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Man Has Had It With Naive Girlfriend After Her Last Stunt Leaves Her Without The College Fund That He’s Been Helping Save For
Scams have been around for centuries, but with the rise of the internet, it’s become easier for all the scum to target unsuspecting people than ever before.
A post on the r/TrueOffMyChest subreddit by u/Comfortable_Soft7418 serves as a warning of the dangers lurking just one click away. The story describes his girlfriend losing $14.5k to a cryptocurrency scheme after she fell for a fake giveaway on Twitter.
It’s a reminder to be cautious and do your research before making financial decisions, especially online.
RELATED:
This guy witnessed his girlfriend lose $14.5k to a cryptocurrency scam, including his and her parents’ savings
Image credits: Anna Tarazevich (not the actual photo)
Because of that, he feels like the time has come to break up with her
Image credits: Tima Miroshnichenko (not the actual photo)
Image credits: Andrew Neel (not the actual photo)
Image credits: Comfortable_Soft7418
Image credits: Anete Lusina (not the actual photo)
Cyber scams are on the rise, and social media is their crucial source
American consumers reported losing more than $5.8 billion to fraud in 2021, up from $3.4 billion in 2020 (an increase of more than 70%), the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) said.
Almost 2.8 million consumers filed a fraud report to the agency that year — the highest number since 2001, according to the FTC. About 25% of those scams led to a financial loss, with the typical person losing $500.
Group-IB, one of the global leaders in cybersecurity, claims that 57% of all financially motivated cybercrime are scams. The industry is becoming more structured and involves more parties divided into hierarchical groups.
“The number of such groups jumped to a record high of 390, which is 3.5 times more than last year, when the maximum number of active groups was close to 110,” Group-IB wrote in its digital risk report. “Due to SaaS (Scam-as-a-Service), in 2021 the number of cyber criminals in one scam gang increased 10 times compared to 2020 and now reaches 100.”
Traffic has become the circulatory system of scam projects. Group-IB emphasized that the number of websites used for purchasing and providing “gray” and illegal traffic and that lure victims into fraudulent schemes has increased by 1.5 times.
“Scammers are now attracting specific groups of victims to increase conversion rates. Social media are more often becoming the first point of contact between scammers and their potential victims.”
Image credits: Andrea Piacquadio (not the actual photo)
However, young people, like the girl described in the post, are falling prey to this more often than one thinks
Contrary to popular belief, being tech-savvy isn’t enough to protect you from online scams.
The number of individuals ages 20 or younger — members of Generation Z who have grown up on smartphones and the internet — reporting they are victims of cyber-fraud has surged 156% during 2017-2020, according to a study from Social Catfish, an online identity-verification service.
That compares to 112% growth during the same time among people age 60 or older, the group with the next-fastest scam growth.
“It is alarming,” said David McClellan, president of Social Catfish. “The generation we think of as being the most savvy with the internet … is where the numbers are growing the fastest when it comes to scams.”
“This age group is very comfortable being online and being very public about their lives,” McClellan added. “So that makes them very trusting when they’re on the internet.”
As the story went viral, the author answered some of the questions that arose in the discussion
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What do you think ?
Arahnea 2 years ago
For those of us playing roleplaying games: This is what a high Intelligence, low Wisdom character looks like 🙃
Eastendbird 2 years ago
As my Scottish grandmother used to say "All brains, nae common sense."
wowbagger 2 years ago
My ex was always doing stuff like this. He had math and physics degrees, and was plenty smart, so his self-destructive behavior just baffled me. I eventually came to see it as part of his mental illness, not really related to IQ. It took me a lot longer to see that it didn't really matter what the explanation was; I couldn't live with the behavior. Looking back on it, I realize now that I was the slow one!
majandess 2 years ago
My first thought after reading the story was, "Get her to the doctor."
Load More Replies...
Helen Roberts 2 years ago
I am the numbnut who would have done the same thing without a second thought. I was diagnosed bipolar and realised my stupidity usually coincided with a manic episode. We all make mistakes but if you love her you can work out ways to limit her access to finances if she can't control herself. It'll help her long term.
Melissa Harris 2 years ago (edited)
Another issue could be she's on the high functioning autism spectrum. The good grades and proficiency with mathematics or excelling in a STEM field along side gullibility or naiveté. If you add on issues with socializing like reading body language or social cues you have the classic signs of Aspurger's. Much under diagnosised in women.
Load More Replies...
LangiStudios 2 years ago
Some people are incredibly book-smart but have the common sense and street smarts of a rusty nail. I remember when one of those Friday night investigative shows (20/20, Dateline, one of those) focused on the then-emerging Nigerian email scam. There was a US businessman who got swindled at least 8 times. 8 times! He just kept falling for it. I couldn't believe it.
Beowulf Norther 2 years ago
Holy c**p at that point he's basically a professional mark. The interesting thing with the Nigerian scams though is studies showed why that formula is extremely effective, you can't screen for stupid people online..99% of people see Nigerian price/X and immediately know it's BS, that plus the typos, it weeds out anyone with a brain and self selects only the most naive and clueless people who reply, so the pool of marks is already perfect. It's exactly how Alex Jones made his money haha, he rants the most insane nonsense and alienates anyone sane or intelligent, keeping only the most unhinged/dumb/conspiratorial people..who are then directed to go to his online store and spend a lot of money to fund the cause..making him millions haha.
Load More Replies...
Beowulf Norther 2 years ago
Exactly, it's very openly a ponzi scheme, no two ways about it. the illusions of it being a revolutionary new currency are long gone, If youre in on it and cash out once you bring in new saps, sure it can make money..but the vast majority of people are stuck, broke and now have some useless digital c**p.
Load More Replies...
GirlFriday 2 years ago
One of my relatives is like this. His most recent one was winning the "Irish Lottery" and he had to send them $600 and his bank account information to get the three million pound payout. He called one my brothers for a loan and since we have all bailed him out at one time or another, my brother wouldn't loan him any money without seeing the exact bill he was going to pay. Finally, our cousin tells him the he already sent the bank account info, now he just needs the rest of the money to pay the processing fee.
ViviElle 2 years ago
The only thing I can think of that might help is to get her to approach finances with an academic mindset. Encourage the use of concepts like doing proper research and using reliable sources. Maybe even encourage her to write research essays that she needs to *self* evaluate and grade before spending more than a certain amount. Don't evaluate and grade them for her; you don't want to become her keeper. But it could be a way to get her to think things through.
Jennifer Jonsson 2 years ago
I had a gf like this once. 180 iq but couldn't read the directions on a package. Run. It doesn't get better.
Chez2202 2 years ago
180 IQ but can’t read package directions? Do you mean refused to read package directions? Einstein had an estimated IQ of 160. Only 8 people are known to have a higher IQ than this. I think your gf was lying to you.
Load More Replies...
Arahnea 2 years ago
For those of us playing roleplaying games: This is what a high Intelligence, low Wisdom character looks like 🙃
Eastendbird 2 years ago
As my Scottish grandmother used to say "All brains, nae common sense."
wowbagger 2 years ago
My ex was always doing stuff like this. He had math and physics degrees, and was plenty smart, so his self-destructive behavior just baffled me. I eventually came to see it as part of his mental illness, not really related to IQ. It took me a lot longer to see that it didn't really matter what the explanation was; I couldn't live with the behavior. Looking back on it, I realize now that I was the slow one!
majandess 2 years ago
My first thought after reading the story was, "Get her to the doctor."
Load More Replies... Helen Roberts 2 years ago
I am the numbnut who would have done the same thing without a second thought. I was diagnosed bipolar and realised my stupidity usually coincided with a manic episode. We all make mistakes but if you love her you can work out ways to limit her access to finances if she can't control herself. It'll help her long term.
Melissa Harris 2 years ago (edited)
Another issue could be she's on the high functioning autism spectrum. The good grades and proficiency with mathematics or excelling in a STEM field along side gullibility or naiveté. If you add on issues with socializing like reading body language or social cues you have the classic signs of Aspurger's. Much under diagnosised in women.
Load More Replies... LangiStudios 2 years ago
Some people are incredibly book-smart but have the common sense and street smarts of a rusty nail. I remember when one of those Friday night investigative shows (20/20, Dateline, one of those) focused on the then-emerging Nigerian email scam. There was a US businessman who got swindled at least 8 times. 8 times! He just kept falling for it. I couldn't believe it.
Beowulf Norther 2 years ago
Holy c**p at that point he's basically a professional mark. The interesting thing with the Nigerian scams though is studies showed why that formula is extremely effective, you can't screen for stupid people online..99% of people see Nigerian price/X and immediately know it's BS, that plus the typos, it weeds out anyone with a brain and self selects only the most naive and clueless people who reply, so the pool of marks is already perfect. It's exactly how Alex Jones made his money haha, he rants the most insane nonsense and alienates anyone sane or intelligent, keeping only the most unhinged/dumb/conspiratorial people..who are then directed to go to his online store and spend a lot of money to fund the cause..making him millions haha.
Load More Replies... Beowulf Norther 2 years ago
Exactly, it's very openly a ponzi scheme, no two ways about it. the illusions of it being a revolutionary new currency are long gone, If youre in on it and cash out once you bring in new saps, sure it can make money..but the vast majority of people are stuck, broke and now have some useless digital c**p.
Load More Replies... GirlFriday 2 years ago
One of my relatives is like this. His most recent one was winning the "Irish Lottery" and he had to send them $600 and his bank account information to get the three million pound payout. He called one my brothers for a loan and since we have all bailed him out at one time or another, my brother wouldn't loan him any money without seeing the exact bill he was going to pay. Finally, our cousin tells him the he already sent the bank account info, now he just needs the rest of the money to pay the processing fee.
ViviElle 2 years ago
The only thing I can think of that might help is to get her to approach finances with an academic mindset. Encourage the use of concepts like doing proper research and using reliable sources. Maybe even encourage her to write research essays that she needs to *self* evaluate and grade before spending more than a certain amount. Don't evaluate and grade them for her; you don't want to become her keeper. But it could be a way to get her to think things through.
Jennifer Jonsson 2 years ago
I had a gf like this once. 180 iq but couldn't read the directions on a package. Run. It doesn't get better.
Chez2202 2 years ago
180 IQ but can’t read package directions? Do you mean refused to read package directions? Einstein had an estimated IQ of 160. Only 8 people are known to have a higher IQ than this. I think your gf was lying to you.
Load More Replies...
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