Romance or a fairy-tale inheritance? In both cases, it could be a scam

We are a nation known for our hospitality and willingness to help. However, such behaviour is often exploited by fraudsters. Don’t be deceived by fabricated stories or unknown people online asking for your help.

These fraudsters may pose as Nigerian princes, American soldiers, or citizens of other countries. Through these fictional characters, they try to convince people to send them money. The most common scenarios involve forgotten inheritances, lottery winnings, redirecting money to charity, or helping someone in need who needs to get home.

Fraudsters may contact you via email, chat applications, or social networks. A message might look something like this:

I am Tayeb Souami, 55 years old and senior citizen from New Jersey, USA.I won jackpot 315.3 million dollars. On behalf my family and act of good will I donate to you and your family sum (1,000,000 EUR EUR) which I try to reach through public orphanages. It is help reduce poverty and give good healthcare for people. I also want you to invest part of this donation in public infrastructure to give work to unemployed citizens in your country. You can follow me on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z6ui8ZDQ6Ks. I choose you because I trust you. I need your full cooperation for this donation. Please contact me back on my private email: [email protected].

A scam can also take on a romantic form. The perpetrator first tries to gain the victim’s trust by pretending to be interested in a romantic relationship. Once trust has been established, they exploit the victim’s affection and gradually extract money under false pretences. Fraudsters often target people who are lonely and longing for love and closeness. The victims frequently include older people.

“My name is Daniel Morris. I am a 62 -year-old widower currently serving on a military mission in Central Africa. This is a difficult time for me. Since my wife passed away, I have been alone and am looking for someone to share the rest of my life with. When I came across your profile, something about you spoke to me. You are a wonderful woman with a kind heart, and I believe this was not a coincidence. Please do not be afraid to reply to me. Honesty and kindness mean everything to me. However, I have one concern… Due to damaged military equipment, I have found myself in a situation where I cannot access the money in my account. I need to pay a fee so that I can return home. If you could send me EUR 850, I will repay you in full, with gratitude, once my mission has ended.”

Some scammers are inventive and may even provide fake proof of their identity or the origin of the money.

In these fraudulent messages, the scammer asks you to reply by email. They may also request that you click on a website to carry out a transaction. If you comply and click such a link, you will be directed to a page with a payment form. Providing your full payment details (card number, expiry date, CVV), online banking login information, and personal data in such a form could result in either losing your money or the scammer using your identity for further fraud.

If your money is stolen, the only limitation on the scammer is the limits set on your payment card. In the case of identity theft, you could become involved in organised crime, such as money laundering.

How to protect yourself?

The best protection is sensible caution. Scammers exploit emotions, unexpected messages and tempting promises in order to obtain money or personal information. With both romance scams and inheritance or prize scams, pay particular attention to the following warning signs:

Warning signs of fraudulent behaviour:

• Unexpected contact from a stranger
  Whether it is a ‘widower on a mission’ or a ‘millionaire from the USA’, you are contacted by someone you have never previously interacted with.
• An overly personal or emotional tone
  In romance scams, trust and strong feelings are expressed very quickly. In prize or donation scams, the fraudster pretends to be generous or philanthropic.
• An offer of an extremely large sum of money
  Promises such as “I will donate EUR 1,000,000” or “You have won a huge jackpot” are always suspicious.
• Requests for secrecy
  The scammer insists that “you must not tell anyone about this”. They attempt to isolate you from help.
• Pressure to respond quickly
  The situation is presented as a last chance, an emergency or a matter requiring urgent action.
• Attempts to move communication off the platform
  A request to switch to private e mail, WhatsApp or Telegram.
• Grammatical errors, awkward phrasing and unusual formatting
  Frequent signs of automatic translation, inconsistent details or duplicated currencies (EUR EUR).

Practical advice:

• Never send money to people you have never met in person.
• Do not click on suspicious links and never share personal or banking details.
• Search for the person’s name or photograph; in many cases, these are well-known fraudulent profiles.
• If you have even the slightest doubt, end the communication immediately.
• If you have already shared details or sent money, contact DIALOG Live on *1100.