'Got Scammed' Stories
BE AWARE, SCAMMER IS EVERYWHERE
Recently, some of my friends got scammed by someone they thought they trust. Let me tell you the stories.
My friend - let’s call her Selina - just split up with her long-term boyfriend. She started to use Tinder to fill the void, and got a few matches; one of them was her type. He was handsome, with a good, high-salaried job, and lived alone (unfortunately, his family had passed on). His name is Bruce. Selina and Bruce were texting and calling each other every day. Due to his work circumstances, Bruce couldn’t make video call which is for me is a bit weird. He also said about hacking the network from his workplace just to be able make a video call with Selina. Bruce told Selina that his workplace has strict rules such as you can’t make a call with your boyfriend or girlfriend only wife or husband. It’s forbidden to do video call with someone who is not part of your family, because Bruce’s company will think that you share the confidential information. Yeah, something like that. The staff from Bruce’s company get their salary with virtual money and they don’t have any cash in hand. It’s getting weirder right?
When Bruce successfully made Selina believe him, then he starts to asked some money to Selina. At first, Selina felt strange about this, as her know that Bruce earns a lot of money from his job and why he needs her money? But she has been transferred the amount to a strange guy account. The day after she transferred the money, Bruce asked another money again to her. I already told Selina ‘BE AWARE OF A SCAMMER’, I also showed her a case about a woman scammed with her Tinder guy. However, Selina seems pissed off to me. I told her again, “please don’t transfer your money to him, I have a bad feeling about this”.
Don’t cry over spilled milk is the best idiom for Selina. She didn’t listen to me and lost her money to a scammer guy.
What I want to tell you from this story are do not believe too easily with a person you never met with, anything about money is very sensitive, do background checking like knowing his other social media account and prove it with video call if he is as real as on his photo profile. After Selina realize got scammed, she showed me an Instagram account about the guy from Tinder. This guy actually is not Indonesian and the scammer took his photos to commit a crime. Many girls being victims already. Hopefully no more Selina in the future.
Here the second story about my friend lost her 10 million rupiah through the “arisan online”. What is the arisan? An arisan is a form of Rotating Savings and Credit Association in Indonesian culture, a form of Microfinance. Generally, the arisan is a social gathering that takes place at a fixed interval (this being an informal social network this may be variable), at each member’s home in turn. (Wikipedia)
My another friend called Susan got an offer to join ‘arisan online’ through Facebook. The member of this arisan were come from various background such as housewife, teacher, doctor, employee, etc. Susan has joined this arisan because the scammer told her that Susan will get a lot of interest if she gives some amount to the leader.
For example, you transfer 500.000 to the leader and has five members in that arisan. This 500.000 will become 700.000 in the next 30 days. You don’t know anything about the other member and you communicate with them only through social media. You also need to pay the administration fee for 50.000. If we use our logical and critical, there is something fishy. How come somebody gets much money like that.
Many people want to be rich, and most of them are afraid to take the risk. They want to get rich instantly without put much effort. You can’t build empire in one night. You will be failed, yes failed is the best teacher and learn to be right from failure decision. Do not be tempted.
