If you have been scammed, please post here and share your experience; it may help others avoid the same situation!
#1031 by RMx Tue Jul 31, 2007 1:54 am
You know that myspace.com is a ripe source of spammers and scammers. I receive 3-4 emails every day asking me to join dating services, some of them promising guaranteed sex with someone in my locale. I received a hybrid letter from "Lilly" who is an unfortunate, orphaned American, stranded in Nigeria because of being stood up on her wedding day. She also has a myspace page. That's NOT the hybrid scam I'm writing here about though.

This slick scammer probably contacted me long ago. I added her to my Yahoo messenger list from her request. Last week in order to communicate with new friend, I signed on and "Cool_Linda" buzzed me. By the end of our chat session, Linda was in madly in love with me.

During the course of many online chats, Linda explained that she grew up in Poland and only recently immigrated to the United States. She got a degree here and now works for an NGO in the Seattle, WA area. Most of this info is referenced on her myspace page at: http://www.myspace.com/coollinda001.

Linda has web pages on both myspace, datingforrichpeople and mylot. Her page on mylot.com is listed as a 27-yr-old Nigerian. On the rich people dating site, she listed herself (with same photos) as a Hispanic. http://www.datingforrichpeople.com/inde ... ile&id=836.

I believe her mentor was "Jeanette," also from Auburn, WA. She describes herself as a Native American. "Linda" told me that her roommate moved out and took the webcam and telephone with her. It's just too coincidental that I would find both of them listed on the same dating site, and both of them are listed as being from Auburn, WA.

Linda was able to think on her feet, although rather slowly. I got the distinct impression that "she" was conducting more than one chat at the same time. After several days of chatting, I became suspicious because of her constant proclamations of love. She began referring to my son as "our" son. I was able to press her on her background, but she was probably using Wikipedia to find out what she needed on Poland as I was. She was able to improvise, which was impressive.

Her long pauses between messages, poor grammar and language usuage at times, prompted me to tell her I needed to talk on the telephone. This request was the beginning of the end. She flat out refused with a myriad of excuses. She dropped her phone, it was in the repair shop. Next day, the phone can't be fixed and she can't afford one. When I suggested that I would call her at a pay phone or a friends house, she said she couldn't. She also started throwing "You don't love me" barbs.

All of this is imbecillic in hindsight, but these people do, in fact, prey upon the many lonely men (and women) out there who now find themselves cut off from community when Main Street was paved over into a shopping mall. There are no central meeting places, town centres like they still have in Europe, where people can go to meet new people without having to spend a cover charge. These community-starved people hold out hope that the internet can substitute for that lost social institution.

Linda flat out refused to talk on the telephone. Maybe the wrong accent would have ruined her scam. Maybe a telephone number to god-knows-where other than Auburn would have botched her play. She wouldn't accept a cell phone I would mail her because she doesn't "accept gifts from strangers," but seemed just fine to have me send her money through Western Union.

This scam is what I'm referring to as a hybrid. The people doing it have grabbed several different techniques and text from many sources and stitched it together into a grab bag of things to write to unsuspecting surfers. She was patient enough, and didn't rush matters until I opened the doors to do so. I don't know how long our correspondence would have taken before she broached the idea of money.

Please publicize this scammer so the less suspicious won't be duped.

Any questions? Just ask.

Cheers,
RMx
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#1033 by Pat Hamilton Tue Jul 31, 2007 2:04 am
What, exactly, was this person trying to scam you for? Is the money for air ticket, visas, living expenses, medical bills, school supplies, etc? It's a minor detail really, but useful to know what angle 'she' is using.

You are right to be VERY cautious about dating sites in general and myspace in particular. It's full of scammers and other pondlife. I only visit occasionally to see what my kids are getting up to (nothing, I'm glad to say) but it's opened my eyes - and not in a good way :shock:

#1071 by MattNW Tue Jul 31, 2007 11:24 pm
Yeah, kind of hard to pretend to be a young pretty Polish born girl when you speak in a deep West African male voice. :lol:

Glad you picked up on that and didn't fall for her story. These scammers will use everything they have to pull in a new victim. The type of scam isn't always clear cut. They do whatever it takes and sometimes a scam that started as one type will end up another. For example some have started out as the basic advance fee modality and over time develop into a love scam. As long as it keeps the victim sending money anything goes.

#1200 by John Nord Thu Aug 02, 2007 5:48 pm
One has to be exceptionally careful about romance scammers on-line. They have also invade every major dating site, religious dating sites and even the "adult" forums. There are also a large contingent of romance scammers from Easter Europe (referred to as "Vlads" rather than "Lads").

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