#PWN Goal — Falling for that Valentines Day fraudster
Valentine’s Day presents the perfect opportunity for online fraudsters to take advantage of lonely hearts. Online dating scams have been happening for years and even with all of the advice and warnings on how to avoid them people still regularly fall victim.
In this edition of PWN Goal, we take a look at the story of Greg a 40-year old man desperate to find a partner and how he fell for an online dating scam.
Being 50-years old and still single was not fun for Greg. His elderly parents were constantly nagging him about when he’d meet a girl and settle down. The problem was that he was rubbish at talking to the ladies; that was until one day a friend suggested that he try online dating. With nothing to lose Greg reluctantly took the plunge and signed up to a dating site.
The site looked legit, so he happily put in his details on the registration form. At first, it seemed as though he would have the same amount of luck online as he had in the real world as for the first few days he received no interest at all. Then on the fifth day, he checked his inbox and low and behold there was a message from a stunning young woman called ‘Ruth’. The two began chatting, everything was going well and appeared legitimate.
The two chatted regularly, but as they lived far away from each other, they began to communicate via webcam. To Greg’s pleasant surprise ‘Ruth’ looked just like her picture, and soon they spent every evening chatting. Little did Greg know that ‘Ruth’ was luring him into a trap. After a few weeks, ‘Ruth’ suggested that they get a little more intimate and asked Greg to do some sexual acts for her.
Naturally, Greg obliged, he’d fallen head over heels for this attractive woman. The next day an email arrived in Greg’s inbox telling him that unless he transferred a large amount of money to a strange bank account the footage from the previous evening would be sent to his friends’ family and employer. Ruth was not who she claimed to be. In reality, she was a scammer, and one that had through their conversations had learnt everything about Greg. All she had to do to get the details of his family and employer was take a look through Greg’s social media accounts. To avoid humiliation, Greg paid up but since then he was regularly blackmailed by the scammers, and his life became hell.
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How to avoid being scammed
· It’s not just dating sites where the scammers operate. Social media accounts such as Facebook are another favoured hunting ground.
· If someone asks you for money, do not respond. Cut and run.
· Never give out details such as your bank account information.
· If someone starts telling you a sob story, beware. There’s a high chance this is a scammer appealing to your good nature and seeking cash.
· Never offer money to people you don’t know or have never met.
· Don’t take the passage of time as assurance. Scammers can lead people on for months always keep your wits about you.
· Be aware of the person you’re in contact with not being aware of things happening in your country. This is a sign that they may be from abroad and not who they are claiming to be.
· Be wary of long distance relationships. Its rare for real long distance relationships to begin offline so be extra careful online.
· Never share pictures or information about yourself or others that could give the personal details of your private life. Your private life should stay that way until you know for certain that you can trust your contact.
· If someone does try to blackmail, you do not pay. Report them to the police, however embarrassing it might be at the time. The Police are there to help, and it’s their job to protect you and others.
For more advice check out Get Safe Online which is running a month-long awareness campaign in February.
