Scammer

[bladeracer]

So, a Facebook friend sent me a new "Friend Request" last night. I had a look, totally blank page, so I ignored it, but figured maybe he was setting up a new account. Checked an hour later and he'd put up his same profile pic as his existing page, so I accepted the request.

He contacted me tonight asking how I was, etc. I said that I figured he was making a new page, etc.

Then he tells me he wants to share this scheme where I can get government grants up to $150k

I play along while copying everything across to my real mate's chat, although he won't be on for a while yet.

I mention to this guy that I'm in Australia so I doubt I'm eligible, but he ignores that. Tells me to contact somebody else about getting into the scheme and tell them he sent me there. Minutes later he asks me if I've done that yet. I said it took me a few minutes as I had to report him as a scammer first
He asks me what I mean by that, so I explain that "he has stolen somebody else's identity and is contacting everybody on that person's Friends list to try to suck them into a scam. It took me a few minutes to screenshot everything to forward to the authorities before I could contact your mate". His page was suddenly wiped from FB, including his side of our text chat, luckily I screenshot everything.

[Lazarus]

Well done that man

Great work Blade.

It does amaze me that people are still falling for this type of thing.

As most of these are offering some sort of shady reward, the title of the old W.C.Fields film, "You Can't Cheat an Honest Man" is still as relevant today as it always was.

[northdude]

The funny thing is some people who you think are quite smart are the easiest to scam.

[CRF]

My work does fake phishing emails every couple of weeks and then releases the results every 12 months. Consistently about 25% people fall for them.

[bladeracer]

My work does fake phishing emails every couple of weeks and then releases the results every 12 months. Consistently about 25% people fall for them.

Wow, that's incredible. Do you further break that down into demographics, elderly, children, morons, etc?

[S O K A R]

I can understand older people that are not that good with technology falling for them, but the amount of younger people 18-35 that constantly fall for them is astounding.
As they say, common sense isn't so common anymore.

[northdude]

Its because people are taught what to think not how to think these days. Anything that falls outside what youve been programmed to think and they havnt a clue how to process it and end up just going along with it as thats all they know

[bigpete]

I've just spent the last 2½ years being scammed......

[bigrich]

good work blade i sometimes play with phone scammers when i'm bored , assuming various characters, altering my voice , from ditzy elderly men , who act confused and ask these scumbags to repeat themselves, to me talking in circles then going for a drink of water and not coming back , tying up their phone line for hours
to religeous zealouts who tell these people their cursed and going to hell

[bladeracer]

good work blade i sometimes play with phone scammers when i'm bored , assuming various characters, altering my voice , from ditzy elderly men , who act confused and ask these scumbags to repeat themselves, to me talking in circles then going for a drink of water and not coming back , tying up their phone line for hours
to religeous zealouts who tell these people their cursed and going to hell

I had a very dedicated bloke a few years ago. I strung him along for five months I think. Must've cost him a fair bit in phone calls from Singapore chatting with me while I did whatever I was doing on the farm when he rang to see whether my funds had come through yet to be able to send money to him.