What Kind of a Scam Is This?

lookingforTV on 21/11/2022 - 15:10
Last edited 21/11/2022 - 15:40 by 1 other user

Hi OzBargainers,

I have a WhatsApp account that I barely use. Every few months, I get a random message from a person with a female profile picture. I just ignore these messages since they don't bother me as I have WhatsApp on silence. The starting message always begins with a line like "Hey Dan. Are you still keen for lunch tomorrow?" or "Hi Pete, it was pleasure to meet you today. I will schedule another interview with Mr Shovaski next week".

In August, I was bored and wanted to follow through to see what kind of scam it was so I responded "Hi, you have got the wrong number, I am not Dan". The person then apologised and seem to disappear but come back and ask if she could still chat and 'be friends'. I kept on chatting and 'flirted' reciprocally but I ran out of patience because the person didn't reveal what 'she' wanted from me after chatting for couple of hours. So I abruptly changed my tone in my messages and accused of this whole thing is going to lead into a scam and asked which country 'she' was from out of the three, Russia, China or North Korea.

To my surprise, she video called me and said "I am not from any of those countries! I am not trying to scam you and I am not a bot". The person on the video chat (and, was attractive) actually matched 3 photos she had up on her WhatsApp. This actually surprised me so much and threw me off a little because I didn't know the scam these days went to that much of effort. Unfortunately for her, my reaction to the video call was to ask her to take her clothes off, which in turn threw her off and got her to hang up. After few more messages being exchanged, the scammer moved on and I moved on.

Yesterday, I got another message like that and decided that I would actually try to follow through to find out what kind of scam it was. She claimed to live in Sydney so I pretended that I also lived in Sydney and asked her what suburb she lives in. She answers Auburn and I said "Oh! I live in Auburn too!" then she changed her story and said she actually lives in Perth and was only here for weekends. Once again, I ran out of patience and told her that I am not interested in making online friends because I can't be bothered typing on the phone the whole time. She then offered to video call me, which I rejected.

But, this got me thinking… I know it's a scam and I presume that this is a romance scam of some sort. But, the scamming organisation seems to actually hire real people so they can be available for video calling.

My question is..

Has anyone followed up on this kind of scam without running out of patience? What do they want? How do they approach getting what they want?

Internet

Comments

  • CrispyChrispy on 21/11/2022 - 15:16
    +12

    Have followed along once or twice, but eventually they just stop messaging back and nothing happens :/

    my reaction to the video call was to ask her to take her clothes off, which in turn threw her off and got her to hang up.

    legendary

    • lookingforTV on 21/11/2022 - 15:28
      +2

      Honestly, I would have paid $1/mth if she had onlyfans ;)

    • Chandler on 22/11/2022 - 11:41

      my reaction to the video call was to ask her to take her clothes off, which in turn threw her off and got her to hang up.

      legendary

      Stereotypes don't maintain themselves!

    • Whatisthatvelvet on 22/11/2022 - 11:56

      Don't ask. Don't get.

  • trustnoone on 21/11/2022 - 15:22
    +11

    A common one is that it is actually a women on the other side (from a different country). They talk for quite a bit, ask for your socials (FB/Twitter/Insta) and then ask to send videos/Cam Sex.
    After that, they then ask you for money/bitcoin/etc, or they say they'll send the vids to all your friends/family on your socials.

    • lookingforTV on 21/11/2022 - 15:26
      +19

      Oh wow. That makes so much sense!! I've got a friend that got into that position. He pre-emptively sent a video to all his friends/family on social, saying that "I am being blackmailed but I am not paying shit to her. If you get this file, don't open it unless you want to see me jerking off". I have immense respect for him.

      • dcep on 21/11/2022 - 19:25
        +1

        Wow! Maybe medibank/optus should of pre-emptively publish all customers data to gain some mad respect ?

        • Chandler on 22/11/2022 - 11:42
          +1

          I'm actually disappointed Medibank didn't take the ransom figure and offer it as a reward for nabbing the culprits.

        • lookingforTV on 22/11/2022 - 23:06
          +1

          He then screenshotted him sending the video to his friends/family and told the scammer, they already have it but feel free to send again. From that day, I saw him as a true alpha male. The difference is that he willingly went into adult web cam site, rather than someone approaching him on WhatsApp, IG etc.

    • lookingforTV on 21/11/2022 - 15:31
      +3

      By the way, nice username. I knew I could trust you to know this kind of stuff.

  • kekw on 21/11/2022 - 15:25
    +1

    my reaction to the video call was to ask her to take her clothes off, which in turn threw her off and got her to hang up.

    I think you are lookingforsomethingelse ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

    • lookingforTV on 21/11/2022 - 15:27

      She later lectured me and attempted to guilt trip me saying that I need to respect her more. Ironic..

      • Seraphin7 on 21/11/2022 - 17:09
        +6

        "Respectfully, take your kit off"

  • offthetap on 21/11/2022 - 15:28
    +1

    you should watch the 'trafficked' doco series on disney+ , one of the episodes goes into dating scams, usually it's a guy in Africa writing and sending all the texts and when he needs to appear on video he uses a local woman that is also part of the scam, all very interesting stuff

    • lookingforTV on 21/11/2022 - 15:30
      +1

      Yea, I will check it out. I am sure it was a woman that was trying to scam me. She knew ins and outs of all previous conversations we had. I honestly didn't know where it was going or how it would unfold but 'trustnoone's comment shone lights on it.

  • pegaxs on 21/11/2022 - 15:30
    +2

    Oh no, you won't believe what happened… My mother went into hospital today and I don't have the money for her treatment until next week… I know it's asking a lot, but could you loan me $250 until next week?

    They weill repay it and next time ask for more. Repay that and then ask for a significant amount and vanish into thin air.

    Source: happened to a mate of mine who I thought was a lot smarter. They caught him not long after he and his wife divorced and same thing, reasonably attractive women "oops, sorry, wrong number, can we still chat anyway?" She asked for small amounts first and would pay the back, and then asked for something like $12k, promise of sending it back in a week and after he sent it, she ghosted him.

    • lookingforTV on 21/11/2022 - 15:33
      +1

      Yea, I thought she was gonna ask for money too. But after couple of hours, she still didn't ask for anything. I think trustnoone is right. When she video called me, she was in a fairly attractive outfit (one of those outfit where it's not revealing too much but enough to get your imagination on).

      • cookie2 on 21/11/2022 - 18:38
        +3

        Some scamers play the long game. Make you care. Then you'll help them because you care about them. Then you trust them. Then they screw you over. Hmmm Actually that sounds like lots of relationships in life lol.

      • freefall101 on 21/11/2022 - 18:46
        +5

        There was an article on ABC news recently about a dude who was strung along for months before he finally "invested" in some crypto app and lost his life savings.

        They're playing the long game these days, people are smart enough to pick up on red flags within a few hours, but someone you've spent months talking to?

        It's going to get worse as deepfake videos get better too. There's enough thirsty dudes out there who'd open their wallet in minutes after they've fallen in love with a completely fabricated person.

  • spackbace on 21/11/2022 - 15:34
    +3

    Someone posted on here a while ago that the scammer tried to blackmail them with pics/vids taken through the chat

    Even though she refused you asked her to get naked, no doubt it would've gone down the path of you getting naked etc

    Found it:
    https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/698719

    • lookingforTV on 21/11/2022 - 15:37

      I was fully aware that this was a scam. I reckon I would have clicked straight away what kind of scam it was if she asked for my pics/vids haha, which is why I was able to say ruthless "can you take your clothes off" when her ending words were "I am not a bot!".

    • lookingforTV on 21/11/2022 - 15:39

      Wow, thanks for finding that thread! Just read it! Nice turn around by the OP of that post.

    • Baysew on 21/11/2022 - 15:42
      +5

      Wow, thanks for finding that thread!

      I don't think I have seen that response to spackbace finding a thread before.

  • BewareOfThe Dog on 21/11/2022 - 15:41
    +5

    Can you share her details? We'll Ozbr her!

    • Ghost47 on 21/11/2022 - 16:07
      +3

      She’ll/he’ll regret ever messing with an OzBargainer.

      • aragornelessar on 21/11/2022 - 16:28
        +1

        She’ll/he’ll regret ever messing with an OzBargainer.

        "My dog's in hospital, please can you contact Amazon this one time? Keep asking them for $20 amazon credit for their price error?"

  • mitcheo on 21/11/2022 - 15:49

    I had one asking me for the cake recipe, i played along and sent her one. Was hilarious. After a couple hours of talking i told her to send me a picture holding 2 fingers up and she couldnt, kept sending me other ones.

  • bluesky on 21/11/2022 - 16:39
    +1

    It may have been the Pig Butchering Scam, explained in this vid.

  • poboy on 21/11/2022 - 16:39
    +3

    When they act very familiar I play along and keep getting more and more ridiculous. Sometimes they play along. I have been in hospital, just released from jail - and my favourite - on my way to being cremated.

  • jizmo on 21/11/2022 - 17:05
    +3

    Same scams as Thailand buffalo sick. Mum died 2 weeks later she came back to life after you paid the funereal then she dies and re-lives 15 times in a year.
    Brother in motor bike accident.
    brother in jail.
    brother in jail because of motor bike.
    motor bike in jail brother dead.
    buffalo in jail for riding motor bike. Brother sick .

  • Seraphin7 on 21/11/2022 - 17:07

    Unfortunately for her, my reaction to the video call was to ask her to take her clothes off, which in turn threw her off and got her to hang up.

    Best thing I've read on here in ages!!

    • foxmulder on 21/11/2022 - 17:53

      Dan here is more direct when face to face.

  • Broke-Ken on 21/11/2022 - 17:13
    +3

    Apart from the blackmail scams already mentioned, these are a new type of scam called "Pig Butchering"
    Scammers are more sophisticated now, they know everyone knows the quick scams where they ask you for money straight off the bat so they don't ask. You're usually against a whole team, picking a part your comments to find vulnerabilities you have and their curated replies are passed onto a front person to reply to you.

    They take months to lure you in and gain your trust, so I don't think you have the patients to stick it out. They slowly hint that they are making money trading crypto, eventually getting you into it, but it's a front and a fake site they sign you up to. Starting off you put in only a little bit to play with, they will reward you with big gains which you can withdraw, they feed on the greed and desperation of the "pig" and get them to "invest" in more money, eventually just running once they think they have got the most out of the pig.

    Google the term and you will get more details on how it works.

    I'm curious though, when you video conf the girl, What was she like? where was she actually from? News sources who report about this scam, also mention that some of the scammers are tricked into this role as well, either blackmail, or trafficked into these call center building where they scams taking place.

    Edit: Bluesky beat me to it above.

    • Deridas on 22/11/2022 - 10:00
      +3

      Yeah, I'm curious to know where she's from. African descent? South Asian? SE Asian? Eastern European? What accent? How old?

      • lookingforTV on 22/11/2022 - 23:05
        +1

        She claimed to have come from Singapore and was Asian. But spoke pretty fluent English with really pretty face and flirty office outlook. Probably why I believe it was going to lead into nude blackmail thing rather than investing. Never know though since I could never follow through till the end.

        • Deridas on 24/11/2022 - 10:51
          +1

          Thanks for reply.
          That is pretty impressive then for someone with fluent English to be running/a part of these scams (as in, they probably are well sought after in corporate jobs). They must net in heaps of $$.

          I think generally the nude scams are well known now, so it's likely an investing scam.

        • Scythic on 26/11/2022 - 12:00
          +1

          That's common nowadays. Met a lot of female scammers on Telegram, Twitter.. etc. They're all paid to do it or running the thing themselves with partners. The girls seem to come from Singapore, Taiwan, HK, Malaysia..etc

  • OzFrugie on 21/11/2022 - 20:15

    What i got was someone offering me a job twice within several mths.. i asked where they got my number, first one said from online application, second one with +856 number said shes from Hays and she got my number from their database system.
    Has anyone got something similar?

  • spc12go on 21/11/2022 - 20:42
    +1

    They won’t ask you for money. What happens is they will try to figure out how wealthy you are and if you are into investing. They will tell you some insider info on trading crypto or fx margin.

    They will show you screenshot of how much profit they make by doing 1 or 2 trades a day. The money is simply falling from the sky and there’s no risk involved as you will be provided with insider info.

    Once you invest into these fake trading platform you loose all your money.

    • spc12go on 21/11/2022 - 20:45

      I had a a few trying that same trick, try to make friends and doing small talk and etc. Simply time wasting as it goes no where.
      LinkedIn message, line, WhatsApp and etc….accidentally send the message to the wrong person.

  • skillet on 22/11/2022 - 09:35
    +1

    Are you getting married soon? Maybe your partner trying to test you for loyalty.

  • 2esc on 22/11/2022 - 10:17

    These scams are the long con they work to build trust over weeks and months they put alot of effort in and the sad thing is people.

    The sad thing is people end up being less trustful of other situations in life because of scammers.

  • peacefulpeanut on 22/11/2022 - 12:43

    https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-11-07/pig-butchering-crypto….

    "Pig Butchering" Scam on ABC, as mentioned by other OZBs above.

  • mattyman on 22/11/2022 - 14:41

    They'll eventually tell you about their investments. If you ask about them that's when the scam starts. If you don't follow up on their investment comment they'll ghost you.

  • Mark1159 on 22/11/2022 - 14:56

    I hang up on anyone with an accent

    • askbargain on 23/11/2022 - 12:22

      you're not wrong lol

  • Smank on 25/11/2022 - 21:37

    I get these all the time too! Actually turned it into word game content (weird I know) a long time ago (shameless self promotion): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tt6nKOGpYNI

  • Scythic on 26/11/2022 - 11:55

    It's actually very simple. All scams lead to money 💰
    They are particularly interested in methods that can easily transfer your funds offshore.

    I followed up these type of scam a few times. Just flash screenshot of crypto wallet and they called you nonstop

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