Scams & Frauds

Tonight, the theme at our CCW meeting was scams and frauds.  The guest speaker was a longtime deputy in the Ocala sheriff's department and his information was extremely interesting.  He informed us that Marion county's 352 area code is one of the most sought after by scammers because of the large number of senior citizens living in this part of Florida.  I wasn't surprised to hear that but was definitely shocked by the number way that people get scammed.  He said that it was online dating.  The facts that he gave stated that 75% of people on those sights were just trying to commit fraud.  He also gave us ways to recognize situations that scream scam.  The most important one to note was the sense of urgency in the caller's voice - have to pay now, need the money immediately, can't hang up, etc.  He gave tips on what to say to them including just hanging up or putting them on hold and fact checking their information online.  I felt really good about the information when the meeting was over as I knew that I followed most of his tips already.

On the drive home, I thought a lot about the online dating scams.  Brett had tried online dating with several different websites.  Even though all were legitimate, there were some women that he could tell right away were just catfishing him for information or money.  He usually got out of those right away or called to see what I thought. He did have a long-term relationship with one person he met online and also found his fiancé Karen on Catholic Match, so he definitely had some success with it as well.  Cal used online dating, but he never worried about scams as he usually asked to meet for coffee soon after he started talking to someone.  That worked well with Maggie, and they have been together ever since that first date.

One other person I know met their future wife online and even though this person wasn't catfishing him, I still felt like it was a scam relationship.  She maneuvered her way into his finances and has manipulated him into shutting out his family.  It has been sad to watch, because the person doesn't understand that his wife is creating chaos.  He also doesn't want to listen to anyone who tries to tell him the truth.  Thus, I have found it a lot easier just to stay out of the mess altogether.  It doesn't affect me, so I don't really want to get involved.  It also goes to prove that some people take up online dating to help themselves financially even if they don't specifically ask for money.  Either way, I am glad that my boys have navigated the online dating scene well and were smart enough to recognize any red flags.  Their relationships have been a positive part of their lives, and we have really enjoyed getting to know their girlfriends a lot better over the past year.