Saturday, March 17, 2012
Romance Scammers using Fake Webcam Footage
By Pat Williams
A new evolution in romance scams is about to create tens of thousands of new victims. Online Dating Magazine reports that scammers are now using fake Webcam footage to convincingly deceive victims.
Here’s how it works:
First, the scammer spends weeks inside Webcam chat rooms recording footage of an unsuspecting person on different days. The person being recorded doesn’t know they are communicating with a scammer.
The scammer then tries to deceptively obtain photos of the unsuspecting person by email. The scammer may also find photos on Facebook or via online searches.
Finally, armed with photos and multiple days of Webcam footage of the unsuspecting person, the scammer creates a fake online dating profile to lure victims.
“Up until now scams would consist of communication via an online dating service followed by emails and phone calls,” says Joe Tracy, publisher of Online Dating Magazine. “Now scammers can initiate fake Webcam chats with you to further make you believe the lie. They have full control over the footage. They can pause it, make it jump to a point where the person is laughing, type when the person is typing, etc. It comes off as very realistic and impressive.”
Tracy says that this new scam is creating two types of victims: the person being scammed, and the person who was recorded by Webcam and doesn’t realize their footage is being used in scams.
Imagine a guy named Andrew having a Webcam chat with someone he believes is a 28-year-old traveling businesswoman. The scammer memorizes the illicit video and bookmarks, in advance, certain parts of the video for quick access. So Andrew may see a woman in the Webcam typing while the scammer types, “Andrew, look at this new dress I got today.” The video of the woman in the Webcam then stands up to show off the dress. There’s now no doubt in Andrew’s mind that the person he is chatting with is real when in reality it is someone completely different. It’s possible to have a Webcam chat with the “person” on 18 different occasions and they are wearing 18 different outfits. That’s how elaborate this new scam has become.
Tracy warns that the scam can be taken further, with scammers using recorded Webcam sessions of their victim to scam someone else after they’ve gotten the victim’s money.
“This has taken the romance scam to an entirely new level,” says Tracy. “Word needs to get out quickly to warn people about this new development.”
Tracy says that the best way to test whether you are Webcam chatting with a scammer is to innocently ask them to do something and see if they react. For example, type, “What’s that crawling on the wall behind you?” If the person “pauses” or doesn’t look, then that’s a major red flag. When asked to do something they don’t have footage recorded of, scammers will pause the Webcam video and attribute it to a communication problem while answering your question in the chat window.
Online romance scams are the most successful of all online scams, costing victims worldwide hundreds of millions of dollars a year.
“Some of these scam organizations are making more money that the big online dating services,” says Tracy. “It’s important to warn people so that they don’t fall prey to these elaborate schemes.”
Labels:
Facebook,
fake,
fraud,
online dating,
romance scam,
scammers,
webcams
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Popular Posts
-
more reasons to NEVER EVER do ONLINE DATING! or HOOK UP WITH ANYONE ONLINE! by Lou Sessinger A homeless man who used a phony investment sche...
-
Cyberpaths come from all walks of life. Seemingly the most inocuous and upstanding persons have secret lives where they feel powerful &...
-
Has your favorite dating site gotten complaints? are they a RIP OFF? Click any of the links below and find out!! ADULT SITES #1 ADULT SITES ...
-
Warning sounded over 'flirting robots' Those entering online dating forums risk having more than their hearts stolen. A program that...
-
By Declan Harvey The government's top legal adviser has issued a new warning over abusive tweets and Facebook posts. Attorney General Do...
-
This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.
-
We are publishing these; recieved from Stone's victims - as examples to our many readers of what these harassers will do and continue to...
-
By James Titcomb A jilted boyfriend was jailed today for taking revenge on his ex-lover - by putting their home-made sex videos onto the int...
-
Think you know who your real online friends are? You could be just a few hops away from a cybercriminal in today's social networks By Ke...
-
Written by the Fighter Team (originally published December 02, 2005) Here's the question - is it LEGAL to expose a cheater or abuser onl...
Blog Archive
-
▼
2012
(137)
-
▼
March
(31)
- 'Gripe Site' Is Protected Free Speech, Not Defamation
- Divorcee Sues to Reclaim £6.4m Given to Internet L...
- Social Networking Web Sites Encourage Cyberstalking
- The Cyberpath = Psychopath With Internet Access
- How Psychopaths View Their World
- Do You Google Those You Meet Online?
- The Core of the Cyberpath: THE SOCIOPATH
- It's a Crime: Harassment
- OH THE THINGS CYBERPATHS SAY!
- Teen Internet Love Gone Wrong - He's a She
- The Four Psychological Stages Of Those Abused by C...
- Another Woman Raped by Person She Met Online
- PREDATORS
- NLP, Mind Control and Seduction
- Romance Scammers using Fake Webcam Footage
- Stalking and the Pitfalls of Meeting Online
- THOUGHTS ON CYBERPATHS - FROM PROFESSIONALS & VICTIMS
- Why Victims Need to Tell & Keep Telling
- Facebook Scams of Narcissists
- The Heart of Why We Run This Site
- Online Affairs
- The Downside of Telling A Cyberpath's Spouse/ Partner
- Case Highlights 'Spoofing' and Other Electronic St...
- One Story of Closure: Naked Nikita
- HOW THEY GET SO GOOD AT MANIPULATION
- Involved With a Sociopath (or Cyberpath)?
- Don't Shoot the Messenger: Google Can't be Held Re...
- Can boredom Create a Cyberpath?
- High Tech Adds to Abuse of Women
- If It's Online, Is It Cheating?
- More Evidence Online Dating Sites are Dangerous
-
▼
March
(31)
0 comments:
Post a Comment