I was brought up in a very conservative environment. Conservative in life perceptions, conservative in everything. Growing up, my understanding of love is sacred. That if someone loves somebody, that feeling must be pure and true. When the phrase ” I Love You” is uttered, it really comes from the heart. Though these words aren’t spoken too often between lovers, their action show what they felt.
I was speaking of when I was young. Nowadays, these words are easily said but not shown. As per observation and experience, the words are easily said without meaning. Again, I am not speaking in general, but I am basing it on observation. And no, I am not saying it out of being cynical and bitter 😉.
Romance Fraud
As technology advances, so is dating. It has been probably more than a decade when dating is done through swiping left or right then hitting up someone online or thru a dating app. Courting is done thru private messages and thru the different social media platforms. And breaking up is done in the same manner. Gone are the days of courtship.
With this kind of dating, it became more convenient for single people to look for a partner whom they think they are compatible with. Convenience?probably yes. Genuine? Perhaps yes, perhaps no.
I recently read an article from the FBI’s internet crime post about Romance Fraud. And yes there is such a thing. When you finish reading this, you might realize that once or twice in your life, you were defrauded.
There are hundreds of online dating apps due to millions of people around the globe who use these them. This opens a gate for fraudsters to take advantage of other people, especially the elderly and gullible men and women. According to the article I’ve read, romance fraud is among the top 10 internet crimes in the United States. And about 15 billion dollar loses since 2015. And this is how it works.
Fraudsters from around the globe join different dating apps posing as American Soldiers deployed in different countries in the middle east and nearby countries. They post real american soldier photos in their accounts. They usually target elderly women in the US and other parts of the world. These women were either divorced or widowed, and of course, single. They now get the empathy and the trust of these women by their dramatical stories, like they are also widowers and that they left their small children because of their duty to their country. They will then make these women believe that they are in love and that they are in a real relationship.
Until such time, say after a couple of months or so, they will start saying that they will get a vacation to go visit these women, and that these women need to help them process their vacation with their Commanding Officers. And they will ask for money from these women, which they will say will be fully refunded after they get to the US. These women then will wire money since they believed those men (fraudsters). And yes, there were thousands and thousands of women who were victims of this so called romance fraud. not only in the United States but also in other parts of the globe.
Romance Fraud..Local Setting
So why did I say earlier that you might also be a victim? Here’s why. In the local context, some women meet some men in bars, online or anywhere. Now after exchanging phone numbers, or adding them to facebook, instagram or other messaging apps, these men start saying they love these women. Take note, this is after a few days of exhanging messages. Some women fell for this. Now, some of these men will also have some stories to tell. A family problem, or someone is sick or what not. Then since they know some of these women have jobs, they would start gaining their trust , and after which, these men will start “borrowing” some money. And yes, some women will give in and lend them any amount because again they just want to help. However, after quite sometime, and after thousands of pesos given, these men will start to disappear without any trace.
I am not saying that this only happen to women, but of course it is also applicable to the opposite sex.
A sad reality. There are people who are blessed with great relationships, and there some who are praying..praying hard for one. And yes, when someone hits them up, they have this hope that that person might be the one.
See, romance fraud is not just fraudsters posing as someone to defraud women/men. But some are real men who take advantage of women and vise versa. They toy with their emotions and financially taking advantage of them.
Be careful ladies, and gents. The world we live in changed drastically. Yes we have to adapt, but we also need to filter and weigh things.
When people say they love you, test if its really true. 😉
My anniversarry piece on word press. Hope you like it.
Bevz' Tidbits 