Taken in by Scammer??
I'm not sure, but I think I've been taken in by a scammer. I've been writing to this fellow who 'approached' me on okcupid while I was playing on the testing side. If you haven't been there, it's a lot of fun, sociological, psychological, nonsensical tests of all types. Also a match section, but the people on it are a little young for me. Anyhow, he says he's a soldier over in Iraq, and we've been writing for a while now - since November, 2005. He had given me the phone number of a friend of his in New York, and we've talked from time to time, mostly about our mutual 'friend' in Iraq. Well his buddy in NY e-mails me about a month ago that our friend has been injured, very seriously, and may not make it. I've really become attached to this person and I'm extremely upset by this turn of events. But now, as the guy supposedly is in the hospital in serious condition, little chinks in the story seem to be appearing, and I'm suspecting that both the fellow in NY and the one who supposedly was in Iraq, are one and the same. I don't understand why someone would do something like this, it isn't like he's gaining anything from it. I don't really have a way to check it out, and I don't want to stop writing the guy in the hospital, just in case my suspicions are false. But my intuition, which I make a habit of never listening to, unfortunately, is telling me I'm right. Life is difficult for people who are trusting.
posted by Nadine at 1:17 PM
1 Comments:
Nadine, your heart is in the right place, as regards to any soldier serving the U.S>. I think that what has taken place in our day and age is that we need to be suspicous of everyone and everything. With news reports and our own experiences constantly hammering us with "internet predators", "telephone scammers", fake this, and fake that, it is no wonder that we are prepared to believe the worst, not the best. There really is no way to "check" on this, but, give the soldier the benefit of the doubt; if he or she hasn't asked you for anything outrageous, other than to "chat" and for "support", it should be fine, and by support, if the serviceperson gives you an apo/fpo addy or military addy to ship goods (magazines, toiletries, etc.), that's perfectly fine. If the friend is helping, and asks for anything at all, that should also be directed to a military addy. I know people who live in and around Ft. Campbell, who will do anything and everything to support those deployed and those home (I am sure it is the same for all bases), including soliticting letters, cards, donations - but all are addressed again, to a military addy.
and, Nadine, if it were some sort of "scam", your heart and intentions were in the right place.
Keep writing, this is a great start.
Tina
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