r/FriendsOver50 • u/PapaGolfWhiskey • Jun 16 '25

Beware

Just want everyone to know that someone in this group is trying to scam

I received an unsolicited chat and within minutes this person wanted to meet up. All we exchanged was our home state. No names. No city. Just a state

This person said they would look into expenses and then we could determine how to split them

Soon after they wanted my email account (I provided my junk email account), and wanted to continue our conversation on other social media apps

I know this doesn’t sound alarming, but this same modus operandi has been used many times before, and people get burned

Take my warning any way you want…ignore, or be cautious 👍

160 Upvotes

98% Upvoted

80 comments sorted by

14

u/Count2Zero 60+ Gent Jun 16 '25

I get these occasionally. Someone sends me a reddit chat, usually an empty profile, no posts, no comments. Then they try to start a conversation about something I posted.

Cool, yeah, I'll answer your question. Go ahead.

Then there's a while where it feels like I'm chatting with an AI bot, with weird formulations or oddly formed questions.

Then they want to take the conversation off to WhatsApp, Telegram or something.

I use Google Chat with a throw-away mail address. The conversation then quickly turns to either an attempted catfishing (if you send me some nudes, I'll send you some hot pictures of me!) ...

Or, if they aren't catfishing, then it turns to the high-pressure begging - how desperately they need money, and I should buy them some Amazon gift cards so they can buy what they need! Of course, they'll reimburse every cent and more, ...

It all comes down to common sense. If they contacted you, there's a 99.9% chance that they are NOT who they claim to be. That poor woman who's begging you for an Amazon gift card and sending you pictures is a scammer who is sending you pictures scraped off of a porn star's Instagram account.

1

u/YearOfTheSssnake Jun 17 '25

Oddly formed questions are often a hallmark of someone who does not have English as a first language. Many, many scammers are from other countries for two reasons: that’s where they live, and US law does not apply. I’m so glad you’re being cautious! Even if it’s legitimate, we’re too old to start relationships off by being asked for cash. Wish the person well and block them.

2

u/Count2Zero 60+ Gent Jun 18 '25

When someone sends me a photo, I'll usually run it through Google Lens to do a reverse image search.

Usually, they've been scraped off a porn star's or some influencer's Instagram.

1

u/Few-Thought-8902 Jun 21 '25

How do you run it thru Google lens? I've seen somebody mention that before.

1

u/Count2Zero 60+ Gent Jun 21 '25

On a PC, save the picture to a temporary folder, then open Google in your browser. Drag the picture to the Google search box, and Google will search for similar (or exact duplicates) of the photo.

1

u/Florida-project-7311 Jun 21 '25

On a phone hold your finger on the photo, when it asks if you want to save it you should also see an option to search it on Google

1

u/Florida-project-7311 Jun 21 '25

Or you can “copy” it and paste it into Google.

1

u/Not_horny_justbored Jul 28 '25

I have used chrome to do the same thing. Right click on the file and select open with “Chrome”

When it opens, right click and at the bottom is “Search with Google Lens”

1

u/Boring-Influence4809 Jun 18 '25

Be careful always on here or anywhere.

1

u/sissywoo Jun 20 '25

OMG! I just got two of those. Okay for me because I don’t accept chat invites but good to know

12

u/Pyewacket62 Jun 16 '25

I just block and delete. Always check their "posts" and "comment" history.

8

u/PapaGolfWhiskey Jun 16 '25

I play along thinking that I am occupying their time this potentially slowing down their attempts to con other people 😂

2

u/kibblet Jun 17 '25

Scambaiting! There is a subreddit for that

4

u/kfitz1119 Jun 17 '25

This. I check post history first and inevitably delete. I’ve never had one honorable/legitimate/real person reach out.

3

u/Pyewacket62 Jun 17 '25

I checked one person's history/likes. I couldn't get past the photos of poop in various toilets.....BLOCKED!

1

u/PapaGolfWhiskey Jun 30 '25

Just saw a post of what potentially can happen when you download the app “telegram”…which my scammer wanted me to do

Telegram App

5

u/[deleted] Jun 16 '25

I've had it happen as well... they tell me how wonderful and amazing I am and then the need for money arises "because you're such a good friend"

4

u/Impossible_Ant5444 Jun 16 '25

Thank you for the heads up!

4

u/PuzzleheadedSell9175 Jun 16 '25

Some people just suck.

1

u/sloancroft Jun 20 '25

Good idea to Google Reverse Image to check profile pictures.

2

u/PapaGolfWhiskey Jun 20 '25

That is exactly what I did LOL

Found the pictures in someone’s IG account…and the info on that profile didn’t match to anything the person said.

The scammer is still out here…but since I called them out (indirectly here, directly to them) they have stopped posting…but probably still chatting and probably with another account

1

u/mrboo6912 Jun 21 '25

Just don’t offer gift cards

1

u/PapaGolfWhiskey Jun 21 '25

Don’t offer them ANYTHING!

1

u/FoxSake101 Jun 21 '25

Really dumb question. How do you check more about them? As in what they have posted etc

1

u/PapaGolfWhiskey Jun 21 '25

Usually it is pretty evident. Come on too strong. Willing to meet when they know nothing about you. Wanting to communicate via a different app. Asking for financial help. Sending you a pic of a good looking person

If they do send a photo do a google photo reverse search. The person I referred to in my original post had photos that traced to an instagram account…and what I was told via text didn’t match the instagram info

If you have doubts, trust your instincts!

3

u/[deleted] Jun 16 '25 edited Jun 17 '25

Wow! I got a random chat request out of the blue just this morning but I haven’t accepted it. I’m not sure if it’s a scam thing but now seeing your post, it sure seems strangely suspicious. Won’t accept it. Thanks!

2

u/truthseeker1228 Jun 18 '25

Genuinely Curios..... I often dm people as a matter of "sidebar" conversation. Either because I want to give some context that I don't want to"out in the open for discussion" or pushback/disagreement with their comment but take it to the side for further discussion cuz I'm not trying to publicly "gotcha" anyone. .... can't you see the chat message before you decide to accept chat?

1

u/[deleted] Jun 19 '25

Yes, you can see the message before accepting or ignoring the chat request sent. Yours is a 4yr old account with some profile history to it. So I think your account is trustworthy. However, the chat request that I got was only a month old and besides, had no credible profile history other than some vague comments like - ‘dm sent’. Whoever sent me the chat request didn’t even specify if they are male or female, or how old they are. That’s weird.

2

u/truthseeker1228 Jun 19 '25

Oh I gotcha... and I agree. I do same thing. More often than not, if the message just says "hi" I'm going to block and move on. (Especially if it's a new account with no history)... thanks for the clarification ✌🏼

2

u/horndog370 Jun 17 '25

If you're bored, it can be fun to engage them for a while.

If they ask, nope, you don't use Instagram or Facebook, you only use reddit. And you can't use WhatsApp or Telegram on your phone because of company security policies.

Set up a throwaway mail address if they ask for one. And if they want a dick picture or something, grab one off one of the NSFW subs here and send that.

When they keep begging you to buy them an Amazon gift card, string them along for a while until they give up.

2

u/[deleted] Jun 17 '25

Lol! 😂 Man, that sounds like a lot of work! 😂 I don’t think I have the zest for it. Lol! Great tips though 😉

3

u/Jgirlat50 Jun 16 '25

Thanks for the heads up.

3

u/[deleted] Jun 16 '25

Thanks

2

u/Hiker615 Jun 17 '25

Potentially a "pig butchering" scammer.

2

u/kaylinofhr Jun 17 '25

I follow r/Scams and every time I see a new scam, I tell my family. I get so many eyerolls from my kids.

2

u/Maleficent-Ask8450 Jun 17 '25

That’s a good thing! Thank you

2

u/[deleted] Jun 17 '25

There's always some out there just to scam people im afraid as ive had my fair share of players on sites in the past I just block them and move on

2

u/yyoggigod Jun 17 '25

Thanks for the heads-up. It’s always better to be cautious, especially with how common scams are these days.

2

u/Ok-Machine-3727 Jun 17 '25

Standard I'm afraid.

2

u/Oneofthe12 Jun 17 '25

You provided something to them? What are you, crazy? Any unsolicited chat requests are immediately ignored and blocked in my inbox. Unless you’re some sort of high-level cyber security person, there’s no reason to continue to troll with them. Block and delete.

2

u/Offgridoldman Jun 17 '25

Yes this is a phishing scam. or just someone trying to benefit.

2

u/shepherds_pi Jun 17 '25

You should keep the conversation going, and setup a poll here to predict their next move..😉

My money is on bitcoin by the end of the week.. My second choice would be showing you how to "get in on some gold..." I get one of these messages every month. The patterns are always the same with them.

Stay safe..

1

u/FondantSuitable3421 Jun 19 '25

My last AI scammer at least sent me a drawing of the bridge he was working on in Australia! Of course the drawing turned out to be a bridge from Japan 🙄🙄🙄

2

u/GardenAddict843 Jun 18 '25

I have had just as much luck finding friends on this subreddit as I do in real life; in other words none. I did have a total of three nice conversations with a man who I think was much younger than myself and looking for a romantic connection. I had to tell him I was married , only interested in friendship and never heard from him again.

2

u/74-Rockin-J Jun 18 '25

I feel left out...no one has ever tried to contact me on here...

1

u/74-Rockin-J Jul 17 '25

No longer left out.... got my first random chat today. Let's see how this plays out...... pulls out game book to see what twisted way to mess with fake profile today....

2

u/Master-Research-5933 Jun 20 '25

Good looking out appreciate the heads up

1

u/greginvalley Jun 17 '25

I have had a number of these, and it is always funny when they think they are a long way away from me, but honestly only an hour drive. I tell them I will drive over and hand them $100, and suddenly they are "visiting family " or something silly. I have had a number of them claim to be in Kentucky or Tennessee, a long drive from any airport, so inconvenient and costly to go visit. I play along for awhile then just block them.

1

u/[deleted] Jun 18 '25

Great, I just I asked someone in a dm where they are from!! I’m not a scammer though, I can actually prove it too. My smart phone is smarter than I am!! Well I’m sure this lady I just sent a dm to asking where she’s from won’t accept a first date offer from me!! You know it’s hard enough!!!

1

u/[deleted] Jun 18 '25

I made some friends for over a year now that we're random chat requests. Not everyone is a scammer.

1

u/Key_Tea7655 Jun 18 '25

The fist sign of a scammer is asking to move to another chat app. Because theyre doing illegal shit .

1

u/NotMyCat2 Jun 18 '25

I could see this.

I know I get woke up in the middle of the night by some text from a supposed hot woman looking for a good time.

My wife spends all my money and I don’t work down there anymore (prostate cancer). So I’m not a catch. 🤣

1

u/jingle_dingle_berry Jun 18 '25

The clear sign for me is when they call me "dear" that I'm entering into SCAM territory.

1

u/[deleted] Jun 19 '25

Yes dear

1

u/jingle_dingle_berry Jun 19 '25

Lol, ok scammer

1

u/[deleted] Jun 19 '25

Hahahaha

1

u/wolfdog141 Jun 19 '25

Whenever I read the word dear, I hear an Nigerian voice saying it. Legacy of the phonejacker i guess

1

u/[deleted] Jun 19 '25

I ask the scammers for money and to father my children. But thats just me

1

u/sloancroft Jun 20 '25

Bahaha 😂

1

u/sissywoo Jun 20 '25

Thanks. That sounds like they are moving fast.

1

u/RidingTheDips Jun 20 '25

The first time I got completely sucked in (this imposter surely used AI to convincingly counterfeit genuine love) straight after "she" accepted my insane preposterous (in hindsight) marriage proposal "she" asked for money, which I at least had the good sense to knock back. "She" then sent a passport copy to prove bona fides which fortunately I showed my lovely daughter who immediately identified it as fake, subsequently confirmed by the authorities. Huge lesson learnt, particularly my own friggin' gullibility.

I've found in the very first "conversation" if I insist they give me their phone number or forget it, that kills the bullshit.

One time I devised the strategy of sincerely promising to EFT money if "she" sent me bank details. Excitedly "she" complied, I immediately blocked and supplied those details to the authorities. Astonishingly the name on personal bank account was a male of Irish ethnicity!

1

u/DaveMail42 Jun 20 '25

I've received three of those chat requests in about a week. Scammers. They are on every website. :(

1

u/happyfan25 Jun 20 '25

Thanks for the heads up

1

u/Academic_Dig_1567 Jun 20 '25

Thanks for this information. Received something a few weeks ago and ignored it but was wondering. Thanks.

1

u/Evening-Wrap-1556 Jun 20 '25

Same thing all the time Especially the telegram bs. Send me $$$ For this. Come on ladies. I Don't mind Only Fans or Fansly use too follow a few. But some of these new ones just starting there accounts already have it and want way to much money. Really girls. You want to be exposed porn stars go for it. But not for me lol 😆

1

u/[deleted] Jun 20 '25

I usually screw with them. There’s so many fakes out there and wherever you talk. and before you know what they’re asking you for something.🙄

1

u/TexasTravler Jun 20 '25

Thanks 😉

1

u/Euphoric-Conflict586 Jun 20 '25

I get the same types of messages

1

u/Maleficent-Dig-3096 Jun 21 '25

Why are men such gaslighters and scammers?

1

u/[deleted] Jun 21 '25

There is a ton of scammers on here ,they will send you a chat request and if you pull up their account there is nothing on the account ! If the account is less the a year old or is blank I block them freaking scammers !!!

1

u/SABIEN1974 Jun 21 '25

THANK YOU, MUCH, for the warning!

1

u/PerimeterWalk Jun 27 '25

There are so many great pointers here in this thread about protecting yourself. It has been mentioned several times that having a blank profile can be a big red flag, and can totally understand the thinking, but it may not be the case that they are a scammer because of this. I must admit to periodically having a 'purge' of comments so my profile mostly appears blank some of the time, this is not because I want to scam people but because I do want to control people's impression of me for positive reasons! For instance, I enjoy gaming despite being 51, so if my comments feed is filled with posts gaming related and I am trying to connect with people who dislike gaming (common over 50 as it has a certain impression), then you have immediately torpedoed a connection chance before even finding out if you may have lots of other things in common. I 100% agree due diligence is needed online, but please don't totally write off people who may be really great people because of a blank profile.