National Slam the Scam Day

 

Thursday, March 9, 2023 is National Slam the Scam Day. The Social Security Administration is launching a new campaign to bring awareness to these scams targeted mostly to seniors. For more information and how to report the scammers visit: www.ssa.gov/scam

Unfortunately, this is not the only scam going around internet cyberspace that needs to be addressed and shared with my readers. Anyone who has a social media account can become a potential target to scammers. This has become the new norm for scammers and our blog is spreading the word of warning to our readers.  

There are several ways scammers use to extract money from individuals. One way is to send a friend request on Facebook. The majority of the time when you receive a friend request it is from a friend you know. A lot of people have reconnected with long lost friends through Facebook. What happens when you accept a friend request who you don’t know? Here is one scenario that could happen to you or someone you know.    

The scenario is you accept a friend request from someone you don’t know on Facebook. For whatever your reasoning, you accept the new friend request, then within 24 to 48 hours later you start receiving Facebook messages on your Facebook page.

The messages are very general such as, how are you doing, what are you doing? As time passes the messages become personal questions. The messenger asks questions about whether your married or single, have children, religious believes, what you do, where you live, blah, blah, blah. Some of this information can be viewed on your profile page, especially whether the new Facebook friend to check. During the question answer period you find out your new buddy is working under contract at sea and not in US territorial waters.

After a period of question/answer with your new friend you start to realize your questions are never answered. The new friend keeps responding with a new question directed to you and not ever answering the question you asked. Your new friend is about ready to go to the next step of the friendship.

This step is where it becomes really romantic or more friendly. The new friend expresses total devotion in loving you or waking up each morning with you in their arms, or the new friend cannot wait to get back to the states to meet you in person. After all these confessions of love and blah, blah, blah.  Sounds like something out of a romance novel. Right?

The next step of your new friend is a request to download the WhatsApp or Google Chat. Your new Facebook friend doesn’t trust Facebook messenger. According to your new friend WhatsApp or Goggle Chat are more secure and private, or my company does not like us to use Facebook messenger, or Google Chat is more reliable app than Facebook at sea.

The conversation switches to whatsapp or google chat. The new Facebook friend is laying down the compliments to you non-stop and your head is swimming from all the compliments, but your gut feeling says something’s amiss. You sign off for the day and say you will chat tomorrow.

24 or 48 hours later from your last sign-off you receive a message from your new Facebook friend stating their computer is having issues because their apple laptop is out of date. Please, love could you go purchase an apple gift card? Supposedly, the apple gift card will fix all the issues with your new Facebook friend, or will it?  

The new Facebook friend requested you purchase an apple gift card for $100.00 or $50.00.

You say no and suggest several different ways on how your new friend can get a gift card. After several chats back and forth you decide that there is no way that I am giving a complete stranger money.

Moral of the story. Trust your gut and your instincts. In the scenario your do not have to buy someone’s affection. If you know someone that this has happened to there are resources, you can go to. Report the scammers.  Please share and spread the word against scammers.