A handsome African or a common scammer? How to identify a marriage scammer and not fall for the tricks

The correspondent of the agency "Minsk-Novosti" completed the editorial task - to bring out a marriage scammer - and shared the results.

Widowers for all tastes

To get on the trail of fraudsters, you did not even need to register on a dating site. It was enough to go to the director of one of the social networks. The choice of suitors is for every taste: in military uniform, a medical coat with a stethoscope around the neck, an expensive business suit, on a run in the park and with a dog for a walk. Tellingly, all without exception are widowers, as if the world was struck by a sudden epidemic of the deaths of young women in their prime.

It was no less surprising that photos of widowers looking for great and pure love were repeated, with names and legends changing. Probably, the fraudsters considered these persons the most disposable, so they used them more often than others.

One step from love

Sheikhs, oil magnates and owners of factories-newspapers-steamers immediately dismiss: too troublesome. I choose simple guys: IT, doctor, I can not refrain from notifying a brave military pilot. Just in case, I add another one, whose profession remains a mystery: it is not listed in the profile. I answer everyone and wait.

In the meantime, I’m writing a legend that doesn’t have much to spend: a simple accountant who recently lost his job, has yet to find a new one. I wonder if they'll want to mess with a loser?

Photo is illustrative, pixabay.com

There are three. The romance with the pilot ended without beginning, but the others vying to throw me compliments and declarations of love. Self-esteem is growing, but I do not lose my head and express healthy doubts: on my page there is only one photo with a face, and even that small one, on an avatar. How can you see the unearthly beauty? The grooms vyingly explain that they were captivated by the smile from the avatar: it is clear that I am kind and good. They are keenly interested in the average salary of an accountant in my country and wish success in finding a vacancy.

Gradually, two more correspondence fades. The most persistent is Sam from Boston. Nothing on his page indicates a profession. But he probably did a thorough study of my profile and, despite the minimal information, told a story that would interest me.

Sam, of course, is a widower, he has two children: a boy of five and a girl of eight, who are raised by his relatively young parents. By profession, he travels to exotic countries and makes documentary films. He is now in Cameroon on a UNICEF mission to visit tribes cut off from civilization. The communication here is terrible, so no video calls: you have to settle for messages.

The correspondence was plausible: Sam behaved with restraint and was in no hurry to reveal the cards. He described the country in detail and was horrified by the surrounding poverty, and even told how he managed to capture terrible footage of killing and cooking chimpanzees. At the same time, I was probing my material capabilities: I asked what funds and where I live, while I am looking for a job, how I spend my free time. But unobtrusively, by the way.

Thinking I had swallowed the bait, Sam went on to frown. He dreamed of meeting and categorically dismissed talk of neutral territory. Of course, he will come to Belarus, and I will give him the address of a decent hotel and show him the city. And then Boston, meeting children and parents and a long happy life.

But there were clouds on the horizon. During the next trip to the film crew Sam was attacked by a gang of robbers. They took cash, cards, equipment. Lost unique footage from tropical forests and villages of natives Supported as much as possible: calmed, happy that he was not physically injured, advised to contact the police. Unfortunately, the local police were corrupt. They promised to return the filming equipment for a reward. The problem is that there is no money left. Anyway, Sam needed my help.

With all my heart, I reminded my friend that I was unemployed. He begged tearfully for help: the amount is small, only two thousand dollars. And as soon as he returns home, the money will be transferred three times. Then I had a reasonable question: "Sam, don't you have any close people in Boston?" What about parents, friends? After all, the UNICEF office?”.

For some reason, the groom was offended and deleted the account. I wrote an angry message saying it was over. He thought I was empathic and sensitive, and I was callous and mercantile. Therefore, he cannot connect life with me. The man did not leave the image until the last.

Photo is illustrative, photo freepik.com

How not to fall for the bait of a swindler, said the head of the department for combating cybercrime of the Mingory Executive Committee Dmitry Stasyulevich:

- Typically, scammers can communicate with dozens of potential victims at the same time. Having established a high level of trust, they begin to ask for money to be transferred to them under various pretexts, for example, to fly to a meeting place or treat a child. Manipulations and various techniques from the field of social engineering are being used.

When studying the profile of the interlocutor, you should pay special attention to a number of features, for example, very few photos or all of them are studio. You should check these photos in search engines: it is possible that they are simply stolen. You can ask to show old pictures: a real person to do it will not be difficult, criminals will not have such photos, and if suddenly there are, then there is a high probability that they will not correspond to the biography.

Fraudsters generally do not link their profile to Instagram and other social media accounts. It should be wary that the “cavalier” lives in another country, but is looking for acquaintances in your region. In addition, scammers prefer to communicate using text messages, avoiding calls and voice chats, try to transfer communication to the messenger, outside the site where you met.

The most common strategy is when the lover allegedly tries to meet in person, but the circumstances constantly interfere with dating. They then become an excuse to ask for money: to buy a ticket, flight, etc. And of course, the most important beacon is a request to transfer money or pay for some services.

If you notice such details and can not verify the identity of the interlocutor, stop communicating. And if they start extorting money for non-distribution of intimate photos, do not follow the demands of the blackmailer, but save all threats and messages and contact the police.