‘Someone who pretends to be someone they’re not using Facebook or other social media to create false identities, particularly to pursue deceptive online romances.’
The term was created by Nev Shulman’s experience of having a longterm online relationship with a woman he thought to be young and single. The reality was, Angela was in her 40’s and married. Now the executive producer of MTV’s show ‘CATFISH’, which came off the back of the 2010 American film documentary of the same name, at the end of the film, Vince (husband of the lady that ‘catfished’ Nev), tells a story. He says that when live cod were shipped to Asia from North America, the fish’s inactivity in their tanks resulted in only mushy flesh reaching the destination; but fishermen found that putting catfish in the tanks with the cod kept them active, and thus ensured the quality of the fish. Vince talks of how there are people in everyone’s lives who keep us active, always on our toes and always thinking. It is implied that he believes Angela (Nev’s online romance) to be such a person.
‘To be clear, ‘catfishing’ refers to the act of luring someone into a relationship by adopting a fictional online persona with fake personal information. The term emerged from the 2010 American documentary Catfish which follows Schulman on his journey of falling in love with a girl he has met online and later finding out she is not the person she claimed to be. ‘
Not all ‘fake profiles’ are Catfish. Some fake profiles are created with a purpose to ‘troll’ others online (which is a criminal offence), or to hide the owners of illegal business transactions (also a criminal offence). Some are legitimate in reason where anonymity is needed from an abusive ex partner or similar. Some people are mistaking ‘Catfishing’ with identity theft. It’s not. Identity theft is where a criminal will literally collect and steal another person’s real life personal information. This is explained by Action Fraud:
‘Identity theft happens when fraudsters access enough information about someone’s identity (such as their name, date of birth, current or previous addresses) to commit identity fraud. Identity theft can take place whether the fraud victim is alive or deceased.’
When the criminal uses this information to get money or other using your details, they are committing identity fraud. You can read more about this here.
Catfish are not into identity theft as such…
What Catfish will do it trawl the internet for a suitable picture to use on their profile. Some choose to steal an everyday person’s pictures from a public Facebook Page or similar, some will go for ‘catalogue shots’, model’s pictures which are readily available in ‘stock image’ settings online. These often allow the catfish the option of having several pictures of the same person. Some will choose to use an actor/tress’ picture, maybe from another country where the actor/tress is not known…like mine. Some go for military personnel and keep their name too. Some (like many in the show Catfish) use photos of people they know and admire…
However, they don’t want ‘Joe Blogs’ life story. They want to create the image of a life that is going to touch the emotional aspects of their targets. They want to create someone who can get inside your head. This is the common thread between all Catfish. It’s how they manipulate you to get what they want BUT what they may want as a result of their scam can be very different. There are many misconceptions about Catfish here too.
Catfish are not all after the same thing. There are many variations to these individual’s incentives.
What do they want from you?
I will never be able to list every motive and intention of a Catfish here but if caught by one, none of them will end well for you. Without doubt, new incentives and cover stories, whether financially motivated or personally motivated will be created constantly but we are seeing some as the main culprits that have been used for many years now and are big business, financial fraud. The other type of Catfish motive is very personal. It has nothing to do with financial/personal gain as such (although they can achieve this in their game), but it’s not their primary incentive. Their incentive is to get their needs met, whatever they may be…and not get caught out while doing that. However the only outcome for the victim is hurt and humiliation on many levels.
I was aware of the kind of romance scam with financial fraud being the primary motivator.If at any point my Catfish had started asking for money, I would have been suspicious because I had been fortunate enough to have seen and read about these on top of training when I worked at a bank in my teens, when Nigerian money fraud very first started. I was alert to this kind of ‘game’.
Not everyone is so fortunate and the ‘hooking technique or love bombing’ used by all the Catfish is the same. You can read more about love bombing Part 1 here and love bombing Part 2 here.
Of course my Catfish didn’t stay online either…he became an ‘offline Personal Catfish’. I had an ‘in person’ relationship with him for several months after our initial 3 month online introduction. Is this the new breed of Catfish?
Sextortion: Understanding its Origins and Safeguarding Your Digital Life
The rise of technology has undeniably transformed the way we communicate and interact with others. Unfortunately, it has also paved the way for new and troubling forms of online exploitation. Sextortion, a distressing and traumatic form of cybercrime, has become increasingly prevalent in recent years. It is can also be part of Romance Fraud. In this blog, we will delve into the origin of sextortion, shed light on its mechanisms, and provide essential tips on how to remain safe if you find yourself as a victim of this type of crime.
Origins of Sextortion
Sextortion is not a new phenomenon. Its roots can be traced back to the early 2000s when advancements in technologies, such as webcams and instant messaging, gave perpetrators an opportunity to exploit vulnerable individuals. Initially, sextortion often occurred through popular chat platforms, where scammers would engage in conversations and eventually manipulate victims into sharing explicit or compromising material. These malicious actors would then employ these materials to extort money or other favors from their victims, exploiting their fear of exposure.
Mechanisms of Sextortion
Today, sextortion has evolved and expanded its reach to various digital platforms, including social media, dating apps, and email. Perpetrators often pose as trustworthy individuals to gain their victims’ confidence before luring them into sharing explicit images or videos. Some even employ sophisticated hacking techniques to gain unauthorized access to victims’ personal devices and accounts, enhancing their power of manipulation. Once in possession of such compromising materials, they threaten to distribute them to the victim’s family, friends, or colleagues unless their demands are met.
Hacking of this nature was behind the documentary of real life sextortionist ‘The most hated man on the Internet’, Hunter Moore. You can read about him here. Although his website revolved around revenge porn, he himself made a fortune off the back of this and the similarities to sextortion in Romance Fraud are there.
Romance Fraud and Sextortion.
Throughout these frauds, scammers are very clever at manipulation and that includes building trust or using emotional pressure techniques to exploit intimate images from victims.
This will often start when the victim has been chatting for a while and the conversation would (intentionally from the scammer) turn intimate. The scammer, most often will send an intimate image first, this will have been saved from another scam with another victim or taken from the internet. Once this has been sent, the scammer will ask for the victim to return the favour. If there is non compliance, the scammer will attempt to emotionally pressurise the victim. This can be seen by the scammer guilting the victim by saying that they don’t feel as much for them if they don’t want to and intimating that the relationship isn’t as important to the victim. Also, that not trusting them is an issue, for example.
These images are collected for two reasons. One, to further the relationship and build further intimacy. Two, for the purpose of blackmail when the fraud is realised and the scammers want to further the chance of getting more money through blackmailing the victim.
What to Do if You Fall Victim to Sextortion
1. Stay calm and seek support: Do not panic if you become a victim of sextortion. Reach out to a trusted friend, family member, or professional counsellor. Their support can help you cope with the emotional distress, guilt, and shame that often accompany such situations.
2. Avoid giving into demands: Understand that succumbing to blackmail will only empower the perpetrator and prolong your vulnerability. Take a stand against exploitation and resist complying with their requests.
3. Preserve evidence: Gather and preserve all evidence related to the sextortion, including screenshots, messages, and any other relevant information. This documentation will help law enforcement authorities take appropriate steps if you decide to report the crime.
4. Report to the authorities: It is crucial to report the incident to your local law enforcement agency and provide them with all the evidence you have collected. Sextortion is a serious crime, and your report can contribute to holding the perpetrators accountable and preventing further victims.
5. Secure your online presence: Enhance your digital security by using strong, unique passwords for each account, enabling multi-factor authentication, and regularly updating your devices and applications. Be cautious about the information you share online and maintain privacy settings that limit access to your personal information.
These scammers work on fear. The only way they can make you fear is by being able to contact you. For Romance fraud Victims in particular, these are the steps you need to follow.
Block all contact the scammer has with you. This might be phone numbers and/or emails in the first instance. The phone number/email may be used on the chat app the scammer asked you to move to when you first started talking.
If the scammer still has knowledge of your social media accounts, you need to disable them for a few weeks. Before you bring them back, you need to ensure that they are completely private (including friends lists and groups), the user name or profile links should be changed (please message if you need advice on how to do this). The name and picture on your profiles should also be changed. In addition, go through your friends or followers and remove anyone that you don’t know. Scammers often infiltrate with many accounts and identities and lurk or claim to be friends.
As quickly as possible, get a new phone number and/or email. If you don’t use the app they have you on with anyone else then delete it. These scammers will attempt to come back with other numbers/emails so getting a new number/email is the best way to stop any attempts. Also, scammers sell details to other scammers so removing yourself from future threat is safer.
6. Inform the platform: If the sextortion occurred through a specific social media platform or dating app, report the incident to its administrators. They can take appropriate action against the perpetrator’s account, which may help protect other potential victims.
7. Educate yourself and others: Familiarize yourself with the red flags of sextortion and other online scams. Share your experience and knowledge with friends and family to raise awareness and prevent them from falling victim to similar traps.
If you find that there are pictures that have been posted, you can contact SWGfL who host the revenge porn helpline. They are also behind StopNCII.org (Stop Non Consensual Intimate Image Abuse). You can see their campaign here.
Sextortion is a distressing form of cybercrime that exploits victims’ fears and vulnerabilities. By understanding its origins and mechanisms, as well as taking proactive steps to safeguard our digital lives, we can collectively make a significant impact in combating this crime. Remember to seek support, report the incident to authorities, and educate yourself and others to prevent this form of online exploitation from negatively impacting more innocent lives.
Pig butchering is a term used to describe a type of investment fraud that is combined with romance fraud. This type of scam typically involves a fraudster (the butcher) posing as a wealthy and successful investor who promises high returns on investments (crypto, gambling, fraudulent rebates and other). The fraudster then targets victims (the pigs) who are looking to invest their money in a lucrative opportunity. There are concerns as to whether we should even be using this term at all, given it’s been named this by the criminals themselves.
The term “pig butchering” is a translation from the Chinese criminal gang phrase ‘shāzhūpán’ as the fraud follows the pattern involved with this practise. The romance fraud element of the fraud is aligned with the hunting for and raising of the pig, building trust and intimacy, while the killing refers to the process where the victim is coerced into believing the investment process is real before the butchering and then eating occurs as the money is stolen.
The four stages can be viewed here:
Pig Hunting: Scammers use stolen pictures and fake identities as wealthy, upstanding singles to look for a targets on dating or other platforms. They will have good and successful occupations and flood many profiles with opening messages with the hope of a bite.
Pig Raising: The grooming process. As with traditional Romance Fraud, trust is built, stories of the past are shared to create connection and intimacy with the victim.
Pig Killing: Ideas of investment have been introduced. An investment platform is shown and how it works then small amounts of money are invested and (purposefully) get a return. This is repeated with larger sums of money over some time.
Pig Eating: When the largest amount of money has been drawn from the victim to invest, the fraudster will close the platform or block the victim from it and move the money.
In these cases, the fraudster engages in romance fraud, posing as a potential love interest and uses this as a way to establish trust and gain access to the victim’s finances.
There are slight differences with ‘pig butchering’ and traditional romance fraud. However, the overlaps are greater and as always, fraudsters collaborate, sharing the best and most lucrative of their fraudulent activities with each other to ensure the the biggest ‘cash outs’ on a larger scale. Romance fraudsters, the typical being that related to 419 fraud (with relevance to APP-Advance Push Payment fraud) have origins in West Africa, where as Pig Butchering originates in China. The targeting, the grooming and connection with victims remain the same, the difference is often in Romance Fraud, a desire on part of the victim to help their loved one when a situation arises and Pig Butchering where investment is the priority and the hope is to help themselves or family in to a better financial situation.
The other difference to mention here is the criminal organisations themselves. Romance Fraud can be undertaken by large organised crime groups where students are recruited straight from college willingly or not so willingly, to work being part of much larger crime industry which includes BEC (Business Email Compromise) where there is need for chains of money laundering to take place. There are also smaller groups run by ‘bosses’ as well as newbie individuals. Of course there are also those like the Tinder Swindlers of the world, who work as themselves with multiple victims face to face. With ‘Pig Butchering’, the criminal gangs have been set up as a ‘company operating model’ with its ’employees’ trafficked and tricked through employment schemes for example, then held captive in what can only be described as concentration camps being forced to carry out this fraud. You can read about this here. These models mostly have each stage (1-4) of the Pig Butchering process, undertaken through a different ‘department’.
This type of fraud can be devastating for victims, who may lose their life savings or fall into debt as a result. It can also be difficult to recover the lost funds, as the fraudster may use fake identities and offshore accounts to hide their tracks.
To protect yourself from pig butchering fraud, it is important to be skeptical of any investment opportunities that seem too good to be true. Research any potential investments thoroughly and never invest more than you can afford to lose. It is also important to be cautious of potential romantic partners who seem too good to be true, as this could be a sign of romance fraud.
If you suspect that you have been a victim of pig butchering fraud, it is important to report it to the authorities as soon as possible. This can help to prevent other people from falling victim to the same scam and increase the chances of recovering your lost funds.
On the recovery of funds, recovery scams are huge business. As always, cashing in on bad situations, the frauds are in line to try and part you with the last of your cash. There are ways, in some circumstances to get funds returned but legitimate routes are rare. Erin West, a prosecutor of 25 years in the USA, tried and tested a method through the court system there, obtaining a warrant to recover stolen assets being held in Crypto wallets with Crypto companies but law enforcement as a whole is largely uneducated and simply send victims away. Some specialised companies can investigate for a fee outside of the CRM route through banks. Thorough investigations should be done on any company offering these services.
Overall, pig butchering fraud is a serious problem that can have devastating consequences for victims. With technology aiding scammers at every turn and the sophistication of these frauds escalating rapidly, staying vigilant and being cautious and curious with your investments and relationships at every turn is the best way to protect yourself from this type of fraud and avoid becoming a victim.
I started talking about the use of ‘deepfakes’ in the use of romance scams over 2 years ago when we started to see evidence of them in fake news videos with celebrities and heads of state. Unfortunately, this is only the beginning of the journey and more sophisticated use of this technology will be on it’s tails as seen in the likes of the acclaimed BBC series, The Capture. Let’s take a dive into ‘The trouble with Technology’.
Technology has brought about numerous benefits to society, from improved healthcare to faster communication to increased productivity. However, there are also several challenges associated with technology that we need to be aware of, including:
Dependency: We have become increasingly dependent on technology to perform daily tasks, which can lead to issues if technology fails or is unavailable.
Privacy and security: Technology has made it easier for personal information to be collected and shared, raising concerns about privacy and security. Cybersecurity threats, such as hacking and identity theft, are also becoming more prevalent.
Social isolation: Technology can create a sense of isolation and detachment, particularly in younger generations who spend more time interacting online than in-person.
Addiction: Technology can be addictive, particularly social media and gaming, which can lead to negative impacts on mental health, productivity, and relationships.
Job displacement: Technology is also changing the nature of work, with automation and artificial intelligence replacing many jobs. This can lead to job displacement and require workers to reskill and adapt to new industries.
Environmental impact: Technology can have a significant environmental impact, from the manufacture of devices to the energy required to power them. E-waste disposal is also a growing concern.
To address these challenges, it’s important to use technology responsibly and be mindful of the potential impacts on society and the environment. We need to develop policies and regulations to ensure technology is used in a way that benefits everyone, not just a select few. Ultimately, we need to find a balance between the benefits and challenges of technology to create a more equitable and sustainable future.
So far, regulation and legislation are failing on a grand scale.
So how will new technology benefit scammers in Romance Fraud?
Chat GPT bots will be used by scammers with less skills and for the spamming process until a victim is hooked.
Technology has made it easier for scammers to target and deceive people through online dating platforms and social media. They can create fake profiles, steal identities, and use persuasive tactics to gain trust and extract money or personal information from their victims. In the future, technology may also be used to improve detection and prevention of romance fraud, such as through the use of artificial intelligence and machine learning to identify suspicious activity or patterns. It may also be used to help victims report and recover from fraud. It’s important to be cautious and aware of the potential risks when using online dating and social media to find romantic partners.
As a language model, ChatGPT is designed to help with conversations by generating responses that are relevant, coherent, and appropriate in context. Whether you’re looking to have a casual chat or seeking assistance with a complex topic, ChatGPT can offer insights, information, and guidance to help move the conversation forward. Here are some ways that ChatGPT can help with conversations.
Providing information: ChatGPT can help answer questions and provide information on a wide range of topics, including science, history, and current events. Generating ideas: If you’re brainstorming ideas for a project or just looking for some inspiration, ChatGPT can help generate new ideas and perspectives. Offering advice: ChatGPT can offer advice and guidance on personal or professional issues, such as career choices or relationship problems. Providing entertainment: ChatGPT can also be a source of entertainment, telling jokes, sharing stories, or playing games.
Overall, ChatGPT can help make conversations more engaging, informative, and enjoyable, and can be a valuable tool for anyone seeking to improve their communication skills or connect with others.
Unfortunately, scammers can use ChatGPT or any other conversational AI system to talk to victims of romance fraud. Here are some ways scammers may use ChatGPT to perpetrate romance fraud:
Generating personalized messages: ChatGPT can be used to generate personalized messages that can make the victim feel special and targeted. Scammers can use this to create a false sense of connection and build trust with the victim.
Mimicking human-like responses: ChatGPT can generate responses that appear to be human-like, making it difficult for the victim to detect that they are talking to a machine. Scammers can use this to make the victim believe they are talking to a real person.
Exploiting vulnerabilities: Scammers can use ChatGPT to learn about the victim’s interests, hobbies, and preferences and use that information to exploit their vulnerabilities. For example, if the victim expresses loneliness, the scammer may use that information to build a deeper emotional connection and manipulate the victim into sending money.
Increasing efficiency: ChatGPT can be used to automate responses and interact with multiple victims at the same time, making it easier for scammers to perpetrate romance fraud on a large scale.
It’s important to note that while ChatGPT can be used by scammers, it can also be used by law enforcement and anti-fraud organizations to detect and prevent romance fraud. It’s crucial to stay vigilant and aware of the signs of romance fraud to protect yourself from scammers.
And what about deep fakes?
Scammers have used technology in various ways to perpetrate scams through video calls. Here are some examples:
Fake video calls. Scammers can use pre-recorded videos or fake personas to create the illusion of a live video call. They may use sophisticated software to manipulate their appearance or disguise their voice to appear more convincing.
This includes the use of intimate videos in sextortion. Scammers may use pre recorded videos on calls to coerce victims in explicit actions to extort victims by recording explicit footage and threatening to share it publicly unless the victim pays a ransom.
Of course these videos have their limitations, the scammer not being able to react as requested if asked and voiceovers only being successful if the scammer has that part well executed to hide true origins. They are also mostly short and fairly poor quality but as with any technology issues this can be explained away.
How have scammer video calls evolved with the help of technology?
Scammers have evolved their video call tactics with the help of technology to make their scams more convincing and sophisticated.
Deepfake is a method by which artificial intelligence (AI) gathers data to be more educated. In this case, the Al uses its data, here we will see facial movements, to superimpose a new face onto an existing face and body. The term ‘deepfake’ is a fairly new but the origin of the concept isn’t.
Photoshopped images which have evolved into singing pictures have been circulating for at least 15 years. What makes the new deepfake technology problematic is that this once highly expensive technology is now easily accessible, creating ridiculously sophisticated videos that to the untrained eye will appear seamless.
Scammers can use deepfake technology to create convincing fake videos that appear to be from someone else. They can use this to impersonate celebrities or public figures, or to create videos of fake customer support agents or government officials or the person they have chosen to scam with.
Virtual backgrounds: Scammers can use virtual backgrounds to create a false sense of legitimacy or credibility. They may use backgrounds that look like a legitimate office or government agency to convince the victim that they are speaking with a legitimate representative.
Screen sharing: Scammers can use screen sharing to show the victim fake or manipulated content to further their scam. For example, they may show fake bank statements or other documents to convince the victim to send money or share personal information.
How can you spot a deep fake?
Spotting a deepfake can be challenging, as they can be highly convincing. However, here are some common tell-tale signs that you might be looking at a deepfake:
Stiff or robotic facial movements: Deepfakes can still have difficulties with replicating natural human expressions, movements and eye blinks.
Artificial looking eyes: Sometimes, the eyes in a deepfake video can look unrealistic or glassy.
Inconsistent lighting: Shadows and lighting can appear to change or be inconsistent in deepfake videos.
Audio discrepancies: The audio in a deepfake video may not match the movements of the person’s mouth or may sound artificial.
Blurry or low-resolution areas: Some parts of a deepfake video might be more blurry or lower-resolution than others.
It’s important to note that these signs aren’t foolproof, and some deepfakes can be highly sophisticated. Therefore, it’s important to approach all videos with a critical eye and consider the context and source of the content.
FYI: This blog (minus the parts in Italics and the video links) was created using Chat GPT.
Romance fraud victims have always been treated with contempt, belittled and held in the opinion of most (including those that should know better) as naive and gullible. The comments stamped out on a keyboard by the general public, towards those brave enough to share their experiences, inevitably have the tone of a bully, lashing out their vitriol towards those who found themselves broken in ways they never knew they could be.
So what it it about this particular fraud that makes those who may not have experienced it, so utterly vile towards those that have? Let’s break it down.
Victims of this fraud have many qualities, being stupid, naive or gullible are not those. There tends to be common trends of qualities yes; kind, empathetic, trustworthy, respectful, generous with heart and feelings and wanting to help others. What incredible qualities these are in a human today and certainly the sort of people you want to have around in your life, no?
So why are these exact qualities used as a way to victim blame and bully those who were targeted and exploited in these frauds, for holding these exact qualities as a natural part of who they are?
Don’t you think the victims do enough victim blaming of themselves?
In addition, there is often a trend of vulnerabilities which can be from past experiences, lack of self worth, culture, education, upbringing and even thinking this could never happen to them. Situational vulnerabilities can also play their part, such as being in a new place or country with no support network around you.
Now let’s turn to the victim blamers.
We have little to no respect for anyone who is willing to judge another without educating themselves about the issue at hand first, but then reading things on social media or in the news for example and just believing that at face value is a poor human trait.
Lack of education is definitely one of the major factors in victim blaming because people really don’t understand the complexities of these frauds. We know this, because having talked to many, many people who started with this attitude, when we start breaking down the fraud, the process, the manipulations, the technology, directing them to the academic research on the language used as well as the backgrounds and past experiences of some of the victims we have been privileged to help, there is silence. Silence is all we need to know, that they really didn’t understand about romance fraud at all. No, it isn’t some stupid sucker who handed over money to someone they didn’t know. Society can learn, just like the victims do.
Media and those who share stories or advice, in the main, use language which is inherently victim blaming. Headlines will read,
‘Women gave her life savings to someone she never met when she fell for whirlwind romance.’
Instead, the headline should read,
‘Criminals targeted and exploited victim in a coercive, emotional fraud.’
We should be discussing these frauds with language which puts the blame solely with the criminals where it belongs. People don’t fall for crime, they are the victim.
Is it any wonder then, that these frauds are escalating at a rate faster than any other? Reporting is critically low at between 5-14%. The issue here is not just to do with previous lack of action from law enforcement, who battle lack of resources and a budget of just 1% prioritised to a 40% UK crime statistic but as much to do, with ignorant people who display aggressive societally created behaviour towards these victims. This behaviour silences and isolates victims and further empowers the criminals.
How do we change this?
We educate as many as we can (victims and society) so that the stigma disappears, awareness and reporting increases and the criminals finally start to take the hit.
People who are victims of these frauds, didn’t know these frauds exist. Every human being is made up of a set of unique DNA and experiences, out of their control. It’s these factors that will ultimately shape whether the fraud works on them or not and to what level.
And to those of you that want to keep blaming victims, remember that blaming others is just to make you feel better about yourself. Or is your disdain at those who were manipulated in this type of fraud actually just to convince yourself that you’re not going to be next?
Yahoo boys or Gee boys have their hands in with many scams. New ways of making quick money are being tested all the time and once something is found as successful, it will be shared amongst scammers in their world and used by everyone-they are known as ‘updates’.
Here are some of the current, popular scams to look out for:
Sugar Daddy/Mummy(Mommy)/Baby Scams
Social media profiles will be set up for Sugar Scams.
Scammers will use anyone’s pictures for these, they don’t need lots for the long game. They will be surfing for any profile picture on any profile to fit the bill. Some groups do love the beautiful Alexandra Rodriguez who is often used as ‘Mommy Heather’.
These scams work by drawing in people who are financially strapped with the premise of being ‘spoilt’ as a sugar baby. I’ve seen these pages target students too. How do the scammers make money? They tell you there is an attorney fee to set up the agreement. Not only that, they will collect your details of Cash App, PayPal or other ‘to pay the money to’ where they will attempt hacking for other scams. ‘Formats’ (in Part 1) are available to the scammers for these scams.
Grant Scams
Grant scams are ongoing and take advantage of any situation going on in that country, or world at the time. The current pandemic has been a blessing for the scammers in many ways. Bottom line here, no organisation handing out money in grants is going to randomly contact you over social media or ask people to contact others for them.
Always do your own research, do not click the link, message the email or text the number they give you. This holds for any text, email or phone call you receive. These details are pre-planned fake websites or call centres (they will reroute home country numbers which are readily available thanks to new services). You will simply be following their scam process. Always put your own search in and get a number/email independently.
They are collecting your information for identity theft (Social Security Numbers, National Insurance Numbers, bank details, phone numbers) and in the process getting a fee to set up the grant payments.
Google Voice Scams
Scammers need phone numbers to execute their scams. They need numbers in the countries they want to scam in (or open bank accounts or other in), not phone numbers from Africa. Historically, they will ask victims to send Sim Cards and phones as part of the Romance scam. Pickers will be in place to take shipments before sending them out to Africa, unless of course the story from the scammer has put them there. How else can they get them?
Fortunately for scammers, there are now multiple ways. Electronic numbers can be got online through many apps but only local to your country-step in pickers and other victims, but also through Google Voice. Registered phone numbers are far more valuable to scammers as they will be accepted for opening bank accounts and other benefit system frauds.
One way scammers use Google Voice is to scan the likes of private sellers sites such as Craig’s List and Gumtree. They look for items for sale with a listed phone number, the scammer will text asking if the item is still available. On getting a response, the scammer will say they would like to check ‘you’ are not a scammer and say they have put your number through a checking app to check it’s a legitimate number with no bad debt etc listed against it. An OTP (one time password) will be sent and victim asked to please forward the code or screenshot, to them to verify the information.
What you are actually sending is a password to hand over your number to the scammer on Google Voice. Once in possession of that number, the scammer can use it to open online bank accounts and also access lots of other numbers.
This process is used in other scams too. Don’t ever send an OTP to a stranger (or any one you have never met or know in person).
Cash App Scams
Cash App along with Zelle, PayPal, Venmo and others offer immediate transfer of funds to another party.
Private seller scams
Using private sellers lists again, scammers will contact in response to an item they claim to wish to purchase. Once agreement is made, funds need to be exchanged. If cash app hasn’t been used before by the client, they have an upper hand advantage from the start.
Cash app only allows transfers in and out of the account for a limit of sending $250 per 7 days and receiving $1000 per 30 days. Increasing these limits only happens through verification of your identity.
Scammers will claim the account limit needs to be increased (expanded) for the transaction to take place due to limits. They claim this can be done through the app by ‘building’ the limit between buyer and seller. Emails are sent from a fake customer service website to confirm the instructions along with notification messages and alerts.
Emails and notifications are passed backwards and forwards to build trust with the victim.
Note the .ng domain address on the website/email. This is Nigeria.
Here the victim instructed the postmaster not to release the parcel until she gave conformation of the payment being credited to her account. The address the package was to be sent to was in New York. This will have been a picker, hired by the scammers knowingly or unknowingly (employment scams, romance scams, paid mules) to collect the package before passing it on to Nigeria. Unfortunately the post master sent the package before confirmation.
The scam continued:
The victim did not send any money or gift cards but a few days later the scammer taunted her by showing the Fedex delivery tracker and a video of the Nigerian holding her ring. They tried again to get more money saying the ring could be returned if she paid for shipping.
She showed the scammer all the evidence I had found of the fake account and the stolen identity of the elderly lady used in the scam. It’s with the police but unfortunately she is very unlikely to see any of her money or possessions again.
Other Cash App scams
Cash Flip and Prize Giveaways are other common Cash App scams.
The businesses do offer this service to customers for promotional purposes on occasion and the scammers are quick to jump on these situations to extort money. More on these two Cash App scams can be found here
Please only ever contact these apps for support through the in app contact system. Too many scammers have very well thought out fake websites and call centres to look like the real thing.
Puppy/Kitten deposit scams
Many of these scams follow a similar pattern, the subject of the scam will simply change so that they can maximise the opportunities to exploit. Puppies and Kittens create a good opportunity for money making in scams, especially when advertising as a quality breed.
I should say here that scams using Puppies and Kittens for scams are abundant in all countries, carried out by heartless criminals who are out to make fast money without thought to the welfare of the animals. You should always seek advise from a vet for a registered breeder or preferably get a pet from a rescue as there are plenty needing homes.
Here, I am concerned with the type of scam conducted over the internet, where the animals are simply virtual and do not in reality even exist.
Fake websites and social media profiles are used to set up these scams.
One is shown here.
Things might not look wrong on first look, bar a gramma mistake on paperwork’s’.
However, the fact this profile messaged first and just a simple search on the pictures, shows this for what it is.
A key phrase here raises red flags. ‘I’m a good and sincere person.’ are words used in romance scams to build trust.Always screen shot a few images to run through a reverse search. The results can save you money and heart break.The reverse image search showed that the image has been taken from the internet. These puppies are not for sale.
As the scam continues, the scammer may even send a video (taken from the internet), then a deposit will be asked for. Using Cash App or other, details will be passed and funds transferred to secure the puppy or kitten. The money is lost and the scammer disappears.
Landlord/Rental deposit scams
Using the same technique above, the scammers will watch legitimate websites for properties going up for rent.
They create private listings with the pictures but with the monthly rental price at a significantly reduced rate. They will claim that they previously had the property with an agent but the fees were too high so now they are renting privately. The agent is just being slack removing the listing.
Documents can be replicated to share and build trust before asking for the deposit to be paid. The old saying goes here, if it seems too good to be true, it probably is.
The deposit and likely first month payment will be asked for in advance as is common with property rental. Scams like this have been found targeting students in particular who are looking for a good deal on limited money. This money will be lost.
Always use a verified agent or meet the person face to face with full identity when venturing into these transactions.
Employment scams
Scammers will get onto college websites or even websites for single mums and similar. Email extractor tools are used to extract the emails registered on that website. The scammers will then bomb the emails with adverts for part time virtual work and work from home opportunities.
The wage is paid by fraudulent bank transfer or cheque in excess of the agreed wage. The picker will announce the mistake and ask for the extra paid money to be returned via gift card or other.
By the time the ’employee’ realises from the bank that the original transaction was in fact a scam transaction, the picker and the scammer are gone.
This method of extracting money is used across the scamming world including call centre scams, but this type- often technical support scam will gain access to the victims computer through screen share software to make them think the bank transaction of a refund has actually gone through at a higher rate and needs to be returned.
Hacking accounts
Scammers do business, and part of that business is hacking accounts, all types of accounts.
Older Facebook accounts are really popular with scammers because of many reasons. One, they look more authentic than a freshly made account with the joining date being historic on the profile. Two, ready made friends list who may or may not be close to the real owner. Three, these older accounts are mainly created in a country not on the ‘watchlist’ and are much harder to get removed through reporting. These accounts are offered for sale in the groups.
How do they get these?
As said previously, Romance Scams are not always about instant money. Sometimes the scammer is focused on collecting facebook accounts or other information for other scams. Sometimes they will come at a victim from more than one perspective, as different identities, to collect more and different information. When money isn’t asked for the victims tend to trust more but the scammers are just as dangerous. They will be building trust and ‘phishing’ for your details for identity theft and other things to earn them money.
Hackers may create the same narrative with a victim and even send them their own bank details with login (of a fake account) to show their trust and love for a victim (or friend). They might use this as a way to get the victim to send a One Time Password (OTP) alert maybe of a ‘login from another device’ from information such as a phone number or email used to access and sign in to a facebook account or email account. The victim will be told it’s to verify their number or email with the bank. The victim sends it to the scammer and the scammer has the password to verify themselves on the social media account or email etc..
The scammer can then change passwords from inside the account settings and lock the victim out.
If an email has been hacked, the scammer will now phish for other information useful in scams. Some of these scams will be for bigger fraud such as online benefit applications where the scammer has collected the required information for submitting a claim in that persons name with their personal details. You can read more here about this kind of fraud.
Other hacked accounts include Sporty Bet accounts where pre loaded cards are available for using.
There are many more scams that are constantly evolving from ones like these. Please be very aware of any one that contacts you or deals that seem too good to be true. Never click links or give a One Time Password or verification code to anyone you don’t know personally. Never use given phone numbers or web-links to confirm what you are being told, always do a search yourself for these numbers, emails or contact details or access the contact us section within an app.
When a victim realises what is going on, maybe a friend has broken through the conditioning instilled by the scammer or they have come across other profiles with the same pictures or completed a reverse image search, they will likely confront the scammer.
The scammer will not take this laying down and just go away.
Guilt will be heaped on the victim to start with. ‘How you can you not trust me after everything we’ve been through?’ are words all victims will hear. ‘The scammers have been stealing my pictures for years, I just don’t know how to deal with it anymore, now they’ve taken you too.’
When this doesn’t have effect, they can turn nasty.
Sextortion. If intimate images have been extorted (male or female), the blackmail will likely ensue. Blocking their number won’t do anything. scammers have untold amounts of numbers for any country at their disposal from other victims and other scams (more later) and the victim will likely be bombarded. This does depend on the experience of the scammer and the size of the group they are working in.
New identities will randomly start connecting and contacting, threats of posting your pictures online, sending them to family and friends unless money is sent. Never think sending them money will stop them-it will bait them to blackmail you more. The Australian authorities at Scamnet have produced an excellent advice document for incidents where this happens. I send it to victims I talk to all the time. You can read it here.
Facebook also offer a service for non-consensual sharing of images that have or have threatened to be shared on their platform. You can find their help here.
There are several follow up scams that the scammers will try. Don’t become a repeat victim. These scams are the most popular but by no means the only ones they will try and things evolve constantly.
Scam compensation services. A contact will offer compensation to recover lost money and, or catch the scammer to get justice for their wrongdoing. This maybe headed up by ‘law enforcement’ organisations or ‘private investigation’ style companies. These are also set up as pages on social media. Do not be fooled. These do not exist.
Fallen in love. The scammer will sometimes state that they fell in love with you through the scam. They will say it’s never happened but the connection with you was too strong. They will send their real pictures, finally make that video call, say they wish they could turn back time and start a fresh now that he’s been honest. They have introduced victims to family. Their only aim is to get a visa out of there and more money.
Medical emergency. Some victims have had calls with a crying scared ‘family member’ claiming the scammer has tried to commit suicide due to the guilt felt from the scamming. Can you help with hospital costs. Having thought you were in a real relationship with this person and the fact they target kind and empathetic people in the first place, the temptation to believe this can be strong. Don’t.
Wife Beater. Some victims have reported that a woman calls saying the scammer is their husband and that she is being beaten, especially after his failure to continue the scam with you. She will say she wants to escape and asks for help to do so.
Facing jail. Some victims have reported that the scammer or a friend calls to say they are facing jail. They know they have done wrong but now the family they provide for face poverty because they will not be there. Can you help to pay the police to let them off.
Money Mule blackmail threat. Scammers have been known to load the victims bank account with funds after they are caught. they will then threaten to inform the authorities you are a mule, if the money isn’t sent back via Bitcoin or gift cards. Victims panic and sometimes do as the scammers ask.
The suckers list.
Scammers will put your details on a list of people who have been willing to chat, taken money to look after (unknowing money mule) or part with money. You will find the fake accounts keep finding you.
Here are some tips to break the cycle.
Change your phone number and email
Come off of social media for a few weeks and on return, change your profile pictures to new unknown ones. A name change, (variations etc) where possible and user name change where applicable.
Make sure your profiles are completely set to private including past profile pictures and photo albums.
Ensure that you report your fraud to the relevant authority for your country. Although rare, there are occasions where enough evidence is reported for investigations to take place and arrests are made. For you to be inline for any share of money recovered, your name needs to be on that list of victims. Local police are really not interested and too many victims report being laughed at by these officers. It is not ok and shows their ignorance at the sophistication and emotional manipulation that can come with these scams.
Here is a list of web-links to report your fraud in your country. If your country is not here, let me know and I will try and find or for you.
Things can feel really really dark and hopeless after an experience with a scammer. Facing reality is sometimes too much and many victims can feel suicidal. You are not alone. There is always someone to talk to. It’s important to know that you can come and chat and not be judged or feel ashamed about what has happened to you. The hardest step is acceptance and letting go. The next phase is the fight back. We don’t let them win.
In Part 4, where your information can be used and other scams of the Yahoo Boys.
Scammers will nearly always come up against a client who has started to mistrust through the process. It’s then time to put more effort to regain trust before the chance to exploit has gone.
In the past, the only options available was some very questionable photoshopping. However, technology advances at speed and for good or bad, these scammers will utilise this to their advantage.
Editing Services.
As the scam progresses, trust issues need to be resolved when doubts arise, especially when money has been asked for. This is where the editing services step in. Some will pay/trade for an experienced editor to do this for them, others will have a go themselves. Results may vary…
The editors not only create fake Id’s and photoshop images with a required note, they also create legal documents, plane tickets, invoices and other things needed to continue the scam and exploit the victim.
Taking it further
Fake websites will also be created where a link can be sent to the victim to back up the story being told, with Linked In profiles to match. Click these links to see what they are like:
This fake website used ‘up for rent’ properties found on the web as their contact addresses in both England and Canada.
The phone numbers and emails are attached to the scammers for authenticity. This website is likely shared with Ivory Coast Scammers who have French as their primary language and often claim to be from Quebec.
Wiki pages have been created as well to back up the information wanting to be recognised by the scammers against the real person’s history. The Wiki pages which mimic the real ones in appearance, will have the link sent to the victim who then believes they are looking at a real page.
English speaking ‘clients’ may recognise grammatical and spelling errors but unfortunately scammers target everyone and those with English as a second language or even using translate are unlikely to pick up mistakes.
Fake Video Calls
‘If they won’t video call they are a scammer…’
This is what victims have been told for such a long time and in part, some of this holds true. However, with advances in technology the scammers now have a way to build trust further.
Once upon a time they would hold a phone playing a video of the supposed person (there are usually plenty of snippets available on the person’s social media or better still stories, which then disappear) to the camera on a laptop. It was really poor quality but with an excuse for this being bad internet (including it cutting out after a few seconds) it was sometimes enough to convince the victim that the moving person was really on the other side of that screen. Military scams used this particularly well as victims are being told they in remote areas. Now, apps are available to create ‘prank video calls’ which are relished by the scammers to create a better quality experience.
There are tutorials everywhere (click here for one). Scamming made easier with the help of technology. (Please ignore BJ Campbell’s comment, who is not the person you want to be online dating with as he thinks fake video calls are invaluable).
However, the scammers cannot yet make the video answer questions you might pose but voice overs are getting better so look out for the lip synching. An advantage for them is that scamming someone with a different language makes this all the easier.
This has become an essential part of the game and tutorials on how to do this is one of the services offered in the groups.
Also available are voice changing apps for the scammer to be two people at once or a child. Ivory coast scammers use village children to talk to clients as they already speak French but when convincing a client what a good mum they’ll be or a child asking for help or wanting to come and live with you, for English or other languages, the voice changer works for them. Technology is getting better all the time and depending on the size of the group (and the money to access better technology) the better the quality will be.
Collecting the money
Things will usually start small. Asking for gift cards of various descriptions has become the normal as a tester for the scammers. They then exchange the gift cards for cash with a ‘reputable’ hustler for Naira or other currency.
Amounts asked for may increase along with the story posed by the scammer. The various scams within ‘romance fraud’ have been mentioned in Part 1. (read here if you haven’t).
Now enter… ‘The Loaders and The Pickers‘
Romance scams, can be stand alone scams however, the victims can also be part of something much bigger.
Yahoo boys do not just ‘dabble’ in extorting money from vulnerable people looking for love.
Business email compromise (BEC).
This is a much larger fraud where scammers are defrauding businesses by setting up bank accounts where money is unknowingly transferred by organisations on request of a fraudster posing as the CEO to these accounts in their control. The starting process for these phishing scams and spamming comes from Russia and Eastern Europe, who sell leads to the Social scammers of West Africa. That scratches the surface, the sums lost are in the billions.
Where do victims of romance fraud come in? These huge scams need to have the money they exploit, cleaned before it is sent back to Africa and the fraudsters. Money mules are used to do this. These mules (Pickers) have several roles.
Some will know exactly what they are doing and paid for the job. They will often be resident citizens in the country being exploited and work for a percentage of the ill gotten gains. These criminals will set up bank accounts, PayPal accounts, any other digital cash transfer accounts using stolen identities (courtesy of other phishing scams including Romance Scams, where they are collecting all and every scrap of your details) and also send cash directly to other mules.
Most of these applications and organisations have criteria to block accounts being opened by the likes of Nigeria or money sent to these countries, so they have become creative in how to get the money back to them. It also means the trail of the stolen money is made ever more difficult to trace, if not impossible. Large sums of money also meet criteria for investigation by the likes of the FBI, the scammers know this, so stolen funds are split into smaller packages, ‘The Loaders’ then load accounts with the funds ready to transfer.
In some cases, several mules will be used to transfer the money from one place to the next. However, every time a mule is used, the scammers lose a cut of the money.
Romance scam victims can be used for free.
Built into those stories created by the scammers will be opportunities where victims are asked to ‘look after some money’. Some victims wont ever be asked for money themselves, just occasionally doing a favour for the guy they fell in love with when he gets stuck while working abroad. These victims become unknowing money mules (Pickers).
The Loader and Pickers are used across a wide variety of scams. They will be called on when needed. The Loaders tend to take the biggest cut as their job is most risky.
Many processes are being tested for ‘cashing out‘ . Gift cards remain a favourite because it removes the mules and the scammer gets a bigger cut of the money. Apps such as Cash App are liked for their ability to convert to Bitcoin which becomes untraceable, however with Bitcoin and other digital currency being banned in Nigeria and other West African countries, they are on the look for new processes constantly, so the game is always changing. AliPay is used in China, Zelle within businesses. New apps are out all the time and they will find ways to exploit them. People like this will show the scammers how to use them:
In Part 3, what happens when the scammers are caught out.
As I research more on the new scams that are surfacing, I stumbled across some groups on facebook. These groups with variants of the title ‘Yahoo Boys Association’ became the hub points of my disbelief and horror, not only that Facebook are openly allowing these to even exist but the content which showed me the inside life of scammers. These scammers in particular being those from predominately West Africa, home of Yahoo Boys.
The name ‘Yahoo boy’ came from the original 419 email scams that emerged on the inception of this form of communication, Section 419 being the Nigerian cybercrime law which makes internet fraud a criminal offence. Most are not worried about this law however as the police are mainly ‘hustlers’ themselves, so a scammer revealed. Other names are ‘Gee boys’ and ‘Sakawa Boys’ as known in Ghana.
It became more obvious than ever, that whatever size you think this industry might be, you need to think bigger. Much bigger. Then you need to multiply that by 100 or more, that might start to scratch the surface.
From the posts in their groups I’ve researched their ‘offered services’ and scams where advice is sought for getting money from any snippet of information they get their hands on. Some of these will seem obvious however, many will not. I’ve done the research so you don’t have too.
The Smooth Talkers
Most of you will know these. These are the front line scammers that talk directly to the targets. They call you clients. To them, this is business. They will initiate conversation in many ways:
Friend requests followed by messaging on any social media (Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram, SnapChat, Tik Tok etc)
Direct Messaging on any social media without requests (as above)
Dating platforms-paid and free
Messaging through ANY chat facilities on ANY online platform including games such as Wordzee, Scrabble, Song pop etc
Replying on public posts to comments as way of connecting to something said.
As a scammer’s job it’s known as ‘bombing’.
Many whose English is poor will use formats, another scammer’s job. These are pre-scripted conversations designed to suit any situation the front man (or group) either chooses to use for bombing (dating, military, oil rig/construction/contractor/civil engineering) or the process they have chosen to use to extort money from the client.
Screen shot taken from a You Tube video, where tutorials on scamming are abundant.
Introductions will be copy and pasted on mass to as many targets as they can keep track of. You’ll notice if ever you happen across one that asking them a question not within the predicted script can prove problematic. Construction, Engineering (marine, oil gas), Oil rig workers, UN workers and the never ending Peace keeping missions in Syria of the military, all have their own formats. There are others but all come attached to a sob story of being orphaned themselves (or far to far away from any estranged family member) widowed/ divorced with a child (or two), wife/husband killed in a car crash ( as might have their parents) or died of cancer (or covid) for example. Of course, this means you will become the only person they can trust and turn to.
The more experienced scammers with a good grasp of English are far more plausible and far more dangerous.
You will inevitably be asked to move with speed, onto Hangouts or What’s app (as the favourites) but don’t think offerings of other chat apps are safe. Many are venturing to use Viber, IMO, Signal, Line, KIK, Telegram, ICQ, Skype chat. The loud message is, if they ask you to leave the platform for another facility, there is an ulterior motive. This is mainly to avoid losing the client when their profiles are deleted but also to avoid detection through app algorithms picking up key words, the client noticing them still online after the professed amazing connection and other women making loving comments on the pictures. They will often say they have deleted the profile because they have met you but in reality they have blocked you.
Depending on the size of the group the scammers are working in (either for cartel/mafia-esque style groups, smaller groups in the village or city, as a friendship group or individuals) will depend on how the scam continues. Some will do most of the process themselves, most will work as a team, allowing whoever does each particular part of the process best to take over when needed. Some groups or individuals will have the required skills to not enlist the help of others (which can cost them or they have to trade for that skill). These services are sold or traded within these groups. When the scammer feels it’s time to test the water (which can be ridiculously quickly or surprisingly lengthy and by this I mean there have been some I know have talked for over 3 years without being asked because the experienced ones will just listen for a hint of a story where money may finally be mentioned or be using them simply for and unknowingly laundering money) the next phase kicks in.
‘Billing’ (the client) the term given to the format speech used to extort the money also comes in many forms, ranging from I Tunes and gift cards of many types-STEAM and Green Dot being the latest trend, to fees of the boarding school for their child, who they have no other choice but to send there as they are in the military etc. This is also a ploy used to launder money, asking if money can be kept safe by ‘the client’ until the fees are due, then asking it to be passed on. Investment formats for billing in a new or expanding business are also used. The scammers will go to great lengths to make this look real (more later in taking it further). For military scams this may be for requesting leave, early withdrawal from the tour, supplies.
Package/consignment scams are very popular where a bogus package is reported as being sent and the client is to pay for any import taxes due on receipt and for shipping in the first place. The package may be reported to be presents for the client or receipt of possessions of the scammer’s fake identity. Plane tickets for the longed for meeting are another way to extort money within the romance scam. You will, prior to this, have been bombarded with attention and affection, even potentially had flowers, pizza sent to you (great for getting your address and building trust).
Again here, the experience of the scammer to read the situation and adapt will be the clients downfall. New hustlers won’t always be so lucky and ask for help in these groups:
Others will offer ‘Yahoo Plus and Yahoo Plus Plus’ services to help them on their way…
In Part 2, 3 and 4, how they strengthen the deception. How they use other information collected through the game to continue to scam and what happens when they are caught out.
I’ve been absent on here for a while except for answering emails but that doesn’t mean I’ve been absent from continuing my work for this cause.
The website is proving difficult to display all the scammers I am exposing so I’ve been working on other ways to warn others of these on other platforms and they are on every platform…more on that soon.
Can the person you’re talking to tick these boxes?
Photos look real and do not show up on a reverse image search. If the photos look too good to be true, they probably are!
Happy to make a voice call. A phone call identifies that they are from the country they say they are (and with an accent that matches).
Happy to video call and/or meet up in person. Remember if it’s the real person behind the pictures they have nothing to hide.
Check identity through an online search. Most people have an online footprint. Be an investigator.
Does their story sound ‘normal’ ? If their story sounds ‘off’ or has any red flags such as working abroad/military/has problems occurring which they need help for/asks for money- you need to block.
The connection should move along at a normal pace. Does the ‘relationship’ seem to move very fast? Do they tell you they have feelings very quickly? They feel they’ve found a soul mate? It’s another scammer tactic using ‘love bombing’. If every thing else checks out and they still use this final technique then it’s likely a narcissist (steer clear of both!).
