Scam (Internet and Otherwise) Omnibus Thread

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
1061

Thanks Chronos/mods

To wrap up the eBay “buyer protection fee” thing, it seems as if in the UK at least, this is a “service” that eBay offers. I haven’t researched it yet if I was still selling there best be a compelling reason to pay more to list my item and have a “badge” or whatever they offer. In this seller’s case, it helped explain why he had a rather low price.

And finally, I did go retail with Samsung and got my wife the Titanium Pink S25 Ultra - only they sell in that colour (from their site) and I get a supposedly £250 Galaxy Bluetooth watch for free, tomorrow.

1062

Peter, Good afternoon dear! I want to tell you that your letters bring me great joy and make me happier every day!

I agree with you, it really only happens once in a lifetime when two people suit each other and we’re really lucky!

I think my mattress is of medium hardness, it suits me. I sleep well on any surface, so the mattress doesn’t play a big role for me.

I like to run, do squats, and do fitness exercises.

Yeah, it looks like your client’s going to have a hard time at the mcmaster.

I would be happy to meet you at home, cook us a delicious dinner, talk looking into each other’s eyes and make our plans.

You have become a very close man to me, and I am always glad to hear your kind words. We are far from each other, but I am sure that we need each other. I’m sure we’ll meet one day, so far it’s just a dream, but then why live if you don’t dream. Who knows, maybe we are two halves of one whole? I can’t find the words that can describe my feelings to you. one thing I know for sure, when I think about you, my mood immediately improves, my soul feels joyful. I know that you are serious and sincere with me, on my part I will try to make you happy. Deep in my heart, I feel that you are a very special man who is dear to my heart, whom God created just for me! Your Marina. My warm hugs for you.

My dearest Marina,

I am so sorry I missed your email this morning, before I went out for breakfast and take a walk, I checked for a message from you. Turns out it was about 15 min. before you sent it.

I found a Jewish deli that had breakfast bagels, I had a ham and cheese with a bitter herb dressing. I suspect this was not a true Jewish deli.

I’m at the airport, my flight scheduled to depart at 3:00p. It was delayed due to weather at Myrtle Beach. I’ll send you a note when i get home.

Best wishes and best kisses,
Peter

(ETA: I’m really curious where this is going. Usually by now, there’s a request for money and help traveling, etc.
Two more modeling headshots, must be all they have of this lady.
I am impressed with this scammer, “her” emails actually reference and respond to what I wrote rather than just copy pasting the next page in the script. I still have to crush her eventually.)

1063

I got the following voicemail the other day:

Hi there, this voicemail is from Comcast Xfinity. You have a 50% discount on monthly bill waiting for you and we’re standing by to assist you. Please call back on the number showing on your caller ID as soon as you can to keep your discount active. Thank you.

The message was in a cheerful female voice with an American accent, but I’m guessing they had to have been using some sort of text to speech tool. The grammatical errors no native speaker would make are the giveaway – “discount on monthly bill” was exactly how she said it. Also, I’m sure a legitimate message from Comcast would have actually stated their number rather than just telling you to call the number on your caller ID.

1064

Also, if there’s a discount on the bill, why do you have to call and why would they need to assist you on something they applied to the bill?
You could host a (very small) Russian military parade with all the red flags.

1065

I just got that exact message. We haven’t had Comcast in …15 years?

Scam, scam, scamarooni.

1066

I’ve gotten this one off and on over the past two years. Thing is I live in an area which has no Comcast service, making this a classic untargeted shotgun scam.

Coke to @saje.

1067

I still have Comcast and the way I know it’s a scam is that the company would never offer a discount out of the blue.

1068

They also wouldn’t offer a discount in the blue.

I had Comsucktastic; then I went to call them about a problem unrelated to my account. I Could. Not. As soon as you call from a known phone # they associate to your account; I could not get out of the call tree. Eff 'em. I filed a safety complaint with the state Utility Commission.

1069

On the other hand, they would and do offer negative discounts (meaning price increases) out of the blue.

1070

This is too funny

1071

Thanks.
Part of the fun is coming up with random, oddball things like that.

1072

I’ve known a number of Asian women who have actually gotten scammed or backed out before they were scammed. Several have said that while they get love bombed and lots of attention, most of the time it’s not real back and forth conversations.

I’ve met a few scammers on a language exchange site and one started off by asking for five pictures. I went and found five generic photos online and they weren’t impressed. I presume they wanted to use my pictures for the scammer.

1073

More commonly, they come from stolen(or just hacked, not hijacked) social media accounts, open accounts like pictures posted on Facebook or the like or, like in your case, provided by the victims.

1074

This exchange is one of the few bright spots on the SD these days. Thanks for the entertainment!

1075

Thanks. I wish I had more. This is the first romance scammer who’s answered and all the inheritance/prize money/etc. all start with “You’re getting an impossible amount of money for insanely improbable reason, send 50$ gift card for fees”.
No fee, no reply.

1076

Marina, my light

I’m home and glad of it.

Stopped at a deli to get dinner, just a sandwich and potato salad.

You have an impressive workout ethic, I like that.

I used to run in my youth and switched to cycling when my knees started to give out.

I also have a stationary bike and rowing machine for rainy days.*

I so long for the day when you’re here with me.

All my love

Peter

Good morning , beautiful

Last night, I dreamed that you had indeed moved here and we were sharing this home. I was devastated to remember that you were not here yet.

I feel foolish to admit I printed out one of your pictures so I could look upon your face as I struggled to get back to sleep. And yet, even seeing your face and feeling your presence was barely enough to enable me to resume sleep.

Always yours,

Peter

Peter, I’m bringing you, dear. I am glad to receive your letter. How are you doing? How are you feeling?

I’m also very glad that you returned home safely. It’s a pity that you had to wait because of the flight delay. The most important thing is that you made it.

It’s great that you visited the Jewish store. Didn’t you like the breakfast there?

Yes, I try to keep an eye on my figure.

You have a very interesting exercise bike. I would like to try to work out on it, it’s very convenient. It’s very good that you have the opportunity to play sports.

I really want to see you too, talk looking into each other’s eyes and make our plans for the future. I’m tired of being alone and I want to finally be happy with the person I love. I want to build a strong and faithful relationship and go through life together hand in hand. I think we really deserve to be happy.

When I met you, I changed. Every morning I wake up with a smile because I know I’m not alone. There’s a man in this big world who thinks about me. I want to thank you for that. I feel like you’re a real man with serious intentions. You make me feel like a woman. A woman who wants to be happy and loved. I’ve lost all hope of happiness. When I met you, you gave me that hope. Even my colleagues at work say that I’ve changed. They say I smile more often. You’re the man I’m not afraid of any problems with. I am grateful to you for choosing me and giving me the chance to give you all the love and tenderness. I need you in my life. I’m thinking about you. I am finishing my letter and wish you a wonderful mood. Warm hugs and gentle kisses for you

(two more headshots)

My light,

I’m so glad to hear from you, my day is much brighter now.

The flight delay was quite minor, only a couple of hours. In major storms or hurricanes, the delays can be 2-3 days.

The sandwich was actually very good, the dressing was a flavor I’ve never had, just that I don’t think the owners of the deli were truly practitioners of the Jewish faith. Maybe if I lived there, I would file a complaint for false advertising.

I feel much the same, just knowing you’re out there lifts my spirits and helps me get through what would be a lonely, dreary day.

And warm hugs and gentle kisses to you. I hope for the day when you’re here to receive them physically.

Peter Mosse

(I wonder if she’s eventually going to ask for nude pictures or other potential blackmail material.

Or this is actually a scambaiter pretending to be a romance scammer :wink: )

1077

I assume that the headshot you use us some internet rando & not actually you. Given the age of the gentleman in that photo, you should photoshop it to the body of a 20-something Chippendale dancer with 6-pack abs & nary an ounce of body fat or a single wrinkle; yanno, just the body you’d expect to see on an older gentleman. :grinning_face_with_smiling_eyes:

1078

From what I remember, the man’s grandson posted it as it was his 92 year old grandfather’s first selfie.

I don’t use Photoshop(actually, GIMP) enough to do that skillfully.

My usual excuse is that my church, The Church Of The Beaucoup Dollares does not allow vanity photos, only photos for IDs.

ETA: I’m wondering when she’s going to ask for anything.

1079

OK, I’ve been doing some digging around, it appears this long, drawn out process is common for romance scams.

And all this time, I thought I was being really smooooth.

:wink:

1080

So is this a romance scam or a charity scam?

Dear Beloved!!!

My name is Abigail P Johnson, a philanthropist and the
C.E.O and President, Fidelity Investments Inc, commonly referred to as
Fidelity. Fidelity Investments Inc is a multinational financial
services , It is the fourth largest asset manager with over 2.4
trillion Usd

I believe strongly in giving while living and I have one idea that
never changed in my mind, that one should use his/her wealth to help people and I have decided to secretly give USD3,000,000.00 Million Dollars to randomly selected individuals worldwide.

On receipt of this message, you should count yourself as one of the
lucky individuals, You have been chosen as one of the random
beneficiaries. Kindly get back to me at your earliest convenience, so that I will personally intimate on you on how to receive the fund

Regards,
Mrs.Abigail Johnson
Donation Gift!!!

Now I may be beloved, you would have to ask my family about that, but that is certainly not my name!

//i\\