for needing cash due to some snafu related to whatever country they claim as their current location.

 

[folivier]

Got 2 texts recently saying my Amazon account was locked. First one, no problem, reported as spam and blocked. Second one was at 3:40 AM! I keep my phone on my nightstand since I'm a first responder. Needless to say I was PO'ed and thought briefly to respond with some very choice words. But I rolled over and tried to go back to sleep. Blocked it later that morning after coffee.

 

[ls99]

My facebook story: I don't do fakebook. Late DW had an account, which I deleted a few months after she passed. There were many friend requests on there.

 

[Rianne]

Got 2 texts recently saying my Amazon account was locked. First one, no problem, reported as spam and blocked. Second one was at 3:40 AM! I keep my phone on my nightstand since I'm a first responder. Needless to say I was PO'ed and thought briefly to respond with some very choice words. But I rolled over and tried to go back to sleep. Blocked it later that morning after coffee.

I keep getting these periodically. I have a verification code now when I sign into Amazon and delete those texts immediately.

I quit FB about 8 years ago. I had a fake name, birthday, address, etc and only family and friends knew it was me. I was commenting on a cousin's post then we decided to switch to SMS. As the texts went on, I sent pics and experiences then realized my cousin's responses were weird. Yes, I was texting with a scammer and deleted my account, and never went back. All the info I input about myself was fake anyway. Plus the political BS, and the "best vacation ever, without you" kind of posts made me mad.

 

[TheWizard]

...Fortunately she did not just fall off the pumpkin truck last week. I sometimes wonder what percentages of hits these fraudsters actually get by doing this.

I always thought it was a Turnip Truck...