Dating Site Scams.........hard to believe that people fall for them.

[Dave7]

I feel sorry for the people who have been scammed as they are often very vulnerable..............maybe after bereavement etc. and the scammers are very clever scheming ba*****ds. But I was just listening to radio 2 and people who had been scammed were phoning in.
1st case. A poor 67 year old lady.........widowed for 2 years who went on a dating site and got "close" to some guy who promised to visit her but needed cash. She sent him £10K which was every penny she had. Obviously she never heard from him again.
2nd case. another widowed lady who was approached via Facebook and stupidly agreed to accept this guy as a friend. He told her he wanted to give her all his jewellery as a gift.........BUT....he just needed £7K to get it all verified & certified. Amazingly she sent it.............never heard from him again.
3rd case. I didn't get the details but an elderly gent parted with £40K to a "woman" on a dating agency.
Now...........I'm 69 and have not suffered anything that has knocked me off kilter so I cannot speak from experience BUT..........I cannot imagine ever falling for such a scam while I've got my marbles.
And before you ask me.........no, sod off, you can't have my bank details

 

[Brandane]

I wish I had £40k to lose in the first place!
I heard that on radio 2 as well. Incredible how gullible some people can be.

 

[postman]

Hello Dave,i don't normally do this sort of thing.But i was wondering if you fancied having a buddy bonding sort of Saturday.Footie game,pie and a pint.Seeing as i will be travelling to see you.Could you send me £30 for the away game ticket.

 

[Inertia]

I feel sorry for the people who have been scammed as they are often very vulnerable..............maybe after bereavement etc. and the scammers are very clever scheming ba*****ds. But I was just listening to radio 2 and people who had been scammed were phoning in.
1st case. A poor 67 year old lady.........widowed for 2 years who went on a dating site and got "close" to some guy who promised to visit her but needed cash. She sent him £10K which was every penny she had. Obviously she never heard from him again.
2nd case. another widowed lady who was approached via Facebook and stupidly agreed to accept this guy as a friend. He told her he wanted to give her all his jewellery as a gift.........BUT....he just needed £7K to get it all verified & certified. Amazingly she sent it.............never heard from him again.
3rd case. I didn't get the details but an elderly gent parted with £40K to a "woman" on a dating agency.
Now...........I'm 69 and have not suffered anything that has knocked me off kilter so I cannot speak from experience BUT..........I cannot imagine ever falling for such a scam while I've got my marbles.
And before you ask me.........no, sod off, you can't have my bank details

Scammers like that are horrible human beings, they prey on vulnerable people and if they have any morals they hide them well. It always makes me angry as although I doubt I would fall for these tricks I feel sorry for those that have.

 

[Dave7]

Hello Dave,i don't normally do this sort of thing.But i was wondering if you fancied having a buddy bonding sort of Saturday.Footie game,pie and a pint.Seeing as i will be travelling to see you.Could you send me £30 for the away game ticket.

Absolutely no problem as you are a CCr.
Just send me your bank details and security code and I will deposit the money for you

 

[numbnuts]

Love's blind and has no boundaries

 

[summerdays]

It worries me that although I wouldn't fall for those ones now, would I when I was older perhaps feeling sorry for myself and therefore vulnerable?

My parents, seem to be OK currently, but they are both in their 80's, grew up on farms in Northern Ireland, and live on the outskirts of London, but the front door is unlocked if they are in the house. Part of me likes the fact they are trusting, but I also worry they could easily fall for a distraction burglary! (I saw that then remember I often did that in my old house in Bristol, and the postie would just chuck the post through the door).

 

[Dave 123]

Just stop listening to Germy Vine.

 

[Levo-Lon]

Its an industry...they never learn..

 

[vernon]

It's totally believable. It's not confined to bereaved pensioners or the Internet. I know two women who, in their thirties, had holiday romances with North Africans and who subsequently went on to engage the Home Office in battles to get their marriages recognised and residency statuses for their husbands. Both women were highly intelligent graduates with professional careers. Both of them spent a small fortune in bringing their husbands home. Both husbands were low skilled, spoke poor English and had difficulty in finding employment. Both women became single parent families once their husbands found their feet and could survice independently.

Neither of them listened to their friends asking them to slow things down and consider a whole range of negative consequences. Why should they? It was 'true love.'

We can all comment upon the gullibility of the 'victims' but I don't think that many of us have the capacity to empathise with them. Hindsight brings such clarity to the situations and it's a shame that opticians don't dispense rose tinted spectacles with their lenses corrected to add foresight.

 

[Beebo]

People will believe anything if they want to.