Ansett
14 November 2005, 16:46
Why scammers want to separate you from your family and friends.
One of the "tricks" of the scammers is to try and get you to keep quiet about the transaction. They ask you to keep it confidential, they tell you to keep it a secret, they may even tell you that your friends and family will want to steal the non-existant money.
They do this for several reasons -
- They know that people around you might know this is a scam and tell you so
- They know it is important to their wallet to disconnect you from family and friends who may want to stop you sending money to some person on the other side of the world you've never met
- They know people who are keeping secrets from others form a stronger bond with those who know about the secret
Separating a victim from their family and friends is a standard tactic in many forms of crime and violence.
The criminal relies on the victim not telling family and friends what is going on, so they can continue to commit their crimes without getting into any kind of trouble, or someone making them stop.
If you are a victim, you can choose change.
You can choose to talk to your family and friends, and let them know what you are going through.
It will be hard for you at first to tell people that you have been (or almost were) scammed. You probably feel stupid - well guess what, you're not stupid. You just didn't know these scams existed. You're not alone there, there is a lot of people who don't know about these scams. Please remember, you are the victim of a crime. It is no different to someone breaking into your house and stealing your money. Someone gained your confidence, built up a bond, you trusted them, and they committed a criminal act when they stole from you. Like a lot of people in the world, you are probably a good person who believes everyone else is good. We have seen so many different kinds of people fall for this; doctors, engineers, politicians.. we have called all kinds of people, from young men to 80 year old nuns, to let them know they are being scammed. We know there is no stereotype victim. Everyone, literally, can fall for this.
However, we also recognise that there are sections of our community who are scammed more easily than others. The lonely. The depressed. The generous. The terminally ill. People who are suffering from illness. People who are single and want love in their life. Those new to the internet. Those who are experiencing heartbreak in their lives - in many cases, parents of sick children who need money to save their childrens lives.
Parents of missing children, people with missing family or friends were targeted after the Tsunami that affected so many people on the 26th of December, 2004 by scammers pretending to be doctors with patients who were their loved ones. These scammers told these panicked, grieving people that they needed money to treat their loved one. This was a sick, disgusting crime but what is even more sick and disgusting is that the criminals responsible stand a very good chance of never being punished for this crime. These people will prey on anyone who will reply to their emails, and they will continue to do so because many law enforcement agencies do not take this crime very seriously - AND many victims do not report being scammed.
If YOU have been scammed, you can make a difference. There is so much you can do. Below is just a few ideas to get you started -
- You can tell people your story. You can do it anonymously here on our forums. That's a good start. Once you start to tell your story, you will find it easier to tell other people.
- You can go to the police and tell them what happened. Make them file a report even if they tell you it's not important and they can't do anything. It will be on the record then, and it WILL end up being included in their crime statistics. When a crime is being reported a lot, they may begin to take notice and see what they can do to stop it.
- You can write a letter to your local paper with information on these scams so your local community can be educated.
- You can tell your family and friends what happened so they will never be scammed. This is so important. Please do this. If you are reading this and you have not been scammed, please do this. There's a scammer out there, right now, sending out emails that may arrive in the inbox of someone you know and love.
- You can follow the instructions on this page (link to Joe Wein site) and send any future scam emails you receive to be added to the blacklist. This may save someone from being scammed.
Above all, you can take the time to reconnect with your family and friends.
One of the "tricks" of the scammers is to try and get you to keep quiet about the transaction. They ask you to keep it confidential, they tell you to keep it a secret, they may even tell you that your friends and family will want to steal the non-existant money.
They do this for several reasons -
- They know that people around you might know this is a scam and tell you so
- They know it is important to their wallet to disconnect you from family and friends who may want to stop you sending money to some person on the other side of the world you've never met
- They know people who are keeping secrets from others form a stronger bond with those who know about the secret
Separating a victim from their family and friends is a standard tactic in many forms of crime and violence.
The criminal relies on the victim not telling family and friends what is going on, so they can continue to commit their crimes without getting into any kind of trouble, or someone making them stop.
If you are a victim, you can choose change.
You can choose to talk to your family and friends, and let them know what you are going through.
It will be hard for you at first to tell people that you have been (or almost were) scammed. You probably feel stupid - well guess what, you're not stupid. You just didn't know these scams existed. You're not alone there, there is a lot of people who don't know about these scams. Please remember, you are the victim of a crime. It is no different to someone breaking into your house and stealing your money. Someone gained your confidence, built up a bond, you trusted them, and they committed a criminal act when they stole from you. Like a lot of people in the world, you are probably a good person who believes everyone else is good. We have seen so many different kinds of people fall for this; doctors, engineers, politicians.. we have called all kinds of people, from young men to 80 year old nuns, to let them know they are being scammed. We know there is no stereotype victim. Everyone, literally, can fall for this.
However, we also recognise that there are sections of our community who are scammed more easily than others. The lonely. The depressed. The generous. The terminally ill. People who are suffering from illness. People who are single and want love in their life. Those new to the internet. Those who are experiencing heartbreak in their lives - in many cases, parents of sick children who need money to save their childrens lives.
Parents of missing children, people with missing family or friends were targeted after the Tsunami that affected so many people on the 26th of December, 2004 by scammers pretending to be doctors with patients who were their loved ones. These scammers told these panicked, grieving people that they needed money to treat their loved one. This was a sick, disgusting crime but what is even more sick and disgusting is that the criminals responsible stand a very good chance of never being punished for this crime. These people will prey on anyone who will reply to their emails, and they will continue to do so because many law enforcement agencies do not take this crime very seriously - AND many victims do not report being scammed.
If YOU have been scammed, you can make a difference. There is so much you can do. Below is just a few ideas to get you started -
- You can tell people your story. You can do it anonymously here on our forums. That's a good start. Once you start to tell your story, you will find it easier to tell other people.
- You can go to the police and tell them what happened. Make them file a report even if they tell you it's not important and they can't do anything. It will be on the record then, and it WILL end up being included in their crime statistics. When a crime is being reported a lot, they may begin to take notice and see what they can do to stop it.
- You can write a letter to your local paper with information on these scams so your local community can be educated.
- You can tell your family and friends what happened so they will never be scammed. This is so important. Please do this. If you are reading this and you have not been scammed, please do this. There's a scammer out there, right now, sending out emails that may arrive in the inbox of someone you know and love.
- You can follow the instructions on this page (link to Joe Wein site) and send any future scam emails you receive to be added to the blacklist. This may save someone from being scammed.
Above all, you can take the time to reconnect with your family and friends.