I have a friend that is an acquaintance, that recently met a girl online while playing one of those MMORPG games. Come to find out, she’s loaded, and has made it quite obvious. They have yet to meet, maybe talking for about 2 months, and already she’s bought him a new 2006 sports car, pre-ordered, some $20,000 over sticker; to have it by the beginning of the year. As well as houses for a select few of his family members. And they’ll be moving into a town house together. She’s in upper level law enforcement. And I don’t want the government to get all Libby’d on me, so let’s just say that it would be quite obvious to figure out which agency it was. Owns her own business, and day-trades. And she’s 25.
Man, have I got some catching up to do. But I’m not really worried about all that. I’m more worried about my friend here. Does this happen?
Hey, I don’t mind what people do with their money. And if it works out for them, I’m happy for them. But IMHO, ways in which you spend it can really outline things in ones personality. And I don’t know about this girl, and so I question her motives. It reeks of a Nigerian scam. I’m worried this guy might be found in a tub of ice somewhere.
I mean, they haven’t even met yet!
So naturally, I asked if she had a sister (standard protocol), no luck there. damn
:dubious: :eek: :smack: :wally
If she’s so rich, why hasn’t she hopped on a plane to meet him?
Has he actually seen any of this stuff she’s promised to buy him?
So far, it’s been confirmed that the car was purchased on a three-way conference call. Him, her, and the dealer. Oh yeah, she’s in NY, he’s here.
:dubious: ; or were all being taken for a ride.
Either way, that’s some serious stuff for not having met face to face yet (which is supposed to happen in December).
But again, I don’t care about what people do with their cash, it’s their motives. But really, if it works for them, great! But this just doesn’t happen. Now, it’s quite possible to be a professional young female, rolling in the dough (supposedly multiple 7 digit figures). But how many seduce men in online games? And how many of them buy big dollar gifts for people they’ve never met face to face? And how many of those would be sane?
Has he seen any of these houses, or this car? Besides, how does this person have time to have an upper level law enforcement job, run a business, be a day trader, and play some dumbass game online. All of those things take a huge amount of time and focus. Plus, to have done all this by the age of 25 is absurd. Not to mention that even most rich people won’t buy a car for 20k over sticker unless there’s a huge waiting list. Sounds too good to be true. Great if it works, but I sincerely doubt it will.
Tell him to call the dealership for himself to see if they’ve ever heard of her. Also, he could get on a plane himself if he wants to see if it’s real (although I’m sure he’s wasting his money). I sense this story ends when she tells him she need his SS# and info to put on the lease for their new house, and then proceeds to destroy his credit, and steal his identity. However, please keep us updated, I would love to hear how this turns out
I call shens. More than likely it’s a Mangina trying to get personal info.
“I need your address, soc number, etc… to transfer the title over”. Or it could be just some kid who likes messing with people online in order to get free stuff in game. My not very brite buddy is a big sucker for this. Recently he met a “girl” in everquest 2 and after 5 mins of talking to her, she had his phone number and address. Sad thing is he’s 36, rich, and unbelieavably naive. Keeping an eye on him.
Does he have “her” home address? If so, he should try sending something there and see what happens. If he doesn’t --> warning sign! If he has it, MapQuest can tell him if it’s a real address.
Does he know the name of any of her workplaces? If so, he can try to verify that they’re real (web sites, phone listings). He could even call one and ask for her to see what happens.
If she’s reticent about giving him verifiable personal information, he should worry. Oh hell, he should worry anyway. He’s not getting a house or a car or true love. He’ll be lucky if he doesn’t get ripped off.
Awhile back I read somewhere about a similar scam, but I forget exactly how it worked. The guy thought he was getting a house and was ready to move in, but it turned out the seller and real estate agent knew nothing about him or the person who had supposedly bought it for him.
And who dialed the “dealer”? Him or her. In this day of cell phones, it’s too easy to set up a scam phone call.
He should get the name of the dealership, get the phone number via verizon.com and dial them directly, and speak to someone other than the “salesperson.”
The car? mmmmaybe, though even if it were only that it would still scream scam. But Houses? Houses? No friggin’ way. No one, no matter how loaded, does this.
God, how could ANYBODY possibly think this is legit?
Really? I always balk at the people that fall for internet scams, asking myself, “How could anyone be that impossibly stupid and gullible?” Then I remember that some of the scams are really complicated and give the appearance of being a real, straight deal.
But then I see situations like this and just give up. People are impossibly gullible, naive, and otherwise stupid.
Also, If she’s so loaded that she’s buying houses for his family members, why are they moving into a townhouse together? Why not a mansion or a fifth avenue penthouse? (Unless I’m unclear on the definition of townhouse.)
I’ve got a newsflash for you all. Rich people NEVER pay sticker price, let alone $20K over. You don’t stay rich doing business that way. When I was selling RVs, people with bags of money were the hardest to sell, always chipping away nickels and dimes off the price.
I’m with those who are betting on the “title switch” scam.
Yep. This sounds like some guy’s fantasy. And quite frankly, a 14 year old guy’s fantasy. I don’t think you should neglect the possibility that your acquaintance is full of it, or is simply bullshitting you.
I may be the one being played here, but this is what I was told. I found this to be interesting, and wondered what people thought about it. And I do understand it’s quite odd. I honestly have nothing to gain by making this stuff up. But there is a possibility that I’m being played by my acquaintance, and everybody else he’s told, so enthusiastically (about everyone in our circle). So either he’s pranking us all, or he’s in for a big let down, or early retirement. I’ll get more details as I get 'em.
