OCT. 3rd is World Romance Scam Prevention Day

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I just thought I’d share that October 3rd is World Romance Scam Prevention Day.

Let’s face it no one wants to be scammed out of money and be left brokenhearted. So October 3rd is a day to spread awareness about romance scams.

I’ve shared over the years how romance scams can be everywhere. Most are thought to begin on dating apps or sites. However, some may start via social media or other community platforms.

I’ve had my fair share of scammers contact me over the years.

Some common romance scam tactics

Some of the most common scam tactics are the following:

A widow or widower

A few years ago I was DM’d by many profiles claiming to be men who were widowers. I never bought the lie of course. They were always too quick to end up in my DM’s.

Most comments were something silly like: I saw your picture and had to reach out to you. Or something flirty.

I also knew most guys were overseas because they would try to play it off like they were located in the United States but they would be going to be at like 3 in the afternoon.

I’ve also had DM’s asking if I’m married with kids just out of the blue.

Speaking of kids I’ve also had random DM’s claiming they are widowers with children. So I guess they are looking for a new wife or mom for their child or children. I was once sent a photo of a little girl by someone claiming it was his child.

I didn’t know how to react to that I was like who is this little girl and why do I need to see her photo?

Also on the note of widows and widowers, there was a trend where the wives died of cancer or in a horrible accident.

Divorced scammers are fun

I’ve also been contacted by a few who claim to be divorced and they complain that their ex-wife doesn’t let them see their children.

I told one scammer “oh I’m sorry to hear that.” They tried to play up the sympathy.

Professions are big among romance scammers

I’ve been contacted by doctors, military guys, and oil rig workers.

I always love the scammers pretending to be military guys because they think they can dazzle you with their ranks.

The scammers feel they can whisk someone off their feet if they see a man in uniform.

I know doctors are also a profession among romance scammers.

Romance scammer requests

Many times the scammers may request a photo of you or maybe even a more intimate photo. At times they may not ask for money right out.

One of the funniest requests I ever had from a scammer

One of the funniest requests I had from a scammer was to buy a gift card to send to them so his daughter could sell it to go to the hospital.

I nearly died laughing. I even asked how that would help her get to the hospital it was a gift card for Walmart or something. It wasn’t iTunes.

The scammer took a moment to reply and then said she would sell it to get the cash needed to get to the hospital.

I’ve been asked for cash as well

I was once asked for $50 dollars to be sent to someone. I didn’t even know the person. I found it odd but the image showed a university-age guy so I assume they were trying the ploy of I’m a college student in need of cash to get my books or food.

I did have one military scammer ask me for a Walmart gift card. The guy claimed he was in the Middle East.

Why would you need a Walmart gift card if you were deployed it’s not like you can go to a local Walmart there.

The scammer got mad at me when I said no they even cussed me out.

Let’s spread the word

Let’s spread the word about World Romance Scam Prevention Day on October 3rd.

We can share tips and general info with loved ones and others.

There are so many scams out there no one should be taken advantage of.

You can visit this link to learn more.