Scammers have perfected their art; watch out

 If it is too good to be true, then it’s fake. Often, humanity sweats to acquire a milestone. For instance, education demands hard work, finances and dedication for desired results. This project, like any other, does not come cheap. It not obtained on a silver platter. Sikadza kokha kaopa kulaula. Its English equivalent would be ‘there is nothing for free’. What it means is that when offered free things, take time to scrutinise and read between the lines. There are always red flags that should not be ignored. Desperation and excitement, however, has a way of blinding us from the truth.

What has prompted the lecture, you may wonder. Well, everywoman wants to feel loved and adored. We all want a good life and the plausible way is to get a caring man who will treat us like queens, giving us our needs. When we meet such or at least believe one is offering us heaven on earth, all senses die as focus turns to the ‘saviour’. Men, especially criminals, have mastered this art of telling women what they want to hear. This is exactly what is landing many into trouble. They are fooled into believing they are loved and once the man gets what he wants, he bolts, sometimes evading pregnancies. But romance scams are especially disgusting as they are leaving many financially destitute. These are mainly experienced online.

According to fbi.gov, romance scams occur when a criminal adopts a fake online identity to gain a victim’s affection and trust. The scammer’s intention is to establish a relationship as quickly as possible, endear himself to the victim and gain trust. Scammers may propose marriage and make plans to meet in person, but that will never happen. Eventually, they will ask for money.

This is real and local women are falling prey. Many have sent money on scammers lure who promise to refund it upon their meeting. Some have been alerted on the verge of sending money, yet others refuse counsel and proceed to send the money after being promised millions in return.

I write to alert women out there. These scammers feed on vulnerability. They expedite the supposed meeting process with the promise of bringing thousands of dollars. Of course the thousands translate into millions. They even send pictures or videos of them— usually stealing the identity of white men— aboard an aeroplane, including an air ticket. It’s easy to fall for it, but it’s a entire syndicate stealing from a computer. They are black men who assume that a white man identity makes them more attractive. Scammers offer to bring expensive gifts and travel to oursit attractions upon meeting. They create a situation needing money for the victims to send. The red flag here would be the asking for money when they are allegedly carrying thousands already. The create situations where they cannot access’ the thousands on them, for their love interest t o step in.

Another red flag is the speed in arranging for a meeting barely three days after meeting or willingness to spend over $20 000 dollars on a total stranger. Even a reason such as needing the money for Covid-19 jab or rentals to secure a house where the two will stay once abroad is unthinkable.

Women, please open your eyes and flee while you can. These scammers are in touch with many women across the globe, making a killing out of your hard-earned cash. They pressurise you to borrow the money when you don’t have, leaving you with huge debts