The internet is always going to be full of scammers using social media to scam people out of their hard-earned money. From Facebook to Instagram to dating sites like Tinder, and even sites like Linkedin, no platform is off limits. We all want these sites to step up security and keep scammers from scamming, but the truth is that’s never going to happen. The best way to avoid being scammed is for us to learn how to protect ourselves. There are a lot of different scams out there, but because I seem to be a magnet for romance scammers that’s what I am going to talk about. I’ll share with you some of the biggest red flags and give you some tools to use to help you find out if your prince (or princess) is charming you or scamming you.
How they find you
The obvious place would of course be dating apps or websites. I met “John” on a dating site called ChristianMingle. Conversations with John were weird right from the start. He told me he was getting attached to me within our first conversation, didn’t seem to remember things he said or asked in previous conversations, and his responses were off or just plain weird. By the third conversation, He was asking for my phone number. I have encountered several others on that site, as well as other sites, like WooPlus.
The less obvious would be sites like Linkin. That’s how my first scammer, “Jimmy Beckman” found me. He contacted me by email and said he came across my profile on Linkedin. He thought I was pretty and wanted to get to know me. As soon as I responded to the email, he sent me a request to connect on LinkedIn and Facebook. The red flags were everywhere. His profiles were empty, with no posts, no friends, no connections, and only one photo of himself. The red flags only got bigger when we began chatting on Messenger. It was obvious from his poor grammar and spelling that English was NOT his first language. When I ended the ten-minute conversation, he asked for my cell phone number. I immediately said no and blocked him on everything I could.
Then there’s Lee Pace, no not the real Lee Pace, but “Lee Pace” the scammer. Let’s call him Scammer Pace. Scammers steal the identities of celebrities to target fans and lure them into what’s known as a celebrity romance scam. I am a big fan of the real Lee Pace, and since I started following his fan page on Facebook I have had four Scammer Paces try to contact me. Two of them sent friend requests, several reacted to comments I made to the real LP, and two left comments for me to DM them. I actually chatted with one of them via comments made on a photo he stole for his fake account, and It was obvious that this was NOT the real LP. Like “Jimmy”, English was clearly not his first language. He also got confused by a question I asked.
What you need to know
These are the most common red flags you should be looking for.
- He/she will try to get you to leave the comfort of the social media website or app you’re using for something more personal, such as your email or cell phone.
- They will always have an excuse for why you can’t video chat or have Facetime. (ie: their phone or the phone camera is broken, or they don’t have a cell phone)
- English is usually not their first language leading to poor grammar and misspelled words. They also have a series of scripted answers for questions they expect to be asked, so when you say or ask something they don’t have a pre-scripted answer for, their responses are strange or don’t make sense.
- Their online profiles often have very little information, but what information they do put in there you can use to help you see if it’s a scammer. Ask questions about the career they claim to have, or the interests they listed. You can even ask questions about their photo, such as where it was taken. If they avoid your questions or their answers seem strange, chances are it’s a scammer.
- They use stolen or stock photos on their profiles. If the person contacting you looks too good to be true, it’s because they are. Tools online help you see if the photo is legit, such as Google image search, TinEye, and Yandex. These reverse image searches can show you what other sites the photos have been used on. (I found “John” on another dating site using Yandex.)
- Legitimate celebrity fan pages are blue-check verified. If you’re being contacted by a celebrity somewhere other than through their verified page, chances are it’s not them. Also, if a celebrity is going to react to something you said, and they do sometimes( I have gotten a reaction from the real LP ), it won’t be several months after you posted it.
- Whether you think it’s prince charming, Lee Pace, or God, do not give out ANY personal information. Remember, the end goal for any scammer is to get you to give them money in any shape or form, from wiring them cash to buying stacks of gift cards. Trust your gut, if something says run, then run.
- It’s best to block anyone you suspect is a scammer, because they may continue to harass you even after you’ve stopped talking to them.
Like I said scammers aren’t going anywhere any time soon, so it’s up to us to be smarter than them. Don’t be afraid to question the person you’re talking to, if they’re real they’ll understand. Check the app store or google play for apps that might help you spot a scammer. If you want to file a report of a suspected scammer you can go to FTC.gov/complaint, and you go to FTC.gov/imposters to learn more about online scammers. Stay safe my friends!
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Love and Blessings, Carrie