Scammers
So about 20 minutes or so ago, I blocked one of the "gentlemen" I had been chatting with. Why? Because he was a scammer. Yep, another one. Fortunately, because this one had given me so many red flags -- and frankly, once bitten, twice shy -- I shut him down early. So I thought I should pass along My Guide to Spotting Scammers.
1. They are usually out-of-town on "business", which is why they can't meet just yet. Sometimes they are "in the military" and their locations "have to be kept secret", which is clearly BS because secret locations won't allow you to be on Google Hangouts. In this case, he "owned his own business" and was "in California on a job".
2. They get evasive when you ask for any truly identifiable information, and then claim they've never been evasive. Phone number? Never got one. Name of his "business"? Never got that. Pointed out he was evasive? "I've answered all your questions." No, you haven't.
3. They often claim to have kids who are conveniently with a "nanny" or "their mother". It's a tool meant to pull on a woman's heartstrings, and yet an answer that makes sense when she asks "if you're out of town, where are your kids?"
4. They start demanding little things from you. For example, this latest one has always messaged me first thing in the morning. Today, he did not. When he finally messaged me in the afternoon, he was "upset" that I hadn't messaged him and said that I was "the center of all his thoughts" and he hoped that "someday soon" he'd be the center of mine. Yeah, no.
5. The first request for money is usually small, but always in a way where you'll never see your money again. The first scammer, the stalker, got me through a common gift card scam. Started with iTunes; his card was declined and he wanted to download some music that made him think of me. Aw, isn't that sweet? Then it was this... then that... until I cut him off and went to the cops and he became increasingly violent in his threats. This latest one just needed 0.0027 Bitcoin, which is a little less than $30. His reason was totally bogus; he was in construction and needed to move his tools from sea to land, and for some reason, "probably because [he] was at sea", he couldn't do the Bitcoin transaction.
6. They tend to be foreign. This one claimed to be Danish. The last one, the Original Scammer, claimed some sort of mixed heritage, if I remember correctly. His backstory never made sense, about how he immigrated here and decided to join the Marines. Similarly, this one had a backstory about moving here with his mother shortly after his dad died, but the timeline didn't work out.
7. Many times, if you mention you've been scammed before, they'll disappear for a bit, and then try again. "Oh, no, I'm one of the good guys. I'd never do that to you."
8. When you ask for a pic, scrutinize the background. A big red flag for me was he sent me a selfie -- he's supposedly on a job in CA -- but the background said otherwise. The Original Scammer had hacked another person's account and stolen pictures of the real guy's home, kids, and car, not to mention his actual photos.
9. If you've been scammed before and tell them about it, they'll make light of the previous scammer. They'll try to get on your side and make themselves out as anything but a scammer. This one tried to make me feel like I had overreacted to the first scammer. Bottom line, he wanted me to trust him and make me feel dumb for my reaction to the first guy, so I wouldn't react that way to him.
I'm fortunate in this case that I set up a Google Hangout account with zero information attached to it, nothing more than he would get from my Tinder card. He doesn't have my phone number or any real email addresses. I told him I was blocking him, and then I blocked him. I didn't wait for a reply. As far as I'm concerned, he's gone from my life.
I'm not into doxxing, but I want everyone to be aware: if a "Brad Howard" or someone with the Google Hangout name of bradhoward333 messages you, block him.
1. They are usually out-of-town on "business", which is why they can't meet just yet. Sometimes they are "in the military" and their locations "have to be kept secret", which is clearly BS because secret locations won't allow you to be on Google Hangouts. In this case, he "owned his own business" and was "in California on a job".
2. They get evasive when you ask for any truly identifiable information, and then claim they've never been evasive. Phone number? Never got one. Name of his "business"? Never got that. Pointed out he was evasive? "I've answered all your questions." No, you haven't.
3. They often claim to have kids who are conveniently with a "nanny" or "their mother". It's a tool meant to pull on a woman's heartstrings, and yet an answer that makes sense when she asks "if you're out of town, where are your kids?"
4. They start demanding little things from you. For example, this latest one has always messaged me first thing in the morning. Today, he did not. When he finally messaged me in the afternoon, he was "upset" that I hadn't messaged him and said that I was "the center of all his thoughts" and he hoped that "someday soon" he'd be the center of mine. Yeah, no.
5. The first request for money is usually small, but always in a way where you'll never see your money again. The first scammer, the stalker, got me through a common gift card scam. Started with iTunes; his card was declined and he wanted to download some music that made him think of me. Aw, isn't that sweet? Then it was this... then that... until I cut him off and went to the cops and he became increasingly violent in his threats. This latest one just needed 0.0027 Bitcoin, which is a little less than $30. His reason was totally bogus; he was in construction and needed to move his tools from sea to land, and for some reason, "probably because [he] was at sea", he couldn't do the Bitcoin transaction.
6. They tend to be foreign. This one claimed to be Danish. The last one, the Original Scammer, claimed some sort of mixed heritage, if I remember correctly. His backstory never made sense, about how he immigrated here and decided to join the Marines. Similarly, this one had a backstory about moving here with his mother shortly after his dad died, but the timeline didn't work out.
7. Many times, if you mention you've been scammed before, they'll disappear for a bit, and then try again. "Oh, no, I'm one of the good guys. I'd never do that to you."
8. When you ask for a pic, scrutinize the background. A big red flag for me was he sent me a selfie -- he's supposedly on a job in CA -- but the background said otherwise. The Original Scammer had hacked another person's account and stolen pictures of the real guy's home, kids, and car, not to mention his actual photos.
9. If you've been scammed before and tell them about it, they'll make light of the previous scammer. They'll try to get on your side and make themselves out as anything but a scammer. This one tried to make me feel like I had overreacted to the first scammer. Bottom line, he wanted me to trust him and make me feel dumb for my reaction to the first guy, so I wouldn't react that way to him.
I'm fortunate in this case that I set up a Google Hangout account with zero information attached to it, nothing more than he would get from my Tinder card. He doesn't have my phone number or any real email addresses. I told him I was blocking him, and then I blocked him. I didn't wait for a reply. As far as I'm concerned, he's gone from my life.
I'm not into doxxing, but I want everyone to be aware: if a "Brad Howard" or someone with the Google Hangout name of bradhoward333 messages you, block him.
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