My blog buddy, Bryan over at A Beer For The Shower is here
to make my post ever so much funnier than anything I could write by myself. He's also the brilliant creator of the cartoons. Please give him a standing O.
Okay, you can sit down now.
What you're about to read are the Dos and Don'ts to identify a scammer: Robin's Personal Top 10 List of How To Save Your 401K From The Online Man Of Your Dreams You'll Never Meet.
Chances are, if you're
reading this, you're NOT the person being scammed. Why? People who are being
scammed absolutely refuse to believe they are the victim of a scam. I know. My
mom has been pursued by numerous scammers. Let me share my (I mean Mom's)
credentials to validate that I can absolutely recognize a scammer from twelve
inches (the approximate distance of my nose to my computer monitor).
Brief Descriptions of the Scammers Who've Approached Mom:
Scammer #1 - Lives in Atlanta. After a couple of weeks of IM
and Phone Calls he had to leave for Malaysia for a JOB (because that’s where
people go to work). As soon as he arrives in Malaysia: FINANCIAL CRISIS. SEND
ME ALL UR MONEY PLZ.
Scammer #2 - Forgot where he lived (happens to the best of
us). Currently in CO buying furniture for his business. He's robbed* and
FINANCIAL CRISIS. SEND ME ALL UR MONEY PLZ.
*Bryan, who lives in Colorado, can confirm that he’s robbed
CONSTANTLY**
**never once
Scammer #3 - Lived in S. FL. A meeting is scheduled, but the
day before the meet he must fly to TX because his son needs a heart transplant,
and FINANCIAL CRISIS. SEND ME ALL UR MONEY PLZ.
Scammer #4 - Ironically, #3 and #4 happened simultaneously.
These two knew each other. #4 referred her to #3 (not knowing they were already
talking) because #3 supposedly worked to help women who'd been already scammed…
for the miserly fee of $10K. SEND ME ALL UR MONEY PLZ.
Scammer #5 - Lived in CA. Wanted to relocate to wherever his
true love lived. Who knew it would be here? However, as a geologist he had to
leave for work in Malaysia (because again, that’s where everybody goes to work)
and FINANCIAL CRISIS. SEND ME ALL UR MONEY PLZ.
Scammer #6 - Native of France. Lived in Boca Raton, FL as a
renter. Ran a business to fix cruise ships (sounds legit). Wanted to meet mom,
but had to leave for Australia for work and FINANCIAL CRISIS. SEND ME ALL UR
MONEY PLZ.
I bet you can already see a pattern. But sadly, if it's
happening to your mother (or friend), I promise you she can't/won't see it. She’s
dazzled by all of those super sexy emails promising to spoil her rotten and
love her up and down (gross). Not to mention buy her a new house, new car, and
the new Whatever The Hell She Wants because he makes Big Bucks! So, it's up to
you to recognize that your loved one is being scammed.
Lucky for you, I've been through this six times (sigh) over the past two years.
I'm a freakin' expert.
I've got 10 Simple Tips to help you determine if your mom's
potential spouse is really just looking to get into her pants (to filch her
wallet).
1) If your mother shows you the profile of her new online
boyfriend and he is twenty years younger than she is, don't be alarmed. Your
mom is just a babealicious babe. No, wait, actually be alarmed. Your mom is the
Perfect Target, and it's not normal for a rich, good looking man in his mid-50s
to salivate after a woman in her 70s.
2) If your mother's boyfriend is widowed. I know this seems
innocuous, but my mom has been romanced by six different scammers. Not a
divorcee in the bunch. It probably helps play on sympathy. Either that, or it’s
the rich symbolism that he’s about to rip his mate’s head off like a black
widow.
3) If your mother's potential new mate has a foreign accent,
is an engineer or contractor, and doesn't live anywhere near her.
4) If your mother's new man has a first and last name that
are actually two first names. For example, Steve Samuel, Richard Mark, Wayne
Michael. Anything that sounds like it was either created by a 5 year old or someone
who’s never been to America.
5) If, after your mom insists on a face-to-face meeting, he instantly
must leave the country for a) work or b) a sick relative or c) that small child
that fell down a well. Whatever the crappy excuse, it’ll happen the very
instant she’s ready to meet.
6) If he must depart the country for work, your new love is
very likely to meet up with many unexpected catastrophes. Like there’s an
import tax of which he was previously unaware, but fortunately for you it only
requires you sending him $5K to get his stuff back so he can get to work. After
he succeeds in getting this money, expect every possible crisis to soon follow.
Not enough equipment. Equipment is ruined and must be replaced. He gets a six
figure check but cannot cash it due to the fees imposed by the bank. He can't
send it to his own bank because they don't accept check by mail. Additionally,
everyone in his family has sold their homes and the dog to try and get his ass
back home. You, and you alone, are his last hope.
7) The good news is that he has a six figure check, so he
can reimburse your mother immediately. I mean, he'd totally help her out of a
jam if the roles were reversed…
8) Your mother's man might have his lawyer correspond with
her to confirm that Her Man is in very real, very dire circumstances that can
all be alleviated with one small, or not so small, check. Or he might introduce
her to a family member if she hesitates at sending the money. This person, if
they're very good, will tell her not to send it if she doesn't have it, but
reassure her that said family member is the "most honest person they
know."
9) If you become suspicious of your mom's knight in shining
armor, there are sites you can use to determine the likelihood of a scam.
Copy/paste some of those sweet words he sent your mother in an email. (Word of
warning: It is painful reading this sugary sexpot stuff. Perhaps you should pop
some pills or drink a bottle of Jack, or both, before never being able to look at
dear ol’ mom the same way again.) If you find that same message word-for-word
on the internet, chances are your mom's honeypot didn't write it. Either that,
or he did write it… and then sent it to about 1,000,000 people.
10) Scammers use, and by use I mean steal, other people's
pictures as their own. If your mother is corresponding with a man embodying all
of the aforementioned traits, run his pictures through Google Images. For the
non-savvy computer user 1) Click on Google Images 2) Click on the camera 3)
Click on upload picture from your computer (if that's where you have it saved).
Then wait. If the boyfriend pops up as someone else on social media, he just
might not be who he says he is… regardless of dear cousin Mary vouching that
“he is most honest person that is knowing.”
While all of this is presented with humor, the facts are TRUE. If someone you care about is dating on-line, they are in the sights of salivating scammers. I hope these 10 tips help your mother avoid the pitfalls of falling prey to their ruse. Unless you just came from Bryan's blog, use the link at the top of this blog to run over their posthaste. I promise you won't be sorry!
Cheers and Stay Classy, Friends,
Robin and Bryan
Drinking: Red wine out of the box
Listening: Barenaked Ladies
Wow, your poor mom. The only internet scams I really get are your typical email scams. I can't imagine being emotionally manipulated like...Oh, wait, yes I can, I work in an office.
ReplyDeleteThis is a good guide and as per your request, I'm giving Bryan a standing orgasm. That's what you meant by a "standing O," right?
Dating online is very much like swimming in a tank full of hungry sharks. Of course, the more desperate you are, the more likely you are to believe that shark is really a lamb drowning in the tank with you. OR if you're elderly, and not as sharp as you once were... then, you're just shark bait. OUCH.
DeleteI totally meant standing orgasm. Glad someone got that right.
Thanks for covering all of the warning signs.
ReplyDeleteMaybe your mother should get off the computer and go meet some nice man that actually lives in her town. Although that could still be dangerous.
I've suggested that repeatedly, Alex. She says she hasn't met anyone in town she wants to date. My response was, "You've been dastardly unlucky on the internet. How much worse can it get?"
DeleteOh, wow.
ReplyDeleteCan you just ... disconnect her internet? Take away her laptop and give her an Etcha-Sketch?
LOVE Mary Joseph Samuel Joseph's hair. Not wig at all. No.
She WAS really clued in (FINALLY) after the Google Images turned up a picture of Scammer #6 as this guy who writes a blog (that is not French and never rented a house in Boca) to showcase his art. Yep, he's an artist. He also has a Facebook, which is where the rest of the photos my mom has were "lifted." (Praise and thank you Google Images). That has made her slowly come to terms with the fact that #6 is not going to be my next stepfather. UNTIL... wait for it... he called her again this morning claiming he was in the hospital (again) with dangerously high blood pressure. He still needs the money to pay some crazy ass tax to get home. His uncle mortgaged his house to raise $60K for him but his lawyer doesn't think it will be enough.
DeleteNow, mom did say she'd pray for him b/c she cant' send him money, but she does still seem somewhat invested in his story. She told me to stop commenting on each reveal of new information.
For instance, when she mentioned the hospital I said, "Ah, so he's upping the stakes so you'll feel too worried/guilty to say no when you're the only source left to get him out of the country." You see, I thought we were fully on the same page. Turns out. Not so much. There is still a part of her that wants to believe. Tho she did say she asked him to take a selfie and send it. She's still waiting on that...
You know what I've discovered? These scammers create a story and constantly up the stakes. The only difference between what they do and we do is that they are their own MCs. Literally. And their stories are really lame. Really lame.
Your mom should start scamming the scammer. Tell him that SHE'S in the hospital, and SHE needs some money (since he knows she has none). Then tell him that she checked with her bank, and she can totally cash all of those checks he has lying around but can't use. Then after she pays her hospital bills she'll keep the rest of his money here waiting for him when he comes to finally be with her. No?
DeleteI think it's a fantastic idea. However, my mom is the worst liar ever. Now, if she's have my field the call saying she's in the hospital... that could work. If I had a mustache, I'd be twirling it right now.
DeleteIt is so scary. I wish there was a way to send them a virus that would destroy their computer instead of the money.
ReplyDeleteOooh. I love that idea. There are plenty of days I wish I was a computer nerd that could do stuff like that. Pretty much every one since this started....
DeleteI think I'd get your Mom involved in the local Senior center and quick. I'm really blessed that my widowed mother got involved with several local activities that she loved. She is busy every day and goes till she has to take a vacation from her own fun.
ReplyDeleteI'm amazed at how many times the communications show gross language mistakes and no one cries foul.
You need to get her another computer complete with a new email address and tight, tight, tight security. Then, if another scam starts, log in and post a serious, threatening response from you and your lawyer.
Your friend, the Ex-Fraud and Abuse investigator (no joke, I was!).
The problem is NOT that my mother lacks for things to do. Tho, I will suggest the senior center. It would have to be a very active one.
DeleteThe problem is that my mother has had 6 men (some better than others) tell her at great length how wonderful she is. How she's the most kind, loving, beautiful, amazing, sexy, smart, funny woman who God brought into their lives. (I forgot to mention that all of these scammers are very strong Christians - super shame on them!). How she is their soul mate. That when they don't talk to her their hearts are sad and feel like they might burst.
I've told her that REAL MEN just don't talk this way. Even in the beginning, when it's great. They might tell you that you are really pretty. Or they like this or that. But soul mates? God brought us together? And they would NEVER say any of this if they hadn't MET you first, because let's face it, every man's first question is: Do I want to sleep with this woman? And they can't tell that from online dating profile.
Lastly, while she sometimes acts like it, my mother is not a child. And she hasn't lost her mind (tho, again, it seems like it sometimes). She is in the midst of learning a Life Lesson. A very painful one for her and me. Until she learns it, these guys will keep coming and she will keep opening the door (figuratively, of course).
This list is for OTHER PEOPLE to find when they think someone they love is being scammed. OR maybe they suspect THEY are being scammed. The latter would be better.
That makes me really glad my mother wasn't very good with a computer. There are some evil people in the world.
ReplyDeleteOh, Diane, you have no idea. I can't imagine what their souls like. I'm thinking black. Very black.
DeleteUgh, that is the WORST. It's worse if it's someone else who won't believe you. I mean, I grew up with 2 brothers so I never believe a word out of ANYONE's filthy, lying mouth ever until they have proof. If I had to convince someone ELSE? I'm not even sure how I would have done it. NOW I will use your search engine method, thanks for that advice. I never thought I would be relieved that my mother is not only broke, but I describe her credit score as that of a Disney villain. Both evil and non-existent. Hopefully your mom has gotten this down. Or you have control of her finances at this point? Funny post, good advice! I will share this.
ReplyDeleteYou know what is a good idea for EVERYONE? Put some of your own pictures into that search engine to see if anyone has borrowed YOUR pics and are using them on a dating site. Your blog photo is a good one. If you have a FB or other social media account, use those pics too. So many places for a scammer to find pics to fake an identity.
DeleteI love your description of your mom's credit score. I think I can now use that about my own mom's credit score. It's been a rough two years.
Cheers to a successful post, and thanks again for working together with me! File this one away as 'truth is always stranger (and funnier) than fiction.'
ReplyDeleteCheers!
DeleteIt's always a pleasure, Bryan... always a pleasure.
I've gotten sooo many scam emails. "Hello pretty am new on this site i came across your profile and wow i will like to know more about you you caught me attention i hope you will not mind my hoping we can be friends my email is name@emailprovider.com or you can text me at 111-222-3333 hope to read from you soon."
ReplyDeleteIn my profile I stated quite clearly that I'm sick of scammers, don't want a first message that has email and text info, and that comes tagged with a scammer warning. Which most of them have. When I tell them that, they get all indignant. "What do you mean? I would never do something like that."
You do realize that when you post Anonymously on a post about scammers, it doesn't give me a great feeling about you, right? Just sayin'.
DeleteGeez. This may sound callous, but I know there are programs or software of something to block children from certain sites, software parents pounce on, so maybe there is something of the same for children to block certain types of internet usage by their parents. I'd seriously check with a computer techy kind-of-guy. Just make sure he isn't looking for an elderly long-distance kind of wife.
ReplyDeleteI feel for you. If something like this happened to my mom, I think I'd be breaking a few laws. Turn the other cheek, my butt!
I did tell one scammer off on the phone after he yelled at my mom for not sending money to him. He's yelling so loudly I can hear, "My son is DYING. I can't believe you don't even care!"
DeleteI would have liked to pull his head through the phone and twist it off. Alas, phones don't work that way.
Does remember where he lives? (Or more precisely, doesn't remember his lie.) *face palm* I'd be so cautious if my mom decided to look for romance online. I'd want to check for criminal backgrounds for every potential date. Good thing my mom says she's done with men and dating. LOL!
ReplyDeleteI'm not saying he didn't remember, but that I didn't remember. #2 was a LONG time ago. Four scammers have been on the scene since he dropped off the map.
DeleteYes, be glad your mom doesn't want to jump into the world of online dating. I think there are less scammers for younger people, but more asshats. In other words, very real people you wouldn't actually want to date. Scammers are smart. They want the older people who've saved their entire lives and have a hefty 401K, not a 20-something who works at Target.
Well, you two sure managed to put a humorous spin on the situation, but I have a feeling there was a whole lot of pain, and not a whole lot of laughing, going on while you were trying to steer your mother through these messes, Robin. I agree with the idea of trying to get her involved in some senior clubs. She might even meet a decent guy there, but more importantly, she'd get away from the cyber-creeps and make some new friends in person.
ReplyDeleteSusan, this has been extremely painful for mom (and me). I will run the idea of a senior center by her, but I feel fairly certain she will reject it. She wants to be married tomorrow because she only has a few good years left. Her words, not mine. That tends to lead us down really bad roads. I know from having traveled some of them.
DeleteI guess I missed that there were this many guys and that they were all asking for all her money.
ReplyDeleteTo me, it really goes back to my comment a long time ago. Women have the advantage if they will only use it.
The secret?
Demand that you be courted like you were courted as a teen.
How many times did you pick up the check in high school (and if you did, where did you live, because I always picked up the check-still do on those rare dates)?
If a man is so wealthy that he can buy you a new house, etc, there should be gifts a-flowing! I am not wealthy, and I like to buy things for the woman in my life (which sadly, has been a vacant position for more years than I care to admit). Often, i will buy things for a platonic lady friend I have just for the halibut. So why would a rich guy need money?
From earlier posts, I was not thinking your mom was being scammed as much as being gold-dug (if that's not a word, I just invented it)-which I don't approve of, but is certainly not a new phenomena.
Not just your mom, every woman, should feel like they deserve better.
Then when you find a guy who treats you better-remember who else is out there, and treat him well, too. Maybe he won't be rich, maybe he won't look like , but at the end of the day, if men and women would stop worrying about superficial BS and pay attention to the important signs, it might not make finding a keeper easier, but it will help weed out the lemons faster.
It should not be this hard...but as a fifty-something who has never been married, what the heck do I know anyway?
Every time someone leaves a comment I remember a NEW quality of scammers. Most of them will send something in the mail at the very beginning. Chocolate. Flowers. Both. I keep telling mom that she should request bacon. I mean we actually need that. But that is just one more commonality amongst these guys. They are big on the wooing in the beginning and then they are big on the SEND ME ALL YOUR MONEY PLZ in the middle and the end. For me, that would be the end. Ah well.
DeleteA bouquet of bacon...I am thinking that Oscar Meyer and FTD should team up on this one!
DeleteSome things go down better with humor. This is merely one of them.
ReplyDeleteYears ago, I was talking to a scammer. Of course, this was before it was as prevalent as it is now, and I didn't recognize it as such. He had sent me a coffee mug, and then following a conversation sent a...blender. (still have it and use it) I do feel a little bad about it, since I'm sure he was using a stolen credit card... but I didn't realize it at the time.
ReplyDeleteOf course, he ended up, you guessed it, out of the country for work, had a check he couldn't cash so would I cash it and send it to him? I said no, I could NOT. HE SENT IT ANYWAY. And to no surprise, it was bogus.
You do realize that when you post Anonymously on a post about scammers, it doesn't give me a great feeling about you, right? Just sayin'.
DeleteI left a comment over at ABFTS about my mom who even married one of the scummy ones. Did it without telling me and my sister. . .The guy never wanted to meet me or come to Canada, after sister told him I was a tough big sister. We finally managed to separate them due to a mistake on his part, but after Mom bought him a truck, etc. . .He had bragged to the neighbors that he would be getting all her property, etc when she passed away. She wasn't ill or about to die. . .
ReplyDeleteYou can marry a troll without ever creating an online dating profile. In other words, the internet isn't the ONLY place (by far) to meet someone who wants you to support them. The only difference between your mom's fella and the ones my mom has "met" is that she'll never actually meet them. They don't live in this country. They don't plan to come to this country. It's an emotional scam online and the phone start to finish. And they don't want your mom's money after she dies. They want it all right now.
DeleteThat's not to say that your mom wasn't married to scummy creep who planned to take her for all he could get. Sounds like he got a truck and spent some of her money. You're lucky that's all he got and that your mom was willing to see the light. I think getting mom to see reality is the hardest part of this whole thing.
You two make for a very informative, entertaining duo. I'm still chuckling over Mary Joseph Samuel Joseph. I've done some stupid things in hopes of finding sex or getting laid, but I'm proud to say I've never fallen for a Michael David Abduh Muhammed David. Phew - dodged that bullet.
ReplyDeleteSeriously, this is helpful. I didn't know you can check photos through Google images. It's good to know.
Thanks, Robin and Bryan.
Robyn, anyone who has an online presence should run their own photos through Google Images. You want to know if someone is using your pics to scam someone.
DeleteThank you, Robin!
DeleteOy vey, I wrote "in hopes of finding sex OR getting laid." Lord help me if I ever live to become a miserly single woman. Please take my computer away from me. I might otherwise end up with Stephen Michael Joseph Anthony Stephen Joseph.
ReplyDeleteHold on to the one you've got. There are a lot of Stephen Michael Joseph Anthony Stephen Joseph's out there.
DeleteAnd that I shall, Robin. He has a few years on me, but he's probably in better shape. Ya never know - I'll hold on. And he only has one name. Phew.
DeleteAs I commented seriously at the time of the original posts about the crime, I have only two things to say:
ReplyDelete#1- I wondered why ABFTS had two posts on my reader today...
#2- Three months to get a nephew out of a well? Couldn't he have used some of mom's money to rent LASSIE? "Hang on, Timmy!"
CW ~ The crazy thing is that my mom who can't untangle the romancey stuff from the garbage stuff just believes it all. "You can't make our meeting because your son needs a transplant? Oh, go." Of course, she did get less enthused when he started haranguing her to pay for it. But, the excuses. The taxes, the breakdowns, the reasons they can't "get here." To me, it's utter nonsense and sounds like it. To her... well, she wants to believe it. So, she does.
DeleteI remember reading previously about your mother's tangles with these guys. I'm so sorry you're having to go through this. But I'm also glad you're there to protect her. What. A. Mess.
ReplyDeleteCarol, I can't protect her. She doesn't listen to me. What a mess is right.
DeleteThis really scary, but thank you or the information and insight.
ReplyDeleteRobin and Bryan - two very well done posts!
Glad you enjoyed them. Bryan is the bomb to work with and just a wonderful person all-around.
DeleteI'm so sorry that this has been an ongoing source of aggravation for you. It's great that you, and Bryan were able to still find the humor in all of this. Not only will it help you keep your sanity, but it may also prevent others from being victimized by scammers. Thanks Robin and Bryan!
ReplyDeleteJulie
You hit the nail on the head. I wrote this to help someone else who suspects they, or someone they love, is being scammed.
DeleteThis must be the height of frustration for you because it didn't happen just once but 6 times! Your mom must be very lonely and needing attention
ReplyDeleteYes, my mom is lonely. She also feels like she's nearing the end of her life and she doesn't meet someone RIGHT NOW it will be too late. I understand that feeling, but I know it allows you to fall for things that you otherwise wouldn't. It's also (still) very hard for to emotionally separate the scam from the positive (loving) words. She really wants someone to feel that way about her. Don't we all? I want someone to feel that way about her, too. I just want them to be REAL.
DeleteGIRL WONDER, just checking in to say "Howdy" from a Sparks (near Reno) Public Library. No computer service yet but I will return ASAP. Running outta time on this comput--
ReplyDelete~ D-FensDogG
Look forward to your next visit. Did you know I dedicated something to you on the Thursday post???
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteHow sad that your mother was scammed so many times. It's amazing how virtual scum prey on people.
ReplyDeleteI couldn't stop laughing at # 3 though. Some people do think poor English equals an accent. Thanks for all the tips.
I think all of these guys really do have accents (English no is their first language). In other words, most of them weren't traveling to Malaysia for a job. They were already there baby... and just looking for someone to romance into sending them money ASAP.
DeleteScammers are scum. And my poor mom would have fallen for any sob story ever handed to her. Luckily, a) she never figured out how to use the Internet and b) she was safely married to my dad until the Lord called her home.
ReplyDeleteScamming is big business. An immoral business. But big business. I think many of these guys from Malaysia and Nigeria (etc.) believe that all Americans are rich and can afford to give their money away. Even if you tell them your funds are limited, they don't believe it. I know my mom has said it, but it hasn't slowed any of them down... at all. Like I said, due #3 and #4 tried to scam her knowing she'd already been scammed. That's the lowest of the low.
DeleteMy Mother-in-Law (happily married for 55 years) falls for different kinds of scams. I think she owned eight or nine time shares at once not too awful long ago (no joke). She's also forked over ten grand for an online selling business that surprise-surprise went nowhere. There are more... and she's still very gullible and prone to tossing away her money to get rich, to those who really are getting rich (from scamming others who believe the fairytale). Who could make a living scamming others and be able to live with themselves? I just don't get it.
ReplyDeleteJust goes to show that there all sorts of scams out there. Enough people have gotten rich with ideas that may have been deemed crazy, that it makes a Get Rich Quick Scam more plausible. Who doesn't want a good income and nice retirement? The truth is that if it were that easy EVERYONE would be doing it.
DeleteThese emotional scammers are a different breed altogether. They emotionally invest (or appear to) in their victim, and I know the victim invests in them. Then they invest a crisis to which the victim must send money so that they can be together. 4 out of 6 of these guys talked about marriage and were actively engaged in the planning of it. What kind of house do you want? What kind of car? My mom was actively looking for houses while talking to scammer #1 and actively thinking about the car she and scammer #6 would buy. You know... comfortable, but good gas mileage, but something that you can take trips in (because they both want to travel). It's this sort of thing that really hooks the victim. Once they start planning for a future (that will never happen) they are emotionally invested.
:(
DeleteI read the post over on Beer for the Shower. These people are such leeches! I haven't had any romance scams, but I've had idiots pretending to want lessons for their kids, who try to scam me by "prepaying" and sending too much, wanting to have the rest sent out of the country. All of those bastards had poor English. Like I couldn't figure out what they were up to!
ReplyDeleteThe number of scams (and scammers) are endless. The thing about email scams (and the kind you mentioned).... well, most people don't fall for that stuff. They were wary even before it made national news: these are scams. But the romance scam is emotional. And someone on a dating site is there to meet someone. Hopefully, the love of their life. And that is the hook by which these guys reel in their fish (I mean lady).
DeleteSugary sexpot stuff... I see. Well, a scammer belongs in the slammer. I wonder what my Mom is doing right now....
ReplyDeleteSound advice, especially 9 and 10.
Did this make you want to call your mom ASAP? You're a good son:)
DeleteWhy, thank you. I'm not sure my Momma would agree though ;)
DeleteFirst of all, miss your BOTB post, but hopefully you'll be back for the next round.
ReplyDeleteRobin, you must really rate high to get the solid assistance of Brewski Bryan. This was an outstanding effort, Bryan. Funny, while imparting relevant and important info. Sadly though the typical victim of the scammer is that sad desperate soul who wants something so badly that they'll believe anything. It's difficult to get anyone like that to listen to reason. You covered the warnings and the possible outcomes, but we can only hope that somebody will be helped.
Nevertheless we were entertained and at least that's a good thing.
Arlee Bird
A to Z Challenge Co-host
Tossing It Out
Honestly, Lee, I don't know what I'm doing half the time. The fact that Bryan thinks I have even a iota of creativity in me astounds me. The more I talk/work with him, the more assured I am of his creative genius. He is a wordsmith of the highest order (and I don't give out those sort of compliments to just ANYBODY).
DeleteYou've pretty well nailed it. People believe because they want to... and scammers count on that.
Glad you put this on here. My father used to say, don't trust anything you read in the newspaper. I say, don't trust anything you read, see, find, discover or want to believe in, from the Internet.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading your comment the words to I Heard It Through The Grapevine started to play in my head. Yep. It's been true for a very long time. I've become very skeptical of people and their motives. I don't know if that is a good thing or not. I'm less trusting than I was, but I feel more secure in that someone won't take advantage of me.
DeleteGood to see you Liza. I always appreciate your visits. Do you know that you may now be my blogger friend I've "known" for the longest time???
Yes, this all happens. How easily people are scammed and led the garden path.
ReplyDeleteThis is a humorous way to look at something that's so horrible. I know you've been dealing with this for sometime. It's hard to imagine anyone falling for these scams, but I know many do to the tune of billions of dollars, so it's not fair to be so dismissive.
ReplyDeleteMy biggest problem when my parents finally became hip to tech was my Mom "accidentally" ripping illegal music. Ugh.
So, I've lost all my money and I was wondering if you wouldn't mind sending me yours? No, its not a scam. I just need it for a little while. I'll get it right back to you, I promise. Yep.
ReplyDeleteI was so devastated and broken early in the year, when I thought I was going the right path, only to discover I was being scammed and taken advantage of, i have since risen above it as i was able to get my money back through the eagle's eyes, its a secret service in the new revolution against cyber crimes and fraud, you can contact them and let them help you get your money back in full on seuredinternet@gmail. com do not die in silence
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