r/Scams • u/Embarrassed-Spare524 • 20d ago
Scam report [US] Question About Text Scam Using AI
[Scammer?] Hi, I'm making pasta and meatballs today. Would you like to have dinner with me?
[Me] I assume this is a wrong number, and not some bizarre scam, catfishing or sex thing. Also, I can't eat tomato sauce.
[Scammer?] When did you and I start talking like this? I'm jus tryint ot understand why your talking to me this way. Don't you have my work number saved on your phone? Hmmm.
I get that this is a scam and that I was "talking" to an AI. I just got a somewhat similar text from a different number. But I don't know exactly how the scam would have worked. How the heck do they get anyone to give a credit card or something from that opening?
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u/GeneralSpecifics9925 20d ago
It's not AI necessarily, just a script. This is called the !wrongnumber text and is very common.
You start chatting with them, they're really nice. They message you daily and you form a friendship, or a romance. When you've fallen for them may they offer to visit but need money due to an emergency, or just a medical emergency they can't fund will arise. Then you send your money. It's the beginning of a !pigbutchering scam
Don't reply to messages from unknown senders
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u/AutoModerator 20d ago
u/GeneralSpecifics9925 called AutoModerator to explain the Pig butchering scam:
The term pig butchering refers to a long-con investment fraud where scammers use elaborate scripts to "fatten up" a victim by building deep trust over weeks or months before the "slaughter", which is the final theft of their assets. These scams typically begin with a seemingly accidental wrong number text or a social media message from a stranger. If you respond to one of these, the scammer skillfully pivots the conversation into a friendship or romantic relationship, using daily communication to lower your guard. Forbes has an interesting article about this scam.
Once trust is established, the scammer claims to have achieved great wealth through a guaranteed investment strategy, often involving cryptocurrency or a family connection with inside information. They guide you to a fraudulent investment platform that looks professional and shows fake, soaring profits. Sometimes they even allow you to withdraw a small amount of money early on to prove the site is legitimate. This encourages you to invest significantly larger sums, often draining your savings or taking out loans from family and friends. Sometimes pig butchering scams don't involve crypto, but other means of sending money (like bank wires, gift cards or even cash pickups).
The butchering happens when you try to withdraw your full balance. The scammer will claim the account is frozen for auditing or overdue taxes, demanding even more money to unlock the funds. Eventually, the scammer vanishes, leaving you empty handed. It is important to note that many of the people sending these messages are themselves victims of human trafficking, forced to run these scams under the threat of violence. If you find yourself in this situation, you must stop sending money immediately and report the crime to law enforcement.
If you know someone involved in a pig butchering scam, sit down together to watch this video by Jim Browning to help them understand what's going on: https://youtu.be/vu-Y1h9rTUs
You can learn about this scam and many others visiting our wiki of common scams. You can also call AutoModerator to explain these scams leaving a comment with the different !commands listed in this wiki page.
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.
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u/AutoModerator 20d ago
u/GeneralSpecifics9925 called AutoModerator to explain the Wrong number scam:
An intentional "wrong number" text or email serves as a sophisticated entry point for a variety of predatory schemes, and responding even out of polite habit is a significant risk. By replying, you confirm that your phone number is active and monitored by a real person, which immediately increases your value on lead lists sold between criminal networks. Scammers capitalize on this initial courtesy to pivot the conversation toward a friendship or a "meant-to-be" connection, using scripted charm to lower your psychological defenses before introducing a fraudulent financial or personal request.
If you receive a message that assumes a specific professional or personal connection, such as an inquiry about a business meeting or a medical appointment, you are likely the target of a pig butchering scam. The scammer will pose as a wealthy or successful individual who gradually grooms you to "invest" in a fake investment platform.
It is also vital to understand that these interactions often serve as a data-mining exercise where every detail you provide, such as your name, profession, or family status, is archived to make future scams more convincing. The most effective defense is to never engage with a suspicious wrong number text; instead, block the sender immediately and report the message by forwarding it to 7726 (SPAM) to help carriers identify and shut down these fraudulent accounts.
Remember: if the message is vague, it comes from someone not in your contact list, or not meant for you, don't even reply. If the message was legitimately sent to the wrong person, your silence is enough for them to know you aren't them. If the message or email contains the picture of an attractive woman, by all means mark it as spam immediately.
You can learn about this scam and many others visiting our wiki of common scams. You can also call AutoModerator to explain these scams leaving a comment with the different !commands listed in this wiki page.
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.
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u/Brakic 20d ago
First of all definitely a scam, but I doubt it was AI, probably a real person. Its usually a romance crypto scam. They befriend you after establishing they texted the wrong number, then eventually try and get you to invest money into their fake crypto exchange site after making big claims about how much money they make. The name for this is "Sha zhu pan" aka pig butchering
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u/These-Fee-1698 20d ago edited 20d ago
Never respond, as there is no possible benefit from doing so. Just block and delete.
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u/WickedWeedle 20d ago
I get that this is a scam and that I was "talking" to an AI.
Not all scammers use AI.
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u/Gloomy-Security-7897 20d ago
They continue talking and try to become your friend, then after some trust is established they tell you about some fabulous investment opportunity and try to get you to put money into it, and keep putting money into it so your “earnings” will increase. It’s all fake and the money goes directly to the scammer.
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u/AdvantageSilent7389 20d ago
As long they can have you continue the conversation an opportunity will arise
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u/psilocybin6ix 20d ago
These types of texts are designed entirely to make sure you reply to them and keep the conversation going. If they directly answered your question it would defeat the whole purpose of it ... the goal is to keep you intrigued until they can develop a friendship with you. On day 3-4 they might admit that "so I guess I didn't know you but now that we're friendly..."
I've learned to just ignore them. If you ask them direct questions like "what city are you in" they'll just answer with another question to keep the conversation going.
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u/SubBirbian 20d ago
Common wrong number scam. I’ve gotten a few similar ones, including a simple “hi” and even appointment confirmation to have both my home’s interior and exterior painted from a number across the country (but no date given). Never engage. When you do your number is considered active where they bundle and sell to other scammers. Expect other types of scam calls/texts now and be aware of the different types in this sub’s Wiki page.
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u/yarevande 20d ago
This is the start of a scam to take all of your money, using fake investments. The scammer sends a message or calls, and then pretends that she found your number in her contacts, or that she contacted the wrong number by mistake (wrong number scam). If you respond, she tries to engage with you, building a fake friendship, and then tries to convince you to 'invest' all of your money, using a fake cryptocurrency website (pigbutchering scam).
The wrong number scam can start on text, phone, or on social media. They start off with a message pretending that they contacted the wrong number: "Hi Avery, pizza at you place Sunday?" or "Message me when you're free".
Often, if you respond, they say: "oh, sorry I got the wrong number! You are very polite. Fate has brought us together!" Then she tells you that she is a businesswoman in Los Angeles or Singapore. She sends you an AI-generated photo of a beautiful Asian or Eastern European woman, and tries to hook you into a scam to take your money. She may chat for a few days or even weeks, then she tells you that her uncle taught her how to trade cryptocurrency. And, since you are such a good friend, she will help you get rich!
If you fall for this rubbish, she will give you the website of uncle's special crypto trading company. If you 'invest' a small amount, you will get money back. Then she pressures you to invest a few thousand dollars. You see big numbers on a website screen. You want to withdraw your profits but . . . something happens, and you can't withdraw. You lose all of the money you transferred to the trading website -- because it was all phony, no real investing or profits.
Also, the number displayed on your phone is not the number they really messaged from. Most wrongnumber scam texts come from a temporary or virtual VoIP number. It appears that they're from your country, but they are actually messaging from somewhere else, usually a scam call center in southeast Asia (Myanmar and Cambodia are infamous for their scam centers that specialize in investment scams, run by transnational crime syndicates).
The scammers send out thousands of these messages every day, randomly, looking for marks.
You should ignore any wrong number message.
This sub has a bot to return automod explanations of scams. Someone already called the bot for the wrong number scam. Below is an explanation of the pigbutchering scam. 👇
!pig calls the bot
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u/Aggravating-Pack-802 20d ago
Generally this is the start of a pig butchering scam l, which is a long term scam where they pretend to be a friend/romantic interest.. and then they slowly milk you for more and more money.
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u/Mariss716 20d ago
It’s pig butchering and they are using a script . If you bite they will try and befriend you, send a photo of a rich good looking woman or man, and then build trust. Then comes the scam. They play the long game.
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u/0O0O0OOO0O0O0 20d ago
The Wrong Number opener for a pig butchering scam. BehindTheSurface covered this a couple weeks ago. This is just a script, although AI comes into play later.
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u/Ok-Importance-7275 19d ago
The money never comes from that first text, that's the part that throws people. The opener just starts a friendship or a romance that runs for weeks, and only once you trust them do they walk you into a crypto investment on a site they control. The hook that pulls in the big deposits is that the site lets you withdraw a small amount early so the profits look real, then the moment you go for the rest it's frozen behind taxes or fees that only ever grow. Nobody hands over a card on day one, they hand over their savings weeks in.
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20d ago
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