internet love scams
Posted By: sm on 2007-02-13
In Reply to:
My dad passed away almost a year ago, and my mother was devastated. They would have celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in a few more months. Dad passed in April 2006 and their anniversary was in June. My mom went through many emotions, understandably so, shock, anger, depression, anger, depression, anger....You get the picture. Anyway, a few months ago she started playing around with online "dating" services where she met many people but how can you know anyone is who they say they are online? Anyway, she "met" several men friends, and they were all younger. My mother is almost 71 but she only goes for the younger men profiles. I don't know why she won't be realistic and seek out someone closer to her age. I've tried to tell her that she needs to be realistic and younger men (I'm talking men in their 40s and 50s) can only possibly want one thing from an older woman, and that would be money. My mother has no money but she doesn't let these guys know this. She has met many men, and during a "relationship" with each one she just knew "this was the one." Then something would happen to "break them up." I don't know what happens between them, and I don't see their conversations, but I do know that my mother takes everything for face value, i.e., when they tell her they love her, she believes them! Now this is only 2 days of talking via IM that the guy says he loves my mother. To make a long story short, her latest claimed to be only 47 years old. After 2 days he told her he loved her. He also told her he was German and needed American citizenship and asked her to marry him. She was SO excited. You can't believe how happy she was. At that point my sister and I started doing some investigating and found out this guy has several different profiles using different names, different age, different height/weight, but was crazy enough to use the same picture for each one, the one he sent my mother, that's how we "caught" him. He had her believing everything he said. He promised her everything in the world. But he would never give her his phone # or address. He was very evasive, always avoiding giving any information. My mother gave him her address though! My sister and I couldn't believe she did that! He sent her a pair of slippers, a size 10!!! He didn't ask her size, just sent her some blue slippers, size 10. She told him they were too big and he told her he would wear them, that she could just send them to him. This is just all so bizarre to my sister and I, but my mother STILLdoesn't see the harm in it. We finally told her the information we found and she was very upset, but still tending not to believe us. But before this guy happened, actually there was one before him who wrote mom for about 2 weeks, then said he was going to take a business trip to Afica and taking his 6-year-old son with him. After he was "gone" for about 3 days he IM'd my mother and told her he needed $600 to feed his child. My mother refused (thank goodness) and he got angry and asked her if she wanted his child to starve in Africa. He then told her if she would send him $2500 he could fly home to see her. They'd never met. He claimed to live in NC. This was before the one above who sent her the slippers. You would have thought she would have learned her lesson with the 'africa' guy, but she didn't. She STILL believes this guy's name was really what he said it was and she still believes he went to Africa on a business trip and that he has a 6-year-old son. So I think she still believes this other guy is who he said he was, but she was so upset that she said she wasn't going to go near her computer for several days. This was yesterday morning. By yesterday afternoon she was back on and chatting with ANOTHER younger man who told her he lives in Pennsylvania. He's in his 50s. What can I do to help her understand that there are REAL scammers out there? She gets very angry with me and my sister and tells us she's 70 years old, she thinks she can take care of herself. But she is also very naive about worldly matters which is obvious because she believes everything these people are telling her. I know i"ve jumped around and back and forth with this information, I'm just very frustrated and scared for my mother. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
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internet love scams
I have another question about my mother's situation. If she gets married again (I hope that isn't going to happen, at least not for a long time), she now gets my dad's benefits since he passed, but if she were to remarry doesn't that kick her benefits from SS back down to her previous amount that she was getting before my dad passed? Back to the marriage thing, I don't mind if she remarries at all, just as long as she meets someone and they have time to get to know each other, and hopefully not some online love scam that he's just out for her money. We just want her to be happy. Thanks again y'all.
I am so tired of hearing how people fall for scams
You do not have to be old to be taken in so let's shelf that right now. I just saw on a judge show where a lady gave a guy 1500.00 out of her acct, leaving her with $81. This person thought she would get repaid and then make some. I read about people answering ads saying send in XXX and make $5,000.00 a day, week, whatever fits in here. I see where people stopped outside a store, a person has found a bundle of money and they want you to go to the bank and get the same amount, then all that to be put in the bundle and you get half of that? Can we say flim-flam? I cannot believe all the gulliable, seems like you have never been outside your home, absolutely idiotic people in my life. Why am I getting so angry listening to all this. I really am just BURNT up.
On the internet I always do this...
I go to "Page" then "text size" then select "largest." It doesn't work on most pages, but it makes Google much larger, which definitely makes it much easier to read. That's all I can tell you though. I don't know how to make it zoom permanently.
Look on internet about --sm
Synthroid. There are all kinds of comments on there about how ineffective it is for SOME people why are hypothyroid. It also has a very short shelf life and what you get may be old and not help you much. I much prefer Armour thyroid, as it also has T3 hormone in it, where Synthroid does not. A lot of docs who do not know much about hypothyroidism say that you don't need T3, but my feelings are that if the body makes it, you need it for something, whether the doctors think so or not. The same goes for T1 and T2. Armour is not the answer to everything. I don't believe any supplement can fully make up for what your body can't produce any longer, but it helps more than Synthroid does. Only you can tell after you have been taking the medication for a while. Listen to your body and not what some doctors tell you or what other people tell you. Watch your symptoms and see how well the medication relieves those. Do some research on your own, as well. Some doctors do not think this is a very serious problem and kind of poo-poo what you tell them. They also just give you a pill and think you will be okay. That is not always the case.
Internet shopping
Does anyone else who works from home use the internet for most of their shopping or to surf the web during work? I had a MT service owner who complained to me that he had a hard time getting his "girls" to work since implementing the internet - that they spent their work time on QVC or HSN. I never thought about going to other sites (other than for references) while working, but apparently this is a big pull for some of us - I just can't imagine having time to shop while trying to work.
Go to Soapcity on the internet
and it will give you a daily update. Nick will probably not show up for at least another week or so. When they wrote in his death he hadn't resigned with the shot yet and they write most of the storylines about 4-6 week in advance.
Internet usage
From what I have read, their policy relates to donwloads, says it is equal to downloading 4 full-length videos per day before it is considered"excessive usage." I asked my employer about it and was told it would not affect us as all we do is exchange info with our servers. So unless you do a lot of actual dowloading, it should have no effect.
Talking over the Internet
My daughter's got a friend who is in Russia for the summer. I've heard there's a program you can download that lets you talk over the Internet using a web cam and a head set, and you can circumvent long-distance phone charges. Does anyone know anything about this? Thanks!
Talking over the internet
I would Google "Magic Jack" and "Skype". Those are 2 that I know of. Magic Jack is easy to install on your computer and costs either $39.95 or $19.95 PER YEAR. I believe skype is free. I have a couple friends that use Magic Jack and love it.
remember you have RECONNECTED via internet.....
Unless, of course, you're looking to maximally change your life after 41 years...........and all will be affected..........
Remember, it's a rarity about going backwards in life...and you *think* you're in love via the web........wait til you see him and nothing is as you were told..........
and why is he STAG now after 41 years? hmmmm? *curious question that requires no answer to me at least*
best of luck but don't hold your breath..........I HAVE met people from online...........tis really better in REAL TIME, ya know?!
How much does it cost you for TV, Internet and Phone
I'm around $190.00 ;-(
No cell phones please...
Oh and who do we have.
Phone: Verizon Internet: CableVision TV: CableVision
happy ex-internet dater
I am lucky...I never thought I would use an internet site for dating but I was bored one day and tried it. I met someone by chance and never thought anything would come of it, he lived in the Northeast and I lived in the South so I thought it improbable....turns out we immediately it it off, had everything in common and it was like I couldnt have made a list of the things that I wanted that would fit more perfectly. I'm happy to say we have been living together a year and a half and we both couldnt be happier. There are a lot of crazy people out there so just be careful how you handle anything internet related. All stories arent as happy as mine!!
My internet address bar disappeared . . .
all I have is Google and mywebsearch. Anybody know how to get it back?
Thanks
When calling up my internet yesterday
playing over and over and over the picture of this mad man in different poses. I can understand why so many of the family and friends upset today with the media. Hubs made mention of every channel playing but I just keep watching fluff and not because I didn’t care, just because I know my heart and it would just break too much. The television channels were wrong in the fact they allowed this thing to have his 15 minutes.
My, my..what interesting info on the Internet.
Just on a whim, I googled my ex's name (which also happens to be our son's name). Lo and behold, something popped up which had me giggling like mad - my son's name and his long-time girlfriend & mother of his son - under marriage licenses. They had gotten married on his birthday about 6-7 weeks ago, and never told me!
The internet is such a wonderful resource...
http://www.snopes.com/photos/animals/elephantpainting.asp
over the internet, in a chat room
let's just say after we met he grew on me...
Internet Chat Room....
It was actually the screen name that initially caught my attention. It was the name of one of my favorite albums from a guitarist I admire. And the rest, as they say, is history
i find my internet security
and such too valuable to rely on free anything. i use Nortons Security Pkg and you can find brand new ones on ebay very reasonable.
Sleeping woman uses the internet
Or it could be titled...You know your addicted to the internet when.....
http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_3122258.html?menu=news.quirkies
Posting your pics over internet
ST. LOUIS – It's an international mystery: How did a Missouri family's Christmas card photo end up in the Czech Republic, splashed across a huge storefront advertisement? Danielle Smith said Wednesday that the photo taken of her family last year got sent to family and friends, and was posted on her blog and a few social networking sites. The photo showed her and her husband Jeff holding their two young children.
About 10 days ago, one of Smith's college friends was driving through Prague when he spotted their huge smiling faces in the window of a store specializing in Europeann food. He snapped a few pictures and sent them to a flabbergasted Smith.
"It's a life-size picture in a grocery store window in Prague — my Christmas card photo!" said Smith, 36, who lives in the St. Louis suburb of O'Fallon.
Mario Bertuccio, who owns the Grazie store in Prague, said the photo was from the Internet. Details were sparse, but he said he thought it was computer-generated. When told it was a real photo — of a real family — he said he started taking steps to remove it.
"We'll be happy to write an e-mail with our apology," said Bertuccio, who said he would send the Smiths a bottle of good wine if they lived in his eastern European country.
The Smiths and photographer Gina Kelly hadn't authorized anyone to use the pictures. Kelly said she has asked a professional photographers' organization to help figure out how her image wound up in Prague.
Smith has gotten 180,000 hits to her Web site since she recently posted the story about the well-traveled snapshot. She said the photo wasn't used in an unseemly manner, it was just used to tell potential shoppers about the store's delivery service.
Smith said next time she posts a photo on the Internet, she's going to lower the resolution or add an electronic watermark to make it hard to reproduce.
"This story doesn't frighten me, but the potential frightens me," Smith said.
I LOVE love love shallots! I use them in everything that calls for an onion and/or garlic. Mmmmmm. n
x
Good freeware internet filter for
Anyone know of a good Freeware (can't afford Cybersitter, Net Nanny etc.) application for a PC that can block websites and even set a schedule as to when the user can get online? Perhaps even when
they can access their profile (lock them out).
I read on the internet to use baby oil to get the Vasoline out! nm
x
yeah, i've been looking up stuff on the internet sm
and they recommend putting in a temporary color that is close to your natural color. i've been getting gray hair since my 20s (22 y/o first gray hair). i'm going to be 36 next month and i have more gray hair than my 55 y/o mom. i'm not ready to be gray, but i'm tired of keeping up with the color. my hair grows fast (or at least it seems like it). hubby likes the blonde look on me, but i'm just not crazy about it.
thanks for the advice!
Have a fave internet game for when you have some down time? (ya, sure...)
s
Actually I guess all the internet companies are going to be doing the same thing. nm
:
Internet and cell phones - I remember before (sm)
I was a secretary in the late 80s for a medical association...I had to make up and send out hundreds of "meeting packets" to the doctors who were going to attend every month's meeting. Pages and pages of copies, colating and stapling them, addressing every FedEx label...it was an all day job, sometimes two days. Now you could just do a mass email and send it to all of them in 5 minutes. Amazes me every time I think about it. I also used to keep a monthly calendar of accredited events doctors could attend and had to mail that out to everyone...now, that can all just be put on a website to be viewed by anyone who needs it.
The cell phone thing though...other than being really glad I have it when I have car trouble or something, I'd rather not be tied to my phone like that. It is as though everyone expects you to be available all the time. I don't answer mine most of the time and call back if I need to.
You can watch full episodes on the internet.
x
Adam is all over the internet with his own French kissing but
not with a member of the opposite sex. Oh-la-la
anyone have Charter internet and phone service? sm
We live in the country and no fast speed internet is available until now. Charter has fast speed internet and telephone (and cable, but we are staying with Dish Network). I'm so excited about this! I've been working at home for 10 years now and never had anything but dial up. I've heard their customer service stinks. Anyone have experience with either service?
Thanks!
Taken from an internet site. Good songs for wedding. sm
Beautiful Wedding Songs
A Moment Like This - Kelly Clarkson
All My Life - America
Beautiful In My Eyes - Joshua Kadison
Because You Loved Me - Celine Dion
Close To You - Maxi Priest
Endless Love - Lionel Richie & Diana Ross
For You I Will - Monica
Forever And For Always - Shania Twain
From This Moment - Shania Twain
I Could Not Ask For More - Edwin McCain
I Do Cherish You - 98 Degrees
I Don't Want To Miss A Thing - Aerosmith
I'll Grow Old With You - Adam Sandler
It's Your Love - Tim McGraw & Faith Hill
I Will Always Love You - Whitney Houston
I Will Be Here - Steven Curtis Chapman
Just The Way You Are - Billy Joel
Nothing Compares To You - Sinead O'Connor
Power Of Love - Jennifer Rush
Spend My Life With You - Eric Benet
When I Fall In Love - Celine Dion
When You Say Nothing At All - Ronan Keating
You Are The Love Of My Life - George Benson
You're My Home - Lea Salonga
You're The Inspiration - Chicago
Wedding Ideas - Wedding ideas for a beautiful wedding
That was not called for. She copied this from an internet site, she did not write it. nm
nm
I did notice that but I hate to put my SS number on the internet. I know they said it is secure but
how secure is anything. I just wondered if anyone could give me an idea of the length of time it takes. Thanks.
Thanks, but it's easy when you work via internet (no more C-phone or Dictaphone) AND sm
you have Google (so I sold most of my books on line!). I find it very, very easy to stay neat with all that excess gone.......If you look real close you can probably see the layers of dust, though! haha
Call the corporate office, can be found easily enough on internet....
I've done it a few times with McDonalds. Got tired of getting halfway home and realizing something I paid for was missing, again!
Looks like Comcast starts monitoring internet usage in October. Has anyone here ever been
contacted about excessive usage from Comcast.
need a good free internet adult website/content
my NINE year old was looking at po rn on You Tube today. I walked in on him watching something totally adult. He said he clicked on something and when it came up it was that...i believed him but later on when I looked at the history there were 5 different adult videos he had viewed!!!!! how should I approach this??
Go under Internet Properties, Privacy, Sites and you can block any websites you want from there
nm
Anybody see the new thing now that internet companies including Comcast are going to monitor monthly
internet usage.
Addendum: In addition to have warp speed internet connection; just short of having my own server.
American Idol - Love, love, love Adam!!!
I think he'll make it til the end! At least I hope so!
My niece had a Yorkie, the love of her life! We all loved her so. Lots of love in store for you.
XX
Love movie "A Christmas Story" when dogs eat the turkey and they go out for Chinese. We love d
nm
She's sweet. I think she's gorgeous. Love her hair. Love her sm
smile. I wish I looked that great! I don't even come close, so who am I do judge? I admire beauty greatly in other women...I envy them!
sweet....love the heart charm, he's got love.
nm
God bless you on your path, all love begins with self-love, so you are really on your way.....sm
We should have less time putting needless labels on things, paying attention to dividing lines, and pratice more love, understanding, and humiility....we will all have things to answer for, no one is perfect, but I believe we are all precious and loved by the Lord, who knows all hearts, and has infinitely more compassion and mercy than ANY of us can comprehend. Be happy and take care of yourself, sexuality is such a small part of who we are in this world, but you have to be happy and at peace.
I love the animal channel, really love it and
my sweetie and I both watch but I absolutely, even if I know nature and the balance of, want to see small animals being killed and eaten and so forth. I know it happens but I either change the station or pick up the paper and read or find another way so I don’t watch. Also watch Discovery, love animals and love those shows!
I love you! hahaha I love your response! You can come over here sm
and kick my butt the next time I "allow" my husband to make me feel crap for whatever reason - which there seems to be many - he wouldn't complain if I made more money than him because his lazy behind wants to stay home and do nothing all day except to play golf. He tells me all the time, "when are you going to own your MT business so I can golf all day."
But, he is very mean, also. He hurts my feelings constantly and doesn't even care. He makes me drive around in his truck with bald tires and I don't like doing that for fear of a blow out and he'll just tell me, "well, don't go anywhere then." We have the money in the bank to get new tires, but he won't get them.
I love your comment, though!
And for all of you who will say, "well, leave the jerk!" It isn't that easy. We have 3 boys and I would be homeless. I only make 300 every 2 weeks MTing. We have a lovely home with a lot of space and besides him living here, the kids and I LOVE it and love each other so much.
Well, I LOVE a challenge too, Would love to debate this one day with you! sm
haha
Seriously, I was a staunch atheist for 20+ years. It's funny, though. I, too, believe that we are all electrical energies and that energy doesn't "die" and so, theoretically, where does your "electricity" go when you die, i.e., your spirit? I believe that "energy" within us is our spirit life - and that must go somewhere, right? It doesn't just go into the groun - which is what I thought for so long.
Anyways, when I learned about our "energy" and how it must go somewhere, I was really testing the waters of Christianity up to that point. After hearing about that, I was convinced that there must be an afterlife. I believe we go either of 2 places.
Anyways, I love ALL people of all religions, regardless of what I "think" or "believe." I don't think any less of you because of your beliefs! If I were to believe in a God who forgave me and loved me in my mut and mire, who am I to judge and criticize those who think differently of me?
I've always liked you no matter what your philosophy on life was....
Love people who love dogs.
nm
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