# Just stop...I get it, you are lonely, but it's a scam. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [February 15, 2017, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-stop-i-get-it-you-are-lonely-but-its-a-scam/779940 "2017-02-15T21:43:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Kron](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kron/32/12444_2.png) [@Kron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kron)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2017, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-stop-i-get-it-you-are-lonely-but-its-a-scam/779940/21 "2017-02-16T18:53:46Z")
> [@ivylass](#): > > I guess bottom line, if a “love” interest starts asking for money, run far far away and don’t look back. > > My adult son was exchanging e-mails with a young lady, who said she had a rape fantasy and offered to give him her address so he could break in and rape her. He got off the computer so fast you would have thought his hair was on fire. I wonder how many men have fallen for that? [For those not aware.](http://articles.latimes.com/2010/jan/11/nation/la-na-rape-craigslist11-2010jan11) ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2017, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-stop-i-get-it-you-are-lonely-but-its-a-scam/779940/22 "2017-02-16T19:37:09Z")
> [@ivylass](#): > > I guess bottom line, if a “love” interest starts asking for money, run far far away and don’t look back. > > My adult son was exchanging e-mails with a young lady, who said she had a rape fantasy and offered to give him her address so he could break in and rape her. He got off the computer so fast you would have thought his hair was on fire. I wonder how many men have fallen for that? > [@Gyrate](#): > > Well done to your son for not falling for that, but I hope he also reported that to the police. Because odds are that the perpetrator would try that again. What if the real fantasy was to shoot a would-be rapist? :eek: ---
**Author:** ![MichaelEmouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/michaelemouse/32/101_2.png) [@MichaelEmouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MichaelEmouse)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2017, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-stop-i-get-it-you-are-lonely-but-its-a-scam/779940/23 "2017-02-16T19:47:12Z")
> [@Poysyn](#): > > Sorry if it was hard to follow - I am a point of contact for the Canadian Armed Forces. As such, I deal with a lot of calls from the public. Semi-regularly, I get calls from women, asking for confirmation on details that an online love interest has shared. Every single time, these are lies. They are not even GOOD lies. > > But the women, usually really wanting to believe in the fantasy, are difficult to convince, and usually send several follow-ups. I’m curious about something that seems fairly obvious to people on the outside would be so effective in getting its hooks into people. What psychological angles do the scammers work? ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2017, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-stop-i-get-it-you-are-lonely-but-its-a-scam/779940/24 "2017-02-16T19:56:36Z")
> [@MichaelEmouse](#): > > I’m curious about something that seems fairly obvious to people on the outside would be so effective in getting its hooks into people. What psychological angles do the scammers work? I think the answer is in the thread title: they’re lonely. The desire for love and companionship is a powerful one. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2017, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-stop-i-get-it-you-are-lonely-but-its-a-scam/779940/25 "2017-02-16T21:46:06Z")
> [@Kron](#): > > [For those not aware.](http://articles.latimes.com/2010/jan/11/nation/la-na-rape-craigslist11-2010jan11) That was also the subject of a Law & Order SVU [episode](http://www.aceshowbiz.com/tv/episodeguide/law_order_special_victims_unit_s10_e21/) from 2009. ---
**Author:** ![Alley\_Dweller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alley_dweller/32/430_2.png) [@Alley\_Dweller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alley_Dweller)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2017, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-stop-i-get-it-you-are-lonely-but-its-a-scam/779940/26 "2017-02-16T21:56:34Z")
> [@Kron](#): > > [For those not aware.](http://articles.latimes.com/2010/jan/11/nation/la-na-rape-craigslist11-2010jan11) OMG! Thanks for posting that. I was imagining other types of scams, but this one makes more sense than anything I thought of. People are really disgusting. ---
**Author:** ![Two\_Many\_Cats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8dc957/32.png) [@Two\_Many\_Cats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Two_Many_Cats)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2017, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-stop-i-get-it-you-are-lonely-but-its-a-scam/779940/27 "2017-02-16T23:36:20Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > I think the answer is in the thread title: they’re lonely. The desire for love and companionship is a powerful one. Yeah, but eventually you should use common sense. I mean, come on, sending thousands of dollars to someone you’ve never even met? There’s vulnerable, and then there’s stupid. ---
**Author:** ![bobkitty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c67d28/32.png) [@bobkitty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobkitty)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2017, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-stop-i-get-it-you-are-lonely-but-its-a-scam/779940/28 "2017-02-17T00:03:55Z")
> [@clairobscur](#): > > We know about **Poysyn** , but why do they call you? I work for a company that provides a variety of services for military members, and civilians often call us when they are attempting to track down a military member or get what they think is necessary assistance for a service member (“I need to fill out form D2485 so that my fiance (who I’ve never met in person) can come back to the US on R&R so we can get married- do you know where I can find this form? I have his commander’s (gmail) email address to send it to and the $5000 to pay for his airfare…”). ---
**Author:** ![epbrown01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7ba0ec/32.png) [@epbrown01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/epbrown01)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2017, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-stop-i-get-it-you-are-lonely-but-its-a-scam/779940/29 "2017-02-17T16:42:05Z")
> [@Tom\_Tildrum](#): > > That was also the subject of a Law & Order SVU [episode](http://www.aceshowbiz.com/tv/episodeguide/law_order_special_victims_unit_s10_e21/) from 2009. \*\*The Closer \*\*used it as well. ---
**Author:** ![Poysyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Poysyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Poysyn)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2017, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-stop-i-get-it-you-are-lonely-but-its-a-scam/779940/30 "2017-02-17T17:11:11Z")
In truth, the lies are never even that good, but either these women are old enough that they lack google skills, or they want to believe the lie more than they worry about being ripped off. The military is a tempting lie because unless you have been in it, or part of a military family, it’s kind of a mystery. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-stop-i-get-it-you-are-lonely-but-its-a-scam/779940.md?page=1)