Personal Finance & Money Asked on June 21, 2021
I’m from Spain. Through Instagram, I have just met a man from Dubai who wants to send me money and even offered to pay my rent in the future. He says he does it because he has too much money and wants to spend it on someone good. We have talked only for two days. Am I being scammed?
EDIT: I have offered him to send me the money through Western Union and he has acted offended because I talked about being safe and online scams. He says as he has plans to come to Spain he will hand me the money. Does he intend to kidnap me or something like that?
EDIT: I just want to thank you all for your advice, I have decided not to accept that so called money and just end communication with him. Thank you so so much, I see now I was being too naïve.
Yes. I would be very careful as nothing in the world is free. There are cases where they would first donate money and then ask you to transfer part of it elsewhere are common. And then it turns out the money they provided you was stolen money see this link for additional information https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/comment/51378.I would not give personal details to anyone. Especially not someone you have never met. This can eventually lead to financial scam or worse personal harm.
Answered by Nirvedh Meshram on June 21, 2021
Are you a beautiful woman?
If no, then you're probably being scammed.
If yes, there's a smaller probability that you're being scammed.
Answered by jack klompus on June 21, 2021
Look out for other red flags, like
If these red flags are missing, it still has a high chance of being a scam. But if any of them is present, it's 100% sure it's a scam.
Edit:
After several comments and additions by the OP, it is even more sure it's a scam:
I would recommend blocking him and ending all communication. He might try to threaten you and scare you into cooperating, in that case note that it's not profitable for him to actually carry out those threats, because he is likely messaging hundreds of others at the same time, and his time is more valuable to him if he uses it to find other victims.
Answered by vsz on June 21, 2021
You could just ask him to send you Bitcoins. That way, you wouldn't have to reveal any personal information.
Answered by user79555 on June 21, 2021
"He says he does it because he has too much money and he want to spend it on someone good." ..
IMHO, just share the info for all the charity foundation that needs (ad hoc or continuous) fund/organization known to you. And let the person fulfill his/her "charity" the right way.
Affiliation aside, the only legal way around this is to get married with the person who intend to share his/her wealth freely.
If this person really is legit, then you can at least be a friend that can pass this message : "Yeah.. I get your (charity sense) point.. but you better to be careful not to trust anyone too quickly.. me included." ( :
Answered by p._phidot_ on June 21, 2021
Here are some of the red flags, and I've reported the site to its registrar (whatever good that does):
Now, let's look at why these are red flags.
If against all advice, you want to engage further
Assume any phone numbers, names, addresses and photos you get, aren't those of the actual person you are talking to, or (for phone/email) are untraceable "dead ends".
For example, someone who thinks you are "good" enough to give you much money after just 2 days will surely be happy for you to phone them at their office. You might ask or he might offer a number. If you do, DO NOT TRUST THE NUMBER HE GIVES. Google a correct company number online, ask for his secretary, call a number you yourself have found, not one he gave you. Except there isn't one..
Don't give personal identifying or bank information. If he wants to send money, ask for it via Moneygram, western union etc. Date of birth, address, bank account, PIN, etc - he may ask for those, be sure it's not for your own good, do not give them, no matter what he tempts you with, (even if "I can't send you money unless you tell me", or "don't you trust me", or "I thought you were good")
Last, if you do receive money, you may be asked to send some on to a third party, or repay some. Don't do that until your bank confirms in writing, that the funds are cleared to the point that they cannot be requested back by the sender. A very common scam relies on you sending someone else some of the money, then the bank finds they have to repay all of it from your account, so you end up out of pocket.
He is supposedly very rich. So if he asks you to spend anything or send anything (to anyone!), don't. Let him do it.
Answered by Stilez on June 21, 2021
Any answer or comment that doesn't advise the OP to completely break all contact immediately with this obvious scammer should be rethought by the poster. This young lady had the good sense to be suspicious and ask here what to do. You guys (accusations of being sexist be damned!) should not suggest "tests" or "alternates" or reverse scams or anything that will keep her in contact with this predator even one more second.
I'd add that she should change her passwords on any financial account she may have, and make the passwords very strong.
Answered by ab2 on June 21, 2021
The very fact that he claims to be from Nigeria proves it is a scam. This is him telling any savvy observer that it is a scam.
Scamming is a broad search for a very few naïve, vulnerable people. It is vital to efficiently screen out anyone else. They can't afford to waste their precious time running a con on someone who is a little too savvy to fall for their game. That is why scammers (who are actually not from Nigeria) say they're from Nigeria.
In American politics, we use the word "dog whistle" to describe a term you only expect some people to understand. Saying you're from Nigeria is a dog whistle to anyone who knows enough about scams to see through your scam.
Proposing that he send money to you via Western Union is a new twist, but I suspect it had dual reasons: First, it's another dog-whistle to warn off anyone familiar with scams, since Western Union is the money transfer scheme of choice for scammers. Second, it softens you up to the idea of using Western Union in the first place.
Him sending you money via Western Union will certainly never happen. Instead, he will send you a cashiers check. What happens next is an accident: he wrote the check for too much money. Along with some absurd reason why this happened. He will ask you to send the excess amount back to him, and one guess how: (click for spoiler)
Money, once sent that way, is 100% irrevocable. It is gone.
And how could you not? After he did such a great kindness to you?? That will seem OK, since your bank will show the cashier's check amount as a pending balance, and soon, as a good balance. That's just what bank systems do. It doesn't reflect on whether the check has cleared.
Of course, you know where this is going. The check is either a) forged in a clever way such that it will take weeks bouncing around the African banking system before finally being refused as a forgery, or b) the check has valid account numbers and bank details on it, but these were stolen or hacked, often by another confidence scammer who talked somebody else out of their -- can you see it coming? --
And so the wheel turns. Eventually, the check is found to be no good. The "money" is debited back out of your account, and the amount that disappears is -- anyone, anyone, Bueller?
The money you wired to the scammer is still gone. And if this overdrafts your account, you're on the hook for that Right Now. Nobody is going to eat this loss for you. It's just on you.
This finishes with you out-of-pocket the amount of money you sent Westen Union, Western Union fees, and whatever fees the bank tacks on. The scammer is richer by the amount you sent.
Often the scam will be more elaborate, with more stories and more checks and more sendbacks.
If you want to jump on the grenade for the rest of humanity, you can "troll" this guy and waste as much of his time as possible, by playing along. Put it on Youtube, you might get $10 in advertising revenue for your trouble.
Answered by Harper - Reinstate Monica on June 21, 2021
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