“But he loves me!” – scammers on the internet

Marriage fraudsters, con artists, con artists and other rip-offs have been around for as long as humanity has existed. Even or especially in the digital age, it is very easy for such fraudsters to mislead people and exploit them.

mimikama repeatedly receives inquiries about scamming cases, for example contacts via the Facebook chat function, which appear dubious to attentive users. In this article you will find out what types of scamming

Everyone has fallen on a friend at some point, but what do you do if that friend wasn't your friend to begin with, but just tricked you into thinking he was your friend?

In modern internet language this is called “scamming” , but in Germany and Austria it is also known as “advance payment fraud”. Scammers usually contact their victims via email or chat requests. Various forms of fraud have been defined over time, but they all have one thing in common:

The way to supposed happiness is through advance payments to the fraudster.

But let's start from the beginning, because everyone has heard the name Nigeria Connection somewhere. The oldest trick of all:

Nigeria Scam (Nigeria Connection)

This scam appeals to the goodness of a person. Disguised under a humanitarian guise, often in Christ's name, an inheritance is announced, part of which the recipient can use for themselves and the other part should be passed on for a good cause. The deceived person is thus given the feeling that they are acting charitable and at the same time looking forward to a carefree future. The amounts are chosen to be so small that it would be easier for the victim to take a risk.

The scammers pretend to have knowledge of the accounts of former rulers or large corporations in developing countries and that they need the email recipient's help to transfer the millions of dollars abroad. The promise of commissions lures victims and entices them to transfer money in advance (fees, bribes, etc.).

It is not uncommon for deceptively realistic websites to be used that appear serious at first glance. The Nigeria scammers' repertoire also includes escrow fraud, in which expensive, mostly electronic items are purchased that are then sent abroad. A trustee is called in to make the payment, who of course does not pass the money on to the seller after the goods have been shipped.

Since 2013, Nigeria scammers have also been trying to contact potential victims via Skype and Facebook.

Clues can be:

• small changes to the senders' email addresses
• mostly disguised with logos, photos of senior employees and telephone numbers of reputable banks or authorities
• Dubious route for the money –> via a specific domestic bank to a large foreign bank for the benefit of a recipient, without providing an account number

Romance scam (love scam)

Great love is promised here. This form is associated with particularly high emotional stress and has only one goal: to take the money out of the “loved one’s” pocket.

Fraudsters use fake profiles and stolen photos to establish contact with victims on online dating sites or social networks. At first they are wrapped around their little fingers with attention, kindness and other charming tricks. Once they have established a friendship or a potential romantic relationship, they go one step further.

They pretend to need money for a specific thing (usually emotional content, such as money for an important operation, stolen suitcases and passports, unpaid wages, etc.) and have a good chance of getting the money they ask for from the virtual “partner”. , as they are already emotionally attached at this point.

The false identity scam is also popular. The scammer poses as an American soldier deployed abroad and pretends that this will not allow him to get his private money. The victim is supposed to kindly transfer money via Western Union or MoneyGram with the promise that he will get it back as quickly as possible.

What's particularly perfidious is that they sometimes make phone calls to the victim in order to make the personal bond even closer. Skype or prepaid cell phones are used here, where it is no longer possible to trace who the owner is.

Clues can be:

• attract with a personal meeting
• got into an emergency through no fault of his own
• When payment has been made, he asks for money again and postpones the meeting

Apartment scam

A great apartment at a bargain price? No problem for scammers!

Infiltrated into real estate exchanges on the Internet, those looking for an apartment are led astray. The fraudsters pretend to come from England or America and to have inherited an apartment or to have once worked in Germany or Austria and to want to rent out the apartment.

As soon as the victim has advanced the first rent and the deposit and transferred it to a domestic or foreign bank account, the scammer assures that the key will be sent to the alleged buyer via the DHL parcel service or an agency. If he doesn't like the apartment, he can complain, send the key back and the money will be returned.

It is clear that the person cheated never sees the money again, the key never arrives and the apartment often does not even exist or belongs to another owner who knows nothing about the fraud.

Clues can be:

• Luxurious apartments at ridiculous prices
• the landlord wants to send the key by post
• It is not possible to view the apartment in advance

There are other subtypes of this fraud method that creep into job and vacation portals, for example. But the mechanics are always the same.

Conclusion:

Never transfer money to someone you have never met or seen in person! Internet acquaintances who ask for money or make other demands over time are always suspicious. Your gut feeling usually tells you right from the start if something has a dubious aftertaste.

Source: Wikipedia , Police Advice