By Brian Jules Campued
In the ever-expanding corners of the digital world, deception often lurks in the shadows. If an unsuspecting person, fresh from heartbreak or just looking for a potential lover, meets a seemingly attractive fellow in what appears to be a “harmless” online interaction, would it spark romance or fraud?
This Internet paramour keeps you up at night and wakes you up in the morning. They seek to become your perfect match – if you like a thing, they love it, too. Maybe you’re looking into settling down, they’re ready, too. When you’re intoxicated by false promises of love and companionship, these fraudsters entice you into sending a huge sum of money, deepening the financial and emotional damage.
According to the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center, love scams are among the most common and damaging cybercrimes in the Philippines. This type of trickery might be easy to dismiss, yet it robs people of much more than just money.
The Philippine National Police Anti-Cybercrime Group describes online love scams as deceptive schemes used by unscrupulous individuals to cheat a victim out of something, particularly money. It involves the scammer creating a fake profile to court victims online through their sad tales of falling into trouble or being in hard times.
Scammers will go to great lengths just to gain their victim’s trust such as showering them with loving words and sharing false personal information. This sophisticated process may take months to build and whatever story these scammers tell, it will end up with them needing money.
Scam Watch Pilipinas, through their UnMatch campaign, released the red flags to watch out for among love scammers in time for Valentine’s Day to raise awareness about the common signs and the ever-evolving tactics of romance fraud.
The “Sad Boi/Sad Gurl”
These swindlers often start with a sad life story and come with issues like medical emergencies involving family members who are “sick”. They will appeal for pity and borrow money without meeting personally.
The Seducer
People with unusually stunning profile pictures, not to mention charming personas, gain the trust of victims by initiating sensual talks. They lure victims into revealing personal information or intimate photos to use for blackmail.
The Investor
Scammers, often women, posing as successful business people send photos of their lavish lifestyle to entice victims into investing in forex or cryptocurrencies with promises of high returns. Another characteristic of this type of scammer is they “talk like robots” as whatever question you ask of them, they will revert it to investments.
The Serviceman
Middle-aged “military men” supposedly deployed to another country targeting middle-aged women by prospects of having a life-long partner. They form connections with their victims and ask for money in the guise of a financial emergency.
The Escort
Sexually attractive women targeting unsuspecting men engage in illicit talks and even exchange nude pictures to entice them into sending money before meeting up.
The Blackmailer
A more straightforward method of fraud in which the scammer uses intimate photos of their victims to threaten them to spread the pictures to family members or porn sites unless they receive money.
The “Slowburn”
The more sophisticated strategy where the scammer builds a rapport with the victim over time, forming a deep emotional relationship through harmless conversations. While they share personal anecdotes and show genuine interest in the victim – the thing all they want to do is talk via social media and don’t want to meet. In the long term, they’ve manipulated the victim enough up to a time when they naturally ask for money.
The Predator
“Matured men” who usually prey on younger, vulnerable victims. They send their victims gifts or money in exchange for sensitive pictures or meetings.
Scam Watch Pilipinas urges the public to practice due diligence and verify the identities of the people they meet online. Be vigilant in the digital dating landscape and report suspicious activities to the concerned authorities.
This Valentine’s Day, may we keep our hearts open even just for mere sparks of “kilig” if not a full-fledged romantic relationship—and may we keep our wallets safe as well. – avds