Anatomy of a Scammer – Part 2

A few months ago I wrote about an attempt by someone who tried to establish a relationship with me that was a scam (see here). At 11:08 last night I got another attempt. Some of the same signs were there, but others were slightly different.

 

The Signs

One – there were a total of 16 reactions to some of my posts from the last several weeks, plus one comment. But all of these were time-stamped as having been made in less than 60 seconds. That’s far too fast for a real person to read and click “like”  - implying that it was an automated process.

Second – if one of my friends had selected more than just the “like” such as a heart, then this scammer would have also selected that same type of response – trying to make it appear that there was genuine concern by mimicking one of my real friends.

Third – the comment was generic and didn’t have my real name. It said:

[Comment]

 

Fourth – There is a sparsity of details, but all her posts indicate an interest in golfing (and nearly all posted on the same date), where her profile says “she” is interested in skiing and speed skating. Her pictures (again all posted recently) include one in a restaurant somewhere in east Asia, and one in a US Army uniform petting a dog – again designed to be attractive to men.  “She” says she’s from Worcester, MA and works as an ER Registered Nurse.

[Nora]

 

Fifth – her Facebook name is Nora Lia White, but her ID is saconzye.gh, giving a hint of someone from Ghana being behind this.

 

My Actions

Unlike my previous encounter of a scammer, this one has provided so few details (no employer, no current city, no education), that I could not find out much more. My tendency would be just to ignore her comment. However, her account showed one friend (and only one) who is someone I actually know. So someone has fallen for her deception.

In looking at his account, I can see a few other of his “friends” who appear to also be a scammer (attractive picture, only friends are men from around the world, all details established in a short period of time). So I’m going to contact him privately and see if I can release him from the influence of this scammer and any others who he may have friended.

The moral of the story – just like my previous posting on this subject – be vigilant!