Thanks to 024-657-834 and Pixabay for the use of this artwork.
The ‘I Know You From Somewhere’ Ruse
This is the latest story of a scammer hoping to succeed in scamming with your hostess through dating promises. Too often they succeed with scamming seniors. Why? Because, like all predators, they seek out those they presume are weak and helpless. This poor fellow had no idea that I am neither. Read the conversation carefully and as we examine it, you will find that most scammers follow similar routes to their prey’s pocketbook.
How are you ?
Please I have been trying to figure out where we have met.
Your Some Link profile was displayed in my email box, as “somebody I may know” I have looked fixedly at you picture, You look familiar, I’m sure I’ve seen you before, Do I know you from somewhere ? my name is Joe Blow.
I will send my picture upon your response to see if you could figure it out.
You are exceptionally beautiful and alluring.
Waiting for your returned mail.
Thanks
This particular person is pretending to know someone I know or some link where I am a member. As always, the compliments flow. The next section is my response, for which any good scammer is prepared. Note, as we go along, that the person lacks knowledge of punctuation. This is often a sign of a scammer, along with misuse of the English language. This was my answer:
Although I find several Joe Blow(s) in Linked In, I do not find even one Joe Blow (without an S). Perhaps sending a picture would narrow things down a bit.
I did not doubt for a moment that this person would send a photograph. Nor did I doubt for a moment that it would not be his. As expected, along came another message, complete with photographs along with a complete reversal of his first message. Suddenly he is NOT a member of the site where he discovered me. Notice he has added something sure to pull in the unsuspecting – he lives in my city.
Surprise! He Lives in Your City!
I have studied your picture fixedly, I think Some Link got it wrong to say we know each other. Though we are living in the same city but I don’t think we have met or maybe I have forgotten,
You look so alluring, God made you so beautiful. I will be glad to meet you for a coffee or lunch, Perhaps fate wants to merge us for an acquaintance.
I’m not a user of Some Link, I was even surprised to find out that I have account with the site. I think somebody added me to it, I never used the site for the first time, I was looking for a friend’s contact in my old email address that lead me to the message from the site , displaying you as somebody I may know and trying to figure it out, I got touched by your alluring personality.
I’d love to get to know you. Would you like to have lunch with me this weekend or next ?
That will be great if possible.
I’m living in Small Town, USA. May I know which area you are living so I can suggest a possible restaurant we can meet or you can tell me a convenient restaurant to you and time, I will be there waiting for you.
I have attached my pictures, If you want we can exchange emails to know each other before meeting.
I have you in my thought till I hear from you.
Wishing you a fabulous day,
Handsome guy, whoever the picture really belongs to. A few problems with his assertion that he lives in my town. First, it is so small, that if your next door neighbor doesn’t know this person, the police department will. Nobody ever heard of this guy. Not even the police department, where I know some of them personally. Now a friend must have added him to Some Link. Not sure that’s a viable possibility. I decided to give him a true test. I told him where to meet me for breakfast. By the way, how many of you, upon seeing a picture of a person, is fascinated by their ‘personality’? Never knew a personality came through that way. At any rate, my response follows:
The Perfect Place to Meet
I have the perfect place to meet for coffee! We have breakfast at our church every Sunday. Please come to Heavenly Baptist Church on Stop Gap Road in Small Town, USA. Come in the side doors and turn right. Follow the smell of delicious food cooked by our all male kitchen staff. It will give us plenty of time to get to know each other. What do you think? I know if Fate wants us to meet, you will be there. I can hardly wait.
Okay, I have to admit, I laughed so hard when I wrote this response, I almost couldn’t hit send. Not one tiny response came to accept my invitation. Wonder why? Could not resist, nudged him again after Sunday.
Missed you at church last Sunday.
When no response once again came from the man who studied my picture ‘fixedly’, I decided to let him in on the joke.
Amazing that in a town where everyone knows everyone else, no one seems to know you. So thinking you are a royal scammer…by the way, I write a blog on scammers.
Can you believe there is still not a word from this man, who was so entranced with my alluring beauty?
How does any scammer pick the mark?
1) Senior citizens are considered excellent marks, since many are in the first stages of dementia or Alzheimer’s. Their families may not yet recognize the beginning of these dangerous illnesses since, as seniors, we can all easily forget names or a word here and there.
2) Many seniors are widowed or divorced. Both of these situations leave the survivors desperate for companionship.
3) Perhaps the person wants reassurance that they are attractive to the opposite sex and might one day have a meaningful relationship again.
4) Scammers presume that widowers may have large insurance policies left to them. Or, perhaps they think the marks have stocks and bonds or large savings accounts. Divorcees may have large settlements from their spouses.
5) Occasionally, people go to the bank or ATMs, paying scant attention to those around them. Scammers are always looking for people who take large amounts out of banks. In one instance, a man dropped a twenty dollar bill, picked it up and, once out of the bank, went up to a man who had taken several thousand out of his account. Telling the mark he must of dropped the twenty, the man was able, in the midst of conversation, to obtain the mark’s name. He then covertly followed him to his home. With the man’s name and address, he had enough information to operate a large scam. Fortunately, the man caught on and did not fall prey to the scammer’s wiles.
Protection Class 101
Always be vigilant, especially since our once closely held information is now out in the public on so many fronts. Never hand over personal information to an online contact, especially those who, upon first hello, want a phone number or email address.
Do NOT call a person, who hands over his/her phone number. With that call, they now have your number on their phone. Ditto when they hand over their email address. Contact them and they then have your email.
Do NOT send money to a person you do not know and have never met. The first request will not be the last request. Each request will be larger than the last. Recently, one lady lost two-thirds of her inheritance, on the promise of true love and marriage. The amount of the inheritance? Three million dollars. Romeo disappeared once she finally caught on to the scam.
Why do scammers succeed? Because like all carnivores, they look for the weak, helpless and, in these cases, those looking for hope in all the wrong places.
