Concerned that this "guy" may not be a real person, but perhaps a scammer using romance as a tool against lonely women. With me he claimed to know almost nothing about Mastodon but very quickly suggested we share private chats. Then he was very flattering and wanted to know all about me, while saying little about himself. When he did talk about himself, he said he worked on "offshore drilling" in Europe, even though his profile clearly states that he's located in Orlando, Florida, US.

After 10+ years of online dating, I would warn anybody about the "offshore drilling" story. Scammers like to use that as a means by which to explain when they suddenly drop out of communication, why they can't send photos to confirm their identity, can't make phone calls, and randomly need money.

I have already reported this profile to Mastodon.social.

@Jerry

#fediverse #mastodon #scammerwarning #scammers
#romancescam #mastodonsocial
#mastodonsocialeffect #alttext
#scamsagainstwomen

Romance Scammers Pocket £102M via Cyber Deception Tactics

Romance scammers made off with a staggering £102 million in the UK last year, using their silver tongues to swindle victims out of their hard-earned cash. Their tactics, cloaked in sweet talk and false affection, ultimately led to a £102 million payday.

https://osintsights.com/romance-scammers-pocket-102m-via-cyber-deception-tactics?utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social

#RomanceScam #CyberDeception #UnitedKingdom #FinancialCrime #EmergingThreats

I have a relative who is getting old and showing some hints of possible cognitive decline. During a recent family visit he started talking about a girlfriend, and it quickly became obvious that he’s involved in a romance scam, that started from one of those random “Hi” messages on a texting app. The scammer has not yet asked for money. However, in spite of every person in the family telling this relative that it’s a scam, he is absolutely convinced that “she” is real.

I’m sympathetic; I can understand why a lonely 80-year-old straight man would want to believe that a much younger beautiful woman could fall madly in love with him based on their conversation alone, and the cognitive decline is not helping him reason sensibly about it. But it’s very frustrating to be unable to help.

We can only hope that when the inevitable money ask comes, that something will click with him. He says that she has offered to send him money, which I assume is a ploy to get his banking information.

#romanceScam

[ #Suisse ] "Dix hommes liés à un réseau international d'escroqueries amoureuses arrêtés en Suisse"
"Dix hommes ont été arrêtés mardi en Suisse en lien avec une organisation nigériane spécialisée dans les "romance scams", active dans plusieurs pays. Les suspects sont accusés de blanchiment d'argent, d'escroqueries amoureuses et d'autres cyberfraudes, à hauteur de plusieurs millions de francs.
Des perquisitions ont été menées simultanément dans divers locaux résidentiels et entrepôts dans le canton de Zurich et cinq autres cantons, ont indiqué mardi les autorités zurichoises. L'opération, dirigée par le ministère public du canton de Zurich, a été précédée d'enquêtes policières intensives menées par les polices cantonale et municipale de Zurich et soutenues par Europol."
👇
https://www.rts.ch/info/suisse/2026/article/dix-hommes-arretes-en-suisse-pour-escroqueries-amoureuses-en-ligne-29225485.html

💬
⬇️
https://infosec.pub/post/45684586

#CyberVeille #romancescam #busted

Pig Butchering Scams: The Industrialization of Online Fraud

This article is the first in a series that explores a particularly nefarious kind of romance scam called pig-butchering. Our goal with this series is to raise awareness of the nature, scale, and dangers of these scams.

https://interisle.substack.com/p/pig-butchering-scams-the-industrialization

#romancescam #fraud #scam #crypto #confidencescheme

No, I Will Not Join Your WhatsApp: A Letter to Every Scammer, Catfish, and Digital Con Artist Who Has Ever Slid Into My DMs

https://jaimedavid.blog/2026/04/26/14/17/27/analysis/jaimedavid327/10748/no-i-will-not-join-your-whatsapp-a-letter-to-every-scammer-catfish-and-digital-con-artist-who-has-ever-slid-into-my-dms/