Nigerian Romance Scammers
Last night I toyed with a scammer. Many years ago in the early years of the internet I used to be part of a group that baited Nigerian scammers. If you could get a Nigerian to rush all over Africa on a safari thinking they were about to fleece you out of dough you'd scored. I loved doing this, but it made Jim nervous so eventually I stopped my amusing hobby.
But the other night it was just too tempting. I engaged with one of the newest wrinkles in the Nigerian scam - the Facebook Romance Scammer.
These are the guys that try to find women of a certain age, near retirement age. Their profiles always show Mr. Successful, as a military officer, big international businessman, or the newest one |I got, a doctor working with Doctors Without Borders in Syria.
None of them have friends, or many photos, or usually any posts beyond one or two. They show up, try to friend you suddenly. I always look at the profile, because I do get a fair amount of strangers hitting me up because of NLQ so I don't automatically delete strangers. But, that fishy profile with no friends usually causes me to hit delete and report for spam because it's a Nigerian Romance Scammer who has jacked the photos and sometimes part of the name of someone else.
The way they operate is to start immediately PMing you if you are unfortunate enough to accept their friendship request. The words are too friendly from the beginning, calling you 'dear' or 'honey' before moving on from there, telling you within days they are in love with you, hooking you in with pretty words. They start talking of plans to retire with you in a world of happiness. Eventually there will be some crisis, something like a lost passport, or a huge fine this person must pay and the romancer requests help. Money is sent and you're played again and again for large sums of money and empty promises that the money will be paid back with interest and a romantic retirement.
Here's the thing. It never happens because it's not a doctor or officer or anyone beyond a Nigerian sitting in a boiler room of computers relentlessly working desperate women of nearly retirement age for their life savings.
The other night up Mr. Doctor pops on my Facebook. I knew the second I looked at his profile this was just a newish disguise for a Nigerian, but I decided to play along. Below is our conversation, right up until the moment I posted on Facebook that I was toying with a Nigerian scammer. He blocked me and shut down the profile immediately.
Scammer: Hello my dear, I friended you after seeing your lovely photos.
Me: Do I know you?
S: No, am I bothering you? Are you angry sweetie?
M: No.
S: I am a doctor with Doctors Without Borders in Syria. What do you do?
M: *Made up bullshit because I'm not telling him anything real about myself*
S: When will you retire?
Yeah, he's going right for the info he wants. I say something inane that has nothing to do with retirement.
S: Can you retire soon?
Second time he's asked. This time I counter with I have poisonous fulmanating toenails and ulcerating whatsis of my whosis and lots of made up medical problems, but I never answer the retirement question.
S: If you retired you can take care of your health. Are you able to retire soon?
Okay, I just fed a supposed doctor a bunch of made up fake medical conditions and his only concern is when I'm retiring.
S: Sounds like your husband does not take good care of you. I'm an orthopedic surgeon and would take such good care of you...
M: Cannot afford to retire much work till I drop because of my peristatic bowel spacity~
S: I'll make it feel better if you want...
And I decide it's time to put this puppy down, posting that I'm toying with a scammer at this point and my loverboy disappears. I must say this is the quickest I've seen one of these guys ask about the retirement and go into the 'I'll take good care of you' crap.
And while I'm typing this I just got another one, a guy claiming to be a petrol engineer with a big boat in California. A few photos, a newish profile, and zero friends. Game over try again dude!
Don't be taken in by these guys. They just want to work you for your retirement money.
But the other night it was just too tempting. I engaged with one of the newest wrinkles in the Nigerian scam - the Facebook Romance Scammer.
These are the guys that try to find women of a certain age, near retirement age. Their profiles always show Mr. Successful, as a military officer, big international businessman, or the newest one |I got, a doctor working with Doctors Without Borders in Syria.
None of them have friends, or many photos, or usually any posts beyond one or two. They show up, try to friend you suddenly. I always look at the profile, because I do get a fair amount of strangers hitting me up because of NLQ so I don't automatically delete strangers. But, that fishy profile with no friends usually causes me to hit delete and report for spam because it's a Nigerian Romance Scammer who has jacked the photos and sometimes part of the name of someone else.
The way they operate is to start immediately PMing you if you are unfortunate enough to accept their friendship request. The words are too friendly from the beginning, calling you 'dear' or 'honey' before moving on from there, telling you within days they are in love with you, hooking you in with pretty words. They start talking of plans to retire with you in a world of happiness. Eventually there will be some crisis, something like a lost passport, or a huge fine this person must pay and the romancer requests help. Money is sent and you're played again and again for large sums of money and empty promises that the money will be paid back with interest and a romantic retirement.
Here's the thing. It never happens because it's not a doctor or officer or anyone beyond a Nigerian sitting in a boiler room of computers relentlessly working desperate women of nearly retirement age for their life savings.
The other night up Mr. Doctor pops on my Facebook. I knew the second I looked at his profile this was just a newish disguise for a Nigerian, but I decided to play along. Below is our conversation, right up until the moment I posted on Facebook that I was toying with a Nigerian scammer. He blocked me and shut down the profile immediately.
Scammer: Hello my dear, I friended you after seeing your lovely photos.
Me: Do I know you?
S: No, am I bothering you? Are you angry sweetie?
M: No.
S: I am a doctor with Doctors Without Borders in Syria. What do you do?
M: *Made up bullshit because I'm not telling him anything real about myself*
S: When will you retire?
Yeah, he's going right for the info he wants. I say something inane that has nothing to do with retirement.
S: Can you retire soon?
Second time he's asked. This time I counter with I have poisonous fulmanating toenails and ulcerating whatsis of my whosis and lots of made up medical problems, but I never answer the retirement question.
S: If you retired you can take care of your health. Are you able to retire soon?
Okay, I just fed a supposed doctor a bunch of made up fake medical conditions and his only concern is when I'm retiring.
S: Sounds like your husband does not take good care of you. I'm an orthopedic surgeon and would take such good care of you...
M: Cannot afford to retire much work till I drop because of my peristatic bowel spacity~
S: I'll make it feel better if you want...
And I decide it's time to put this puppy down, posting that I'm toying with a scammer at this point and my loverboy disappears. I must say this is the quickest I've seen one of these guys ask about the retirement and go into the 'I'll take good care of you' crap.
And while I'm typing this I just got another one, a guy claiming to be a petrol engineer with a big boat in California. A few photos, a newish profile, and zero friends. Game over try again dude!
Don't be taken in by these guys. They just want to work you for your retirement money.
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