Please be aware of online scammers

Status
Not open for further replies.
Matrix

Matrix

Admin
Scammers are everywhere, this forum is not immune to them.

Just banned a scammer, I didn't notice him until he started a thread about coping with the loss of loved ones. Here are some stats about him, future scammers may have a lot in common.
  1. He registered almost 2 years ago but only became active until this week. This can be quite deceptive: he had been here almost 2 years, he should be legit. A scammer may work on many accounts on dozens of websites, they don't rush into scamming right away.
  2. He also registered another account one month later, which I'm sure he plans to use at some point in the future.
  3. Poor writing, but this can be changed if scammers start to use chatGBT.
  4. Although he only made 10 forum posts, he commented a lot on member profile pages to seek potential candidates. I wouldn't notice it if I didn't examine his activities.
  5. He was eager to communicate privately.
  6. He may have sad stories to tell.
Usually I can get rid of scammers sooner, but if a scammer doesn't post a lot, I may not be aware of his existence.

If you avoid private communication with members with less than 100 posts, you will be a lot safer.
 
Matrix said:
Scammers are everywhere, this forum is not immune to them.

Just banned a scammer, I didn't notice him until he started a thread about coping with the loss of loved ones. Here are some stats about him, future scammers may have a lot in common.
  1. He registered almost 2 years ago but only became active until this week. This can be quiet deceptive: he had been here almost 2 years, he should be legit. A scammer may work on many accounts on dozens of websites, they don't rush into scamming right away.
  2. He also registered another account one month later, which I'm sure he plans to use at some point in the future.
  3. Poor writing, but this can be changed if scammers start to use chatGBT.
  4. Although he only made 10 forum posts, he commented a lot on member profile pages to seek potential candidates. I wouldn't notice it if I didn't examine his activities.
  5. He was eager to communicate privately.
  6. He may have sad stories to tell.
Usually I can get rid of scammers sooner, but if a scammer doesn't post a lot, I may not be aware of his existence.

If you avoid private communication with members with less than 100 posts, you will be a lot safer.
Click to expand...
Good to know you're onto them Matrix... they're just relentless, so I know how difficult a job it can be to keep on top of it.. thank you.. (y)
 
Usually we can smell something fishy, but imagine a scammer posted briefly 3 years ago and came back with a sad story:

I recently lost my love of 40 years, I'm so devastating, I need this forum more than ever.

If we have similar experience or we are at a low point of our life, we might fall for it.

But only when I find out he is behind a proxy or from Nigeria, I realize obviously it's a scam.
 
Matrix said:
Usually we can smell something fishy, but imagine a scammer posted briefly 3 years ago and came back with a sad story:

I recently lost my love of 40 years, I'm so devastating, I need this forum more than ever.

If we have similar experience or we are at a low point of our life, we might fall for it.

But only when I find out he is behind a proxy or from Nigeria, I realize obviously it's a scam.
Click to expand...
Thanks Matrix. We don't see everything you see, it is good to keep that in mind when we feel sorry for a new member who seems desperate to speak to us personally, via email or phone. Best to get to know them before becoming 'friends'. Many good people in this world, but too many stories of those who were taken advantage of, and that is really unfortunate.
 
Thank you for your diligence in keeping this a "safe house" Matrix. I've noticed an influx of scammers and some aren't very easy to spot until they slip up. There's one in introductions right now that joined a year and a half ago and the one post made just doesn't sound right... nor does the "excuse" used. Good to know you're weeding them out!
 
Out of the latest seven introduction threads, three turned out to be scammers, I’ve cleaned them up.

For everyone’s safety, please avoid any private interactions with members who have fewer than 200 posts. Let’s keep conversations in public threads where we can all look out for each other.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top