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Forums - General - Illinois man paid $200k for his fake internet girlfriend abduction

HappySqurriel on 02 March 2011

Like most men who have tried online dating, I have been exposed to these scams before and you'd have to be pretty dumb to fall for them. Now I don't want to be too judgemental, because there is the slight possibility that this could be one of the rare high quality scams ...

One I heard about years ago involved a few british/american women who handled all of the communication, and they were 'using' some local prostitutes so that these guys could even meet up and have a "good time" with their supposed girl-friends.



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Baalzamon on 02 March 2011

What a waste of money...I fail to understand how somebody can be so stupid to fall for this.



Money can't buy happiness. Just video games, which make me happy.

sapphi_snake on 02 March 2011
highwaystar101 said:

Would this be an appropriate time to mention that I'm actually an incredibly attractive woman who needs to escape to *insert your country here*? The only problem is leaving my country. During the recent civil war I was arrested and imprisoned, and the bail is $100,000.

This is an opportunity for a valiant VGChartz member to be my prince and take me away from my country, for which I promise eternal love. To do this, all you need to do is transfer $10,000 at a time to some bank accounts based in east Africa where your money will pay for my bail.

LOL, your post, and this whole story reminded me of something that almost happened to a guy I went to high school with.

He was talking for about a month with this "girl" from some African country. "She" had told him this outrageous melodramtic story, even more outrageus then your own (real life African revolutionary hero, assassination, the works), and the guy bought every word of it, and was actually planning to send "her" money, so that she could "escape Africa and come to him so that they could be together".

Luckily he's English isn't that great, so he asked me to translate some of the things she wrote to him. When I read it I mediately realised it was all a fraud. I told him about it, he was relunctant to beleive me. Luckily, since the con artist said "she" was the daughter of a known African journalist (who's name I can't remember), I googled him and found out he had no daughters by the name she had told him. He eventually beleived me, and broke all contact with her. Sapphi_snakey saves the day!!! (LOL)

I can understand why he fell for it though. He's probsbly a very lonely guy (medical problems, he's 22 and is as tall as my 10 year old cousin). Lonely men like this are vulnerable (yes, guys can be like this), and are easy victims for such scams.



"I don't understand how someone could like Tolstoy and Dostoyevsky, but not like Twilight!!!"

"Last book I read was Brokeback Mountain, I just don't have the patience for them unless it's softcore porn."

                                                                               (The Voice of a Generation and Seece)

"If you cant stand the sound of your own voice than dont become a singer !!!!!"

                                                                               (pizzahut451)

sapphi_snake on 02 March 2011
HappySqurriel said:

Like most men who have tried online dating, I have been exposed to these scams before and you'd have to be pretty dumb to fall for them. Now I don't want to be too judgemental, because there is the slight possibility that this could be one of the rare high quality scams ...

One I heard about years ago involved a few british/american women who handled all of the communication, and they were 'using' some local prostitutes so that these guys could even meet up and have a "good time" with their supposed girl-friends.

WOW, now that's one cool scam.



"I don't understand how someone could like Tolstoy and Dostoyevsky, but not like Twilight!!!"

"Last book I read was Brokeback Mountain, I just don't have the patience for them unless it's softcore porn."

                                                                               (The Voice of a Generation and Seece)

"If you cant stand the sound of your own voice than dont become a singer !!!!!"

                                                                               (pizzahut451)

Disrarge on 03 March 2011
zexen_lowe said:
Burngun said:

And that is why online dating should never be advised to anyone. The fact that people are telling someone else that they love them, jumping through hoops for them, even sending them money and gifts, depsite never meeting them before just completely baffles me.

 

I understand in some special circumstances online dating might be the answer, like if you have a disease/are paralyzed, or your getting older, but why is it so difficult for people to just go outside and find someone for themselves?


I disagree, I met my boyfriend online and now we've been dating (in real life) for more than a year, online dating is a wonderful thing...if you have some grey matter, which obviously this guy doesn't.

I mean, if you can spend 200k for someone you've never seen in real life....

I agree with this. I met my girlfriend online and now were very in love. If you're not dumb(or just very lucky like me) online dating is GREAT.



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Joelcool7 on 04 March 2011

Man this is sad. But con artists can be pretty good. Considering this con was underway for two years it sounds like a very believable con. However I would have contacted the authorities before paying the 200K. Infact if my online girl friend said she was in trouble, such as a civil war the first thing I would do is contact the nearest Canadian Embassy and find out how to help her through my Government.

I would never be stupid enough to throw 200K out for anyone without first consulting my Government and law enforcement. People are stupid, if your girls trapped in a war zone or taken hostage or anything of the sort, why would you send the money? Why wouldn't you contact the police or the Government first?



-JC7

"In God We Trust - In Games We Play " - Joel Reimer

 

Galaki on 04 March 2011
Joelcool7 said:

Man this is sad. But con artists can be pretty good. Considering this con was underway for two years it sounds like a very believable con. However I would have contacted the authorities before paying the 200K. Infact if my online girl friend said she was in trouble, such as a civil war the first thing I would do is contact the nearest Canadian Embassy and find out how to help her through my Government.

I would never be stupid enough to throw 200K out for anyone without first consulting my Government and law enforcement. People are stupid, if your girls trapped in a war zone or taken hostage or anything of the sort, why would you send the money? Why wouldn't you contact the police or the Government first?


Hey now. The phrase "Love is blind" is only meaningful when you're in love. You wouldn't understand.



Pre-order limited edition Blue Slime Condoms

Joelcool7 on 04 March 2011
Galaki said:
Joelcool7 said:

Man this is sad. But con artists can be pretty good. Considering this con was underway for two years it sounds like a very believable con. However I would have contacted the authorities before paying the 200K. Infact if my online girl friend said she was in trouble, such as a civil war the first thing I would do is contact the nearest Canadian Embassy and find out how to help her through my Government.

I would never be stupid enough to throw 200K out for anyone without first consulting my Government and law enforcement. People are stupid, if your girls trapped in a war zone or taken hostage or anything of the sort, why would you send the money? Why wouldn't you contact the police or the Government first?


Hey now. The phrase "Love is blind" is only meaningful when you're in love. You wouldn't understand.

I have been blindly in love before, but never dumb enough not to call the authorities for help. Infact if I loved the girl and thought she was in any danger the first thing I would do is contact the Government.



-JC7

"In God We Trust - In Games We Play " - Joel Reimer

 

Galaki on 04 March 2011
Joelcool7 said:

I have been blindly in love before, but never dumb enough not to call the authorities for help. Infact if I loved the girl and thought she was in any danger the first thing I would do is contact the Government.


You just weren't blind enough.



Pre-order limited edition Blue Slime Condoms

sapphi_snake on 04 March 2011
Galaki said:
Joelcool7 said:

I have been blindly in love before, but never dumb enough not to call the authorities for help. Infact if I loved the girl and thought she was in any danger the first thing I would do is contact the Government.


You just weren't blind enough.

Maybe he was wearing glasses.



"I don't understand how someone could like Tolstoy and Dostoyevsky, but not like Twilight!!!"

"Last book I read was Brokeback Mountain, I just don't have the patience for them unless it's softcore porn."

                                                                               (The Voice of a Generation and Seece)

"If you cant stand the sound of your own voice than dont become a singer !!!!!"

                                                                               (pizzahut451)