Here is a fascinating but disturbing story:
A woman joins an online dating service (in 2007, about 20 million American visited at least one online dating service per month). She is contacted by a delightful-sounding man: nice photo, good "profile" (the description the person writes about him or herself), compatible interests, age, so on.
A rapid online "courtship" ensues. Emails lead to chats lead to phone calls. Curiously, though, no "face-to-face" can be arranged, though the man lives only a short distance away. Still, he is very amorous. According to his story, he's a widower who lost his wife and two adolescent children to a car accident some years before, and has just now ventured out into the world of dating again - and lo and behold, found this woman, who is perfect!
Two odd things stand out, though: he writes English very poorly (he explains this by saying he was born in France), and he doesn't want to discuss anything day to day (what did you do today, how do you spend your spare time, etc.).
But the woman is lonely and looking for romance, and he's providing it, in spades. And then one day she is greeted by flowers, a teddy bear and balloons - and a highly romantic message, besides.
Then he tells her he must take a trip to Africa (he's a precious metals trader) and will contact her when he arrives. He does, but - wonder of wonders - his laptop has crashed and while he's writing this message from an Internet Cafe, he simply must have a powerful laptop in order to do his work. Could his darling please send him the money for a new one, and he will pay her back when he returns?
By now, the woman is lulled into a dream state, and sends along the money - and this is just the beginning.
According to a report filed by MSNBC, "So-called Nigerian scams, where victims are ultimately tricked into sending money to the African country using some irreversible method like a wire transfer, are common. The Secret Service and other U.S. agencies have issued warnings on the scams, also known as "419" or "advance-fee" frauds. But the seductive flavor of this type of the scam — known to some as "sweetheart scams" — and the incredible patience shown by the scammer reveal just how far con artists will go to trick their marks. "
In fact, many of these scams take months to come to fruition - long enough that even the most cynical of people is likely to think, "Why would this person take so much time, invest money in gifts, if it's not sincere?" (The not-so-funny joke is, of course, the flowers are purchased with a stolen credit card - and sometimes, the recipient is even held responsible for those when the florist can't get paid!)
While the women are seduced by hyper-romance, the men who are scammed are more likely to be hooked on dozens of photos - sometimes daily - of young, hyper-sexual women who just can't wait to bed down with their mark. While many of the female-targeted scams originate in African countries, many of the male-targeted scams originate in Russia.
Sadly, some targets have lost everything - life savings, dignity, and what they thought was their soulmate - to these scammers. It's estimated that these scams cost unsuspecting American, Canadian and European victims some $20B a year. Yes, that's billion. No wonder they're willing to nurse a victim along for months!
Most of these scams seem to follow set storylines (you almost wonder if these folks get together and write the story!) so according to the experts, they are relatively easy to spot - once people learn how to identify them.
And while the exact stories may evolve over time, according to FBI cybercrime experts, there are signs to watch out for:
- The person is too good to be true (you're 60 and she's 20; you're just an average lady and he looks like a male model)
- The person professes love in too short a time
- Gifts arrive way too early in the relationship
- The person asks lots of questions but doesn't reveal much
- The person is engaged in a business that requires a lot of travel - particularly to African countries
- You are inundated with sexy photos
- The person has all sorts of reasons why he/she can't actually meet
- The person delivers a sob story, such as "My mother is sick and needs an operation, and I can't be with you until this happens," or "I have been in a terrible accident (in Nigeria) and need your help..."
- And of course, the person asks for money or assistance with packages or any other scheme that "feels" wrong
The Internet has opened some interesting doors. It's just not a great idea to go into all of them!
A woman joins an online dating service (in 2007, about 20 million American visited at least one online dating service per month). She is contacted by a delightful-sounding man: nice photo, good "profile" (the description the person writes about him or herself), compatible interests, age, so on.
A rapid online "courtship" ensues. Emails lead to chats lead to phone calls. Curiously, though, no "face-to-face" can be arranged, though the man lives only a short distance away. Still, he is very amorous. According to his story, he's a widower who lost his wife and two adolescent children to a car accident some years before, and has just now ventured out into the world of dating again - and lo and behold, found this woman, who is perfect!
Two odd things stand out, though: he writes English very poorly (he explains this by saying he was born in France), and he doesn't want to discuss anything day to day (what did you do today, how do you spend your spare time, etc.).
But the woman is lonely and looking for romance, and he's providing it, in spades. And then one day she is greeted by flowers, a teddy bear and balloons - and a highly romantic message, besides.
Then he tells her he must take a trip to Africa (he's a precious metals trader) and will contact her when he arrives. He does, but - wonder of wonders - his laptop has crashed and while he's writing this message from an Internet Cafe, he simply must have a powerful laptop in order to do his work. Could his darling please send him the money for a new one, and he will pay her back when he returns?
By now, the woman is lulled into a dream state, and sends along the money - and this is just the beginning.
According to a report filed by MSNBC, "So-called Nigerian scams, where victims are ultimately tricked into sending money to the African country using some irreversible method like a wire transfer, are common. The Secret Service and other U.S. agencies have issued warnings on the scams, also known as "419" or "advance-fee" frauds. But the seductive flavor of this type of the scam — known to some as "sweetheart scams" — and the incredible patience shown by the scammer reveal just how far con artists will go to trick their marks. "
In fact, many of these scams take months to come to fruition - long enough that even the most cynical of people is likely to think, "Why would this person take so much time, invest money in gifts, if it's not sincere?" (The not-so-funny joke is, of course, the flowers are purchased with a stolen credit card - and sometimes, the recipient is even held responsible for those when the florist can't get paid!)
While the women are seduced by hyper-romance, the men who are scammed are more likely to be hooked on dozens of photos - sometimes daily - of young, hyper-sexual women who just can't wait to bed down with their mark. While many of the female-targeted scams originate in African countries, many of the male-targeted scams originate in Russia.
Sadly, some targets have lost everything - life savings, dignity, and what they thought was their soulmate - to these scammers. It's estimated that these scams cost unsuspecting American, Canadian and European victims some $20B a year. Yes, that's billion. No wonder they're willing to nurse a victim along for months!
Most of these scams seem to follow set storylines (you almost wonder if these folks get together and write the story!) so according to the experts, they are relatively easy to spot - once people learn how to identify them.
And while the exact stories may evolve over time, according to FBI cybercrime experts, there are signs to watch out for:
- The person is too good to be true (you're 60 and she's 20; you're just an average lady and he looks like a male model)
- The person professes love in too short a time
- Gifts arrive way too early in the relationship
- The person asks lots of questions but doesn't reveal much
- The person is engaged in a business that requires a lot of travel - particularly to African countries
- You are inundated with sexy photos
- The person has all sorts of reasons why he/she can't actually meet
- The person delivers a sob story, such as "My mother is sick and needs an operation, and I can't be with you until this happens," or "I have been in a terrible accident (in Nigeria) and need your help..."
- And of course, the person asks for money or assistance with packages or any other scheme that "feels" wrong
The Internet has opened some interesting doors. It's just not a great idea to go into all of them!
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