He’s from Norway, lived in the United States, and has a Mexican accent? At this point Nursing Schools need to add “avoiding romance scams after your retirement “ to the curriculum.
Yes! Not a bad idea to cover this topic in a nursing program…we studied a lot about grief; “avoiding scammers” could be added in there, too. 😅…Or, it could be part of “continuing education”, just like renewing CPR!
It's not 24 year olds who are getting tricked by Romance Scammers... It's people in their 60s, 70... The Graduate Nurses are usually pretty young. And we all grew up with the internet. We grew up knowing to stay away from the ice cream man and the white van with candy. Older generations were taught to trust more openly. My point is that even if you were serious about adding this to Nursing School Curriculum, you'd be wasting time, energy, and money. Maybe if there were some way to require a course for Retiring Nurses... but fresh Nursing Students don't need to be told to avoid Nigerian Princes who work on oil rigs.
@@jaimexxoYeah, CEUs maybe! And we could always try to warn widows and widowers when we come across them. In the same way we warn them to get a Mammogram after age 50 or a Prostate Exam after 40... We younger gens could try to spread the word to our more vulnerable pts & their family.
I'm 83, bought a gift card for my nephew. The clerk at Walgreen's was so nice, making sure this old guy wasn't getting scammed. I wasn't insulted, thought it was a good idea.
Amen. Such a shame these scammers can’t be prevented from getting to the vulnerable. A work friend said they put “widow” in their dating profile to avoid awkward questions, and had to remove it because they were so flooded with obvious scammer replies.
@@Chahlieit might work, because if you learn about the scams *before* you are vulnerable, you'll be much more likely to be wary of attention that seeks to exploit your vulnerability.
I think they get addicted to the attention. My mom was caught in a different kind of scam but the whole family told her and gave her hard facts. The person scaming her, convinced her that she was the center of the world and of course she still refused to believe us. To this day I have to stay super vigilant because once she believes some weird s..t someone is telling her, she won't believe anything else.
It's the usual pattern of an empath being reeled in by a narcissist. They're easy targets. Until they learn how to spot the red flags, they'll keep falling for them. @@kathyhodges-ik2zk
@x.justsayin3771 I don't think so. Why did she not give her children the money? I give my children money now while I am still alive to see them benefiting from it.
Funny how people love giving money to people who supposedly are rich. I bet if this scammer claimed he worked at McDonald's, she wouldn't have sent him a penny.
PNC Bank "thought she was perpetrating a fraud" and then they dropped her. So, that means the bank told her of their concerns yet she went forward with sending him $80,000. 😑
That's what gets me. Emotionless voices (sometimes even AI). I'm not great at judging these things and even I get skeeved out by the mismatch between the tone of voice and the words of love in the scripts they're reading. I've heard the theory that they do an intentionally sloppy job so that only the most gullible victims will fall for it. They want to weed out anyone with a bit of common sense early, so as not to waste time fattening them up for the knife. What that says about how many potential victims they must find, enough that they can pick and choose, is scary to me.
@@suitov No, the scammers don't do a bad job on purpose. They are ice-cold, they have no heart, no soul, no empathy and that's what you can hear in their voices.
Hint: 1)When you bank thinks you are involved with a scam, you probably are. 2) when you are involved in gold bars, it’s probably shady. 3) if you are sending money to someone you have never met, stop. 4) you are not in love with someone you have never met. 5) Be cautious about anyone but particularly older men who pose showing skin.
Agree with all of these but number four. My spouse and I are from opposite sides of the world and met online via each other's blogs back in the day. We had a regular friendship for a few years that eventually developed into something more. We've now been happily married for over fifteen years. But we also had frequent video chats and made sure to meet up in person twice (once in my country for a month, once in his for a few weeks) prior to getting engaged/married. You can definitely fall in love with someone you haven't met in person. You just have to follow certain safety guidelines to ensure that person is legit.
@@nicked_fenyx Agree, I have dated several girls I have first met from online and I was deep in love with them before meeting them in person, and they were as wonderful in real. The biggest red flag is when the long distance relationship lasts years before meeting in real. If after a year they can't figure out a way to meet, I would be really suspicious.
@@abeurakadabeura Lol - I generally agree with that, but it made me laugh because my spouse and I were in an online relationship for two years before meeting up in person (and that's after the years we spent as "just friends"). I think in total it was four years from first online contact to first in-person visit. There were a variety of reasons for the delay, but we chose to play it safe with making sure we both had a chance to visit each other's country, meet each other's family, experience a bit of the other person's culture, etc before finally getting engaged/married. Those years were hard and full of many, many late night phone/video calls, but the end result was/is well worth the wait. In general, though, you're right. The initial in-person visit shouldn't take that long. I think the biggest red flag for me in most catfishing scenarios is the refusal to video chat. Nowadays there's really no excuse for that, as very few people truly have no way to video chat (even if briefly). I can't imagine not doing everything possible to make that happen in a long distance relationship. The number of excuses these scammers come up with as to why they cannot video chat always blows my mind. Persistent refusal to video chat = no long distance relationship, imo.
@@JehanineMelmothEspecially if that’s the case. People who fall for these scams have a predilection for it that scammers pick up on and exploit. Doesn’t matter if they’re married, single or widowed.
@@JehanineMelmothof course!! My boyfriend passed away in my arms, I grieved him for a very long time and it never crossed my mind to pay someone for being loved. That’s desperation, not real love.
@@lindsayfraser7633 I am Turkish and literally burst into laughter when the guy claimed that he was attacked by the "Turkish taliban" LMFAO! His lie was so ridiculous and so far-fetched. There is NO SUCH THING as "Turkish taliban," people, because the Republic of Turkiye was founded on secularism.
I let out the loudest cackle every time I hear them talk about how foreign and unique the scammers accent is. They will die on the hill that they have a European or Latino accent- then we get to hear them and it’s the heaviest of Nigerian accents 😂
There is a reason scammers often target the elderly, besides that they typically have savings. Dementia is pretty common, and in the decade before it is apparent, a persons judgement starts to fail, and people can become too trusting. Then add in grief, loneliness, the need for love, wanting to believe, etc. and it can happen to the vulnerable. That is also why “scam education” often fails. Many on the channel say they are aware of scams, but say THEIR bf/gf isn’t a scam because (reasons).
So many people in these videos don't even know Nigeria is in Africa. With that kind of woeful level of education no wonder Americans are so easy to scam.
The last 5 videos have all been women getting scammed with literally the same script. I guess there is no reason for the Nigerians to change tactics when this scam gets $100,000 out of a woman.
@@FreeRadicals305 Where the source for that? according to BBC women loose twice as mush as men and 63% of victims are women. The scammer I’ve seen interviewed say they prefer women as victim.
Please have an episode with a mental health professional explaining how and why people fall for scams. It would be different than just another victim talking to a scammer, and would educate people about the psychology of scams as well as the devastation victims feel after a scam. Also they could talk about how online interactions are very different than in person interations. For example, in person people will experience a "fight or flight" response when something feels off. If someone on the street came up and started asking all sorts of personal questions, they'd walk away and feel nervous about the interaction. They might not even talk to the person but someone might walk down the street or into a restaurant and immediately you get the creeps even though they don't say a word. You become more aware of your surroundings. The same parts of the brain are not triggered when communicating online so you don't "feel" the danger that you'd feel in person. So it would be great to have a different type of episode featuring a mental health professional to talk about things like this
Yes! This would be perfect for an episode!! They could also ask if certain generations are more trusting than others. I feel my generation is going to be wary old folks, yet my parents and grandparents' generation were a bit more trusting.
Our local supermarket has a huge warning sign not to buy gift cards for strangers because it’s a scam. Must be bad if they have to warn elderly people of scams.
I had a man ask for money once. I told him, “ That’s so funny….I was just about to ask you for money because I am broke. Do you think you can lend me $250,000.00?” I never heard from him again.
What is wrong with these people?? It’s flabbergasting to me!! In love, engaged, and giving hundreds and thousands of dollars but never even FaceTimed let alone met?? I wouldn’t even lend my husband $100,000 let alone an absolute stranger. Mind blowing how gullible and naive these people are!!!
@@spooningbards9138 yeah, I feel like there'd have to be some sort of small course on scams you'd have to finish before it would allow you to join any social platform
I am a senior citizen and whenever I get friend requests on social media, if they aren't located in my town, I know it's a scam. C'mon, ladies, you're smarter than that.
All my social media is privated with a publicly seen note that unless I actually know you in the flesh, don't bother friend requesting. Still doesn't stop the occasional attempt. I still laugh at the one who went on about how beautiful I look in my avatar picture when it's not even a photo of me but an art piece of a superhero character I like.
Unfortunately that's not good enough. You are telling others they are smarter than that, but YOU shouldn't accept friend requests from random strangers, even if they created a profile showing your town. THAT'S how they'll still get to you .. If you don't know who they are, decline. And even better to make your profile private.
@@PSmith-ie9jx Actually, I deleted my FB account in 2020, so I haven't been friending anyone for 4 years. No Twitter either. But if you can't physically meet someone that's no bueno.
@@PSmith-ie9jx Yes, that is a good point. I see if we have friends in common I look further, but even that is not fool proof! I have seen scammers clone profiles of my friends and some of my FB friends become friends of scammers. I check out the profiles thoroughly and if they are a single good looking man with all the red flags I ban then immediately. Gotta be a fake! LOL
I am forever baffled that people blatantly ignore fraud alerts, take in these elaborate life stories, and suspend all of their disbelief to literally give everything they have to someone they have never met. I would love to see more about the psychology of these scams. I’m sad for some of these victims because mental/emotional health issues aren’t always easy to overcome without support.
I would love to see several psychology students get together for a study for finals by studying several of these people to analyze how they think and can anyone get through to them. So many of these people turn around and continue or find someone new and start all over again. A proper study would go world wide.
Google mind control and how cults use it to recruit and fleece its members. WARNING: There's a lot of material to go through so have some food within arm's reach as you search and read.
@@elainebmackThis "lady" was pouring money into a relationship she didn't have with a man she never met - but she believed showering him with cash would do the trick. She's little better than a procuress expecting a stranger to prostitute himself at the right price.
A work colleague mentioned she put “widow” on her dating profile, to avoid awkward questions, and said she had to remove it as she was flooded with so many obvious scam replies.
@@kmm291 I agree. Immense grief can mess people's mind. I still cannot understand how falling for a picture after decades of marriage can make things better, but, hey, horses for courses....
From 500 a month, to 80,000, to ' a client had no cash so they paid me in gold bars' These scammers must be laughing their asses off when they find a victim so dumb to believe their obviously bullshit stories.
I'm pretty sure these scammers often say some obvious off the walls s*** to see if the person will buy it, because at that point they know they have a live one they can squeeze a lot of money out of.
I am a nurse for almost 30 yrs. Divorced a long time ago. Am perfectly content with my 4 dogs. And my crafts. I like my money too much to give it away. I enjoy reporting scammers on POF. Lol😂
Good for you love.😅😅 I'm to mean to give any away if thay ask me for money do you know What idd say.idd be like HOW MUCH DO YOU NEED??? Thay be 200. Idd be AM NO!!!! LOL LET THAM WAIT A MIN THAN NO.THERE A JOKE😂
This scammer used every trick in the Scammer’s Manual - the only excuse he didn’t pull was the one about having a sick child. Even after she spoke to another woman he was scamming, she still forgave him and sent more money. Honestly, who does a job for someone and gets paid in gold bars? Even if he was real, why would you want a lover who does nothing but ask you for money? Wake up Hedy!
That’s my landlord. Sick child at local hospital that he’s not allowed to enter Or so she says. So far it been a heart condition and now a brain tumor. I have zero sympathy as he could easily find out the truth if he wanted to.
If these women were dating a man in real life and they were constantly asking for money they would call them a loser and stop seeing them- and yet, they will turn around and fall for these scammers. 🤦♀️
@@jodylarson4697unfortunately most of these people haven’t travelled overseas. Getting ‘stuck’ in a foreign country just doesn’t happen. Someone organised enough to lead a construction team doesn’t have banking problems. People don’t get put in jail for having an expired passport, they get deported on the next flight home.
Loneliness and grief can short-circuit critical thinking. The accent is definitely African, probably Nigerian. There is also an element of greed to many of these stories, as the scammers promise these victims great returns on their "investments", gold bars, a beautiful mansion, a glamorous lifestyle.
Im not saying this lady deserves to get scammed. But at at certain point if you're sending $150,000 overseas to a stranger that you never met, who promises to return your cash in gold bars, you kinda get what you get 😂😂😂
You have probably never experienced a deep, abiding love relationship as this woman did with her second husband and she had not gone through the "valley of the shadow" grieving for her "lost love". This cheap trickster will hopefully get his just reward in the after life because I have read many articles on the romance scammers and 95% of them to SCOT FREE. They're too hard to identify and arrest and Nigeria is an extremely poor country so they feel they are "entitled" to steal from "lovelorn" older women. Most of them are young men--well educated in Nigerian or UK universities. I speak from first-hand experience as I have been scammed (only to the tune of $2,000) by an "older type" guy (Spanish origin) and I called him a scammer too many times in the past 20 months but kept "reuniting" with him. This video cemented my resolve - NO MORE ONLINE "ROMANCE" for this chickie of some years!
I dont like victim blaming. But yeah, the accent is clearly nigerian and he claims he is norwegian, moved to the US and now having a mexican accent. Its a lot of bollocks.
@@kelliedoxiern4308 I have my PhD in physics and was one of the women I never thought I would be by staying so long with my abusive partner.. love made completely delusional
And with her being in S. Florida, it is almost certainly a Cuban accent, which sounds NOTHING like a "Mexican" accent. ETA... what she thinks she's hearing in S. Florida... not that the scammer sounds like that.
@@julienawrocki655 Then people should be allowed to sue these sites for not verifying these catfish accounts before allowing them to be posted. The lawsuits would make the dating sites change their ways quickly
I’ve battled cancer for the past two years. It looks like I’m going to beat it, but I promise you… if I die, and my husband does something this dumb with my life insurance, I’ll haunt him so badly it’ll make “The Exorcist” look like an episode of “Sesame Street”… 👻 Edit: He would NEVER. Ever.
@@Theorganizationmavenoh my gosh, thank you, but I was really just being funny! 😂 My husband is WAY too smart and WAY too good with our money to ever do something like this. It would never happen. Plus, neither one of us would look for love if the other one passed. We’ve been together since we were practically kids, and we’d never sully the memory of our true love this way. We figure we’ll go within days of each other someday, and we have our finances in order and organized so it’s as easy as possible for our kids.❤ These stories are wild. I can’t fathom why anyone would send a dime to someone they don’t even know!
Unlike some of the “scammees,” she didn’t try to stay in denial once they shared what they found. You could see how shaken she was. Her financial situation has been destroyed at an age where she’s not likely to recover from that. None of these victims are.
Sold her rental mobile for $150k and no doubt capital gains taxes were due on THAT but she sent the scammer the whole thing! That rental income is gone, and then her mortgage was in arrears and all she has now is SS checks
While I was watching this, two ‘American’ men sent me friend requests on Facebook, with obviously fake profiles. Both their profiles were created 12 days ago and only had two photos, zero friends and no information about themselves. Who falls for this???
I really think the only reason she stopped giving money is that she ran out. Then the penny dropped and she thought, what do I do now that all my money is gone and he hasn't given me one dollar back. That is a very hard way to wake up to a scam. I really don't understand how this happens but it does
Imagine being a nurse, for decades. Saving all of the money you can for retirement. Then sending it all to someone you never met from the internet. A fool and his money are soon parted.
He’s supposedly from Norway so how does he acquire a Mexican accent? Smh it’s wild how many things get looked over! Obviously that accent is from Nigeria or somewhere in Africa , that’s so sad she sold her mobile home and gave up basically everything she had for a scammer
It's pretty clear this guy is NOT Norwegian/American/Mexican. The tonality alone gives him away as African. That would not be a problem if he were straightforward. But he uses pics of an older white man. I find it very sad this woman's alarm bells failed to sound.
I'll never understand how they don't think something is off especially when the scammer brings up gold bars. WHO uses gold bars today?! Edit: I love your replies to this! 😂
It's ephemeral to them, because they don't know how gold transactions work. All the victim understands is that it's "a lot of money". They envision the typical film image of these long gold bars sitting stacked upon each other, because that's the only thing they're familiar with. Of course, one of those gold bars is about 25-lbs and worth ~$700K.
Right??? And frankly I wouldn’t want to be paid back with gold bars. I don’t know or want to learn how to mess with that lol My own could ask me for a loan to be repaid with gold bars and I’d say erm no son. Cash money 😂
Well, a lot of people do use gold to transact internationally because it is more stable than some local currencies. But the average person isn’t going to have the right knowledge surrounding laws, weights, and worth when it comes to precious metals so scammers take advantage of this ignorance and can essentially make up anything they want to align with their “situation”.
This lady's story is heartbreaking. Kudos to her for recognizing the mistake she made, for believing the team, and for realizing that she needs to grieve. I don't think she'll fall victim to a scammer again, unlike so many others who can't seem to let go of the illusion.
Homes that are largely paid for now worth a lot more these days !!! And 401k accounts & pension funds etc etc - it's older folks who mainly have those kinds of accounts ! You have to wonder just how many of these frauds there are going on right now! It's been Nigeria for many years that was the source of such schemes - so if nobody trusts Nigerians these days - there is the reason ! I'm glad to see that they are now trying to find the perpetrators - that is a good thing.
Born in Norway, grew up in the U.S and has a "Mexican" accent? The people on your videos are the MOST GULLIBLE I've seen... I really hate these scammers and how they mentally destroy these victims. I'm glad she has her kids and dogs and she can move to the healing process now ❤
To be fair there is not much to destroy. If you fall for this crap, you are very easy to fool. They are old or not good looking but are looking for young rich and good looking. Anyone with half a brain would be like I can't date shrek irl but online I can land a movie star. Clearly something ain't right with these people.
A really sympathetic woman who does not claim once, she's smart (which makes me think she actually is, but was very vulnerable at the time) did already know everything scam fish detected. A woman capable of seeing her faults and admitting errors. I applaud that. No doubt she will make good use of your help and get out of this scam. I wish her all the best.
@@SapienSafari So do I. She has a good heart and I so wish they get this criminal and make him pay her the money back. Unfortunately, I doubt this will happen.
This needs to be blasted daily on every news show and newspaper, vulnerable people need to be warned consistently about these scams. Where common sense fails maybe education works.
These people aren't watching the news or reading a newspaper, though. Or at least any that will give them factual info. They're unaware that London doesn't have devastating earthquakes; that the Taliban is Afghani (not Turkish); that soldiers aren't discharged and left stranded in foreign countries, nor do they pay out-of-pocket for healthcare or purchase their own rifles/ammo with Steam gift cards; that when citizens lose their IDs in foreign countries, their embassy/consul is where they should go...and forget the ones with celebs. You can't fix that kind of willful ignorance and stupidity via an info campaign. Maybe a daily pop-up on all chat, dating and social media sites: "If anyone asks you for money for any reason, report and block immediately."
Yeah and we only see the ones who are suspicious enough and bold enough to go through with the investigation. As she said, she was worried doing it at all would upset her fiancé so that's reason enough to stay in the dark forever.
It's just incredible that there is so much on the net about Romance scams.That people have not bothered reading. I find it difficult to feel sympathy for elderly people careless sending money to people they have never met. Mention of money Block them ..
What I don't understand: why don't these victims ask themselves why these "dream partners" don't have friends or family who can help them financially in such an (alleged) emergency situation?
That's a huge red flag right there. The scammer says he's successful, has tons of money stashed away that he can't get to right now, and yet..he has NO FRIENDS who can help him? I would definitely wonder what was wrong with that person!
I don't have anyone who would help me as I'm estranged from my family. Also some people have no one. Having said that if I'm in a financial bind I figure it out. I would be homeless before I asked a stranger for a dime! Good people don't put others (especially ones they claim to love) in a financial bind to save themselves! Also it's no one else's job to pay another adults bills! These victims should ask themselves "Would I ask an online "lover" for thousands of dollars over and over again?" If the answer is yes then that makes you a user and you deserve to get scammed! If the answer is no then tell online lover you're dying of some horrible disease and lost everything you own and are now living in a nursing home and can you please borrow 100 bucks. They'll leave skid marks disappearing!
Guardianships can be hard to get, and being a scam victim may not be enough. If it were, everyone “selling” essential oils, vitamins, etc as part of an online MLM company could be under supervision, as most end up losing money.
Hearing her story about how she mailed the iPhone to California now makes the part of one of the previous Catfished videos make sense. I'm talking about the part where the victim was receiving brand new Mac's and mailing them somewhere else as part of the scammer's "business". I never could figure out where the brand new computers were coming from. This guy is probably working multiple victims and asking for phones in a similar way.
@dashopepper, I wonder if they ever do a street view search on Google maps to see the 'business' they send things to? Sorry if that was a clumsy sentence.
Either that or as I suspect- those "Apple" computers were cheap Chinese knock-offs, if I rememebr right the victim said they were wrapped up and she was told to not unwrap them but to reship them. This victim acually paid for a freaking brand new way overpriced iPhone 13 and then mailed to someone in California to mail to the scammer in "Turkey" Should have sent a cheap flip phone instead with a "here's a phone you can use until you sell your gold bars and can afford a better one!"
One thing alot of you don't understand is that at this age loneliness is 100 times worst then you can imagine. The yearn for having someone is highly intensified. It throws off your original way of thinking. Like a child you start believing in fairy tales again. I feel so bad for her 😢I work with the older population I it's sad they are the most misunderstood vulnerable and easiest to manipulate. Not all but most...we have to protect our seniors like we do our children.
I applaud these people being brave enough to share their experiences even though they might get judge…I’m sure they are saving other people out there who may be targeted. Thank you Hedy and hope your doing well 🙏
@@pattibennett8774 I have many relatives in the medical field and that is their assessment of nurses. Also, I've interacted with many people in nursing school in the past and many of them struggle with basic math classes (such as algebra). Which show that they are less capable of abstract thinking.
My theory is it’s just that vintage of lady, older boomers- back in the 60s/70s and even 80s there weren’t that many careers readily accepting and open to women, so that’s why you’ll find most ladies this age are usually nurses and teachers- I’m not at all saying that women couldn’t have other careers, of course they could, it’s just society mostly pushed women Into ‘womens jobs’ back then (it still does now! Just not as bad! Haha)
This is the first time I’ve felt sorry for a scam victim. Her pain was so obvious and she said that she felt stupid. I don’t date online, but, I was married to a narcissistic looser who stole money from me. I divorced him 18yrs ago and I still feel stupid for not seeing him for who he was. Hedy, don’t waste your life regretting this experience, forgive yourself and move on.
Guys, seriously. If someone is actually interested in dating you, they will NEVER, EVER ask you for money prior to meeting you in person. Anyone who does so is very likely a scammer.
Some people won’t even give a homeless man or woman a dollar on the street so afraid they will allegedly spend it on drugs but will send $150,000 to someone they don’t know and have the most outlandish stories better of helping someone less fortunate
A friend of mine was contacted by a very wealthy surgeon living in the Yemen providing free services to the community but didn't have $50 for his son's birthday present. I actually had to tell her that the profile probably was not genuine - seriously?@@theartistcherrypi6454
You left out; "Hi BABY!" I'm going to book a flight to come see you soon BABY!" "Oh baby, can you send me $12,000 for my plane ticket?" "Oh BABY, I LOST my ticket when the police arrested me, BABY, can you send me $5,000 for my bail and anoter $12,000 for another flight ticket baby?"
I'm from New Zealand and even I know that accent is definitely not Mexican. To me it is clearly the accent from someone who originated from the African continent as their dialect is quite distinct. A friend of mine was scammed out of NZD750,000.00 which is around USD460,000.00 three years ago and is now living in poverty and STILL giving every dollar to online scammers she has never met. I feel this is a medical condition and mental health assistance is required but if the person going through it won't admit there is something wrong, nothing gets done. Several of my friends all tried to help including phoning her bank and the police as none of the organisations offering safety online were prepared to even listen as they did not believe us as the amount was so great. Wake up people and get help if this ever happens to you and never give even one dollar to anyone you meet online
Having worked, taught and lived on the African content for over 15 years and marrying an African I think I might know a bit more about it than you do. I will call it as I see it and you are most welcome to agree or disagree. All the best. Uyaqonda@@fluffypineapple790
OMG she told my story and I feel her pain. Mine happened when my husand died in Dec 2015 , I forgave him, but not myself. Bankrupcy happened and I had to move in with my daughter...I gave my Social security check to my daughter but I still driver Uber and Lyft and most of that went to him...I know the pain she is feeling but Ive never been able to pay for help./ Dr Phil accepted me on his show, but then a week before taping he cancelled me. Another loss!! Suicide seemed the only answer but im a coward. Im going to therapy but the pain doesnt seem to want to go away. Thanks for listening..
Oh gosh I am so sorry! The after affects sound devastating. You will heal. Therepy is a good step forward. Focus on the positived and what you still have or value worth more than money. Your daughter. X
@@dontatme319 Then you're not actually Norwegian, are you? You're from somewhere else, and is just a descendant to actual Norwegians, right? Perhaps American? It's usually Americans who go "I'm 20 % Italian" or "I'm 1/3 German", "I'm half Norwegian".
There needs to be an in-depth study done on these people. Some university psychology group should undertake it. Because there is definitely a type of person who falls for this. From what I can see they are either one of these things or a mix of them: lonely, arrogant, vain, greedy, narcissistic, selfish.
Yes I agree. ... older women from Florida and Texas seem particularly susceptible to romance scams where the scammers' heavy Nigerian accents should be an easily identifiable red flag. Too much watching Fox perhaps?? 🤔
Ah, Hedy, we all fall in love with "nobody." Then with time the illusions we've created about them fall away and harsh reality sets in. Sometimes we can still love the real person, as you did your husband.
I know, that's what we all feel. It's foolishness any a lot of ignorance about peoples true nature. But try to not comment such things. There are so many negative comments here and I wouldn't be surprised if social catfish ends up blocking comments or have less victims come forward. We all wouldnt like that. Try to keep it positive and less judgmental. ❤
How do you not recognize an African accent? Let me guess - You've spent your whole life ignoring them and pretending they don't exist. She would be shocked that the Hispanics she talks too in South Florida aren't all Mexican.
This was such a sad story. I’m only glad that she was courageous enough to discuss her situation on this channel so that someone else might see it and learn from it. Very sad.
Yes. This woman is a very good lady, it's obvious at the end. She's better than every other scam victim i've seen on this show so far, binge-watched for a few days now, seen probably 20 episodes.
Nursing schools should probably take those courses where they tell students to send money to anyone with a strange accent who calls them Queen out of the curriculum.
As a couples counselor I learned quick: Ignore what people say. Completely ignore words. Look at what they DO. Simply watch their behaviors. That's all you need to know who they are. I've never been good at hearing someone talking and knowing if it's the truth or not. But behaviors never lie, and also, the truth always comes out. Eventually.
I cried for Hedy. She's such a lovely, genuine person who was suckered by a professional who knows exactly what buttons to push. Yes, she made some rookie mistakes, but that's what happens when you haven't learned yet that _every_ stranger on the Internet is a possible (and indeed, likely) scammer. I wish Hedy the very best on her road to recovering from this terrible experience.
@@HaintblueRee yea. Especially because South Florida doesn’t have a particularly large Mexican population. It has a large Latino population but the majority are not Mexican.
I am 69 yrs old and happily married. I keep getting these friendship requests on FB , almost everyday. Absolutely gorgeous young men from UK and US. All are either doctors or Armed forces. I have a good laugh with my husband and delete . People are lonely and click on these. Poor lady.
WATCH NEXT: th-cam.com/video/7Ia6_szKRBc/w-d-xo.html We travel ALL OVER the U.S. with @TrilogyMedia to hunt down where Allen sent his $300k😳
Can you help me I have been scammed
Have fun with that!!!
What a horrible scammer! He didn’t even ask if she’s eaten or called her Queen once.
You’ve definitely watched a few of these!
Didn’t he call her babe? 😂
Lol
LOL Good one!
@mombeach ...... marvellous comment. What a b*****d ! ❤
That's the most Nigerian sounding Mexican accent I've ever heard 😂
Yes, from Norway, and lives in the US, but now is Mexican(how does that work?) yet clearly has a Nigerian accent.
lol!!
Your just jealous
Like all her friends who said the same thing
Of course it's a Mexican accent... he sounds JUST like Speedy Gonzales🤣🐭 - GO CATfish go catch that mouse!
@@susanmargaretwills6432😂😂😂
He’s from Norway, lived in the United States, and has a Mexican accent? At this point Nursing Schools need to add “avoiding romance scams after your retirement “ to the curriculum.
Yes! Not a bad idea to cover this topic in a nursing program…we studied a lot about grief; “avoiding scammers” could be added in there, too. 😅…Or, it could be part of “continuing education”, just like renewing CPR!
Facts! 😂💀😭
Different people were on shifts those days :p
It's not 24 year olds who are getting tricked by Romance Scammers... It's people in their 60s, 70...
The Graduate Nurses are usually pretty young. And we all grew up with the internet. We grew up knowing to stay away from the ice cream man and the white van with candy.
Older generations were taught to trust more openly.
My point is that even if you were serious about adding this to Nursing School Curriculum, you'd be wasting time, energy, and money.
Maybe if there were some way to require a course for Retiring Nurses... but fresh Nursing Students don't need to be told to avoid Nigerian Princes who work on oil rigs.
@@jaimexxoYeah, CEUs maybe!
And we could always try to warn widows and widowers when we come across them.
In the same way we warn them to get a Mammogram after age 50 or a Prostate Exam after 40... We younger gens could try to spread the word to our more vulnerable pts & their family.
I'm 83, bought a gift card for my nephew. The clerk at Walgreen's was so nice, making sure this old guy wasn't getting scammed.
I wasn't insulted, thought it was a good idea.
I suppose you know exactly who is you nephew 😅
First time someone buys it without being scammed lol😅
Amen. Such a shame these scammers can’t be prevented from getting to the vulnerable.
A work friend said they put “widow” in their dating profile to avoid awkward questions, and had to remove it because they were so flooded with obvious scammer replies.
haha, my father is 71 and sometimes buys me gift cards (i’m 17 for reference) and he always gets asked who he’s buying it for.😂
Just shows how often these scumbags scammers prey on people.
I really believe scam 101 needs to be taught in schools and included in AARP and Social Security pamphlets.
Won't work. These people all think they are 'special', and they are....
@@Chahlieit might work, because if you learn about the scams *before* you are vulnerable, you'll be much more likely to be wary of attention that seeks to exploit your vulnerability.
When I taught at the high school level, I taught a whole unit on different types of scams.
It needs to be talked about in commercials on television and streaming services
And an aftercare program. I can’t imagine how they feel after learning how long they’ve been in a lie.
I do not understand how these people are *told by the bank* that this IS a scam and these people continue sending money. It genuinely baffles me.
I think they get addicted to the attention. My mom was caught in a different kind of scam but the whole family told her and gave her hard facts. The person scaming her, convinced her that she was the center of the world and of course she still refused to believe us. To this day I have to stay super vigilant because once she believes some weird s..t someone is telling her, she won't believe anything else.
My company has to "fire" customers when they refuse to believe they are being scammed.
I’m so sorry this sweet lady has been scammed so badly she has a heart of gold
@@chrise.321that’s a good tactic
It's the usual pattern of an empath being reeled in by a narcissist. They're easy targets. Until they learn how to spot the red flags, they'll keep falling for them.
@@kathyhodges-ik2zk
It is alarming the number of nurses that are involved in these scams.
My mom was also a nurse and got romance scammed (a year after my dad died).
I am ashamed. You would think they would spot scamming from a mile, but I have seen a lady banker being scammed, too.
They are good hearted that's the problem i think 😅
And churchgoers.
@x.justsayin3771 I don't think so. Why did she not give her children the money? I give my children money now while I am still alive to see them benefiting from it.
The first, and most valuable thing, that this woman lost, was all of her common sense.
They never talk about the sex they enjoy!If these scammers taped them and their families found out!
Never had any.
I'm sorry but some people deserve to be scammed if they are just that ignorant and gullible.
@@jolenedehart4315 So true!
Exactly
Funny how people love giving money to people who supposedly are rich. I bet if this scammer claimed he worked at McDonald's, she wouldn't have sent him a penny.
Greedy people
He could try saying he had several McDonalds franchises.
Let's all stay away from nurses !
There is always greed involved.
@@monikabachmann4002
Not another nurse!
PNC Bank "thought she was perpetrating a fraud" and then they dropped her.
So, that means the bank told her of their concerns yet she went forward with sending him $80,000.
😑
Yes, her bank tried to help her.
She knows better of course
Already a red flag !
I keep all my Gold Bars at Jack storage and pool hall in Flushing Queens 😂
You would think that would be a big warning sign , but she put her fingers in her ears and ignored it .
"I'm an architect baby, I lay pipes" ok George Constanza, come down
Hahaha she should do the Elaine dance 💃🏻
Art Vandelay!!😂😂
🤣🤣🤣
He works at the “jerk store”
And of course there aren’t any pipe layers that live in Turkey!?! I actually feel sorry for this sweet lady. I hope she can recover and move on.
It is Weird that to me All of the scammers have very cold voices but to the victims they are sound from heaven 😮
Perception is, or can be, reality.
Exactly right. And the conversations are so mundane. How are these women so desperate? I am confounded.
His voice mail sounded like he badly read a script from a paper.
That's what gets me. Emotionless voices (sometimes even AI). I'm not great at judging these things and even I get skeeved out by the mismatch between the tone of voice and the words of love in the scripts they're reading.
I've heard the theory that they do an intentionally sloppy job so that only the most gullible victims will fall for it. They want to weed out anyone with a bit of common sense early, so as not to waste time fattening them up for the knife. What that says about how many potential victims they must find, enough that they can pick and choose, is scary to me.
@@suitov
No, the scammers don't do a bad job on purpose. They are ice-cold, they have no heart, no soul, no empathy and that's what you can hear in their voices.
Hint:
1)When you bank thinks you are involved with a scam, you probably are.
2) when you are involved in gold bars, it’s probably shady.
3) if you are sending money to someone you have never met, stop.
4) you are not in love with someone you have never met.
5) Be cautious about anyone but particularly older men who pose showing skin.
I'm in love with Jennifer Lawrence i never meet her 😂
Agree with all of these but number four. My spouse and I are from opposite sides of the world and met online via each other's blogs back in the day. We had a regular friendship for a few years that eventually developed into something more. We've now been happily married for over fifteen years. But we also had frequent video chats and made sure to meet up in person twice (once in my country for a month, once in his for a few weeks) prior to getting engaged/married.
You can definitely fall in love with someone you haven't met in person. You just have to follow certain safety guidelines to ensure that person is legit.
@@nicked_fenyx
TH-cam rarely allows for nuanced discussion.
Congrats. Sounds like a wonderful relationship. ❤️
@@nicked_fenyx Agree, I have dated several girls I have first met from online and I was deep in love with them before meeting them in person, and they were as wonderful in real. The biggest red flag is when the long distance relationship lasts years before meeting in real. If after a year they can't figure out a way to meet, I would be really suspicious.
@@abeurakadabeura Lol - I generally agree with that, but it made me laugh because my spouse and I were in an online relationship for two years before meeting up in person (and that's after the years we spent as "just friends"). I think in total it was four years from first online contact to first in-person visit. There were a variety of reasons for the delay, but we chose to play it safe with making sure we both had a chance to visit each other's country, meet each other's family, experience a bit of the other person's culture, etc before finally getting engaged/married. Those years were hard and full of many, many late night phone/video calls, but the end result was/is well worth the wait.
In general, though, you're right. The initial in-person visit shouldn't take that long. I think the biggest red flag for me in most catfishing scenarios is the refusal to video chat. Nowadays there's really no excuse for that, as very few people truly have no way to video chat (even if briefly). I can't imagine not doing everything possible to make that happen in a long distance relationship. The number of excuses these scammers come up with as to why they cannot video chat always blows my mind. Persistent refusal to video chat = no long distance relationship, imo.
I would be in bliss if I had $80grand in the bank and little pets and a safe little home with a side income. Can’t imagine putting it all in risk.
Even if the love of your life had died five months earlier, and you were devastated with grief and loneliness?
@@JehanineMelmothEspecially if that’s the case. People who fall for these scams have a predilection for it that scammers pick up on and exploit. Doesn’t matter if they’re married, single or widowed.
I can only hope I am in that position when I retire.
UEA! you could go on vacation and find love in real life, not on facebook!
@@JehanineMelmothof course!! My boyfriend passed away in my arms, I grieved him for a very long time and it never crossed my mind to pay someone for being loved. That’s desperation, not real love.
So many people get stuck in Turkey with gold bars, shocking!
And then there's that pesky Turkish Taliban...🥴😬
@@lindsayfraser7633😂
How about Germany, and Greece! 😅
@@lindsayfraser7633
I am Turkish and literally burst into laughter when the guy claimed that he was attacked by the "Turkish taliban" LMFAO! His lie was so ridiculous and so far-fetched. There is NO SUCH THING as "Turkish taliban," people, because the Republic of Turkiye was founded on secularism.
@@neee.olduuuas bayrakları
Ah, the Mexican village of Lagos, Nigeria… 😂
Village ? Mexico does have towns cities and states you know .
I let out the loudest cackle every time I hear them talk about how foreign and unique the scammers accent is. They will die on the hill that they have a European or Latino accent- then we get to hear them and it’s the heaviest of Nigerian accents 😂
💯
😂😂😂
I'm always surprised they can't tell it's a black dude. But I'm black, so maybe I have an ear for that 🤔🤷🏿♀️
I listen to hip hop and rnb, so I too have an ear for that. 😂
🤣🤣🤣🤣
Ma’am! If your bank flags something as fraud that’s a HUGE red flag
Hi hun do you want to play song pop
It's the essence of a red flag, haha!
She knows better than the bank…🙄
What do bank managers know? And adult children? (Someone I know is going through this with a parent)
There is a reason scammers often target the elderly, besides that they typically have savings.
Dementia is pretty common, and in the decade before it is apparent, a persons judgement starts to fail, and people can become too trusting.
Then add in grief, loneliness, the need for love, wanting to believe, etc. and it can happen to the vulnerable.
That is also why “scam education” often fails. Many on the channel say they are aware of scams, but say THEIR bf/gf isn’t a scam because (reasons).
“They took my wallet and my phone” and she never once considered how he was messaging her if his phone was gone? Sad.
Stupidity
he was messaging with a power of LOVE of course 😂
The dude could have said Aliens abducted him and brought him back without his wallet and phone and she would still buy it.
That’s what I thought. Do you think these stories are genuine
The man said "Turkish Taliban"...
Listened to voice for 5 seconds. Nigerian ? West African ?Unmistakable.
Peace and love to all ❤
Unmistakable to us because we hear them on nearly every episode.
Born in Norway, came to the US at age 12 and has a Mexican accent. Yeah, ok. 🙄😏🤪🤡
to us maybe, who are more familiar, after hearing these scams.... someone else.... maybe not i guess ?
So many people in these videos don't even know Nigeria is in Africa. With that kind of woeful level of education no wonder Americans are so easy to scam.
The last 5 videos have all been women getting scammed with literally the same script. I guess there is no reason for the Nigerians to change tactics when this scam gets $100,000 out of a woman.
scammers usually purchase ready-made scripts for scams.
If it ain't broke, don't fix it!
Men fall, too. According to scammers, themselves, they get more money from men. Men just don't talk about it.
I'd love to know what % of the economy scamming contributes to
@@FreeRadicals305 Where the source for that? according to BBC women loose twice as mush as men and 63% of victims are women.
The scammer I’ve seen interviewed say they prefer women as victim.
Living with her dogs sounds a lot better than sending money to some scammer
exactly, she’s surrounded by unconditional love
Amen
The minute I see these photos,it is so obvious that these men are gay.
You can't beat living with four dogs there love is as pure as it gets
It's cheaper to have a pet.
Please have an episode with a mental health professional explaining how and why people fall for scams. It would be different than just another victim talking to a scammer, and would educate people about the psychology of scams as well as the devastation victims feel after a scam. Also they could talk about how online interactions are very different than in person interations. For example, in person people will experience a "fight or flight" response when something feels off. If someone on the street came up and started asking all sorts of personal questions, they'd walk away and feel nervous about the interaction. They might not even talk to the person but someone might walk down the street or into a restaurant and immediately you get the creeps even though they don't say a word. You become more aware of your surroundings. The same parts of the brain are not triggered when communicating online so you don't "feel" the danger that you'd feel in person. So it would be great to have a different type of episode featuring a mental health professional to talk about things like this
Yes! This would be perfect for an episode!! They could also ask if certain generations are more trusting than others. I feel my generation is going to be wary old folks, yet my parents and grandparents' generation were a bit more trusting.
@@embr4065nah, this is more entertaining
Fabulous idea!
Yes need a psychologist or professional counselor to explain personality type who is targeted.
A lot of it is limerence.
Our local supermarket has a huge warning sign not to buy gift cards for strangers because it’s a scam. Must be bad if they have to warn elderly people of scams.
Sometimes my work doesn't pay my wages into my bank, they just pay me in gold bars.
😂😂😂😂 how stupid
Can you lend me just one bar? And by the way--have you eaten today?
I am stuck on an oil rig in Switzerland and have just had my wallet and phone stolen by zombies, please help!
@@elliotoliver8679so silly
That’s so funny…..me too.
I had a man ask for money once. I told him, “ That’s so funny….I was just about to ask you for money because I am broke. Do you think you can lend me $250,000.00?” I never heard from him again.
And that's the way you do it! LOL! Great response.
Classic 🤣🤣, love this for you..
😂
😂🤣😂🤣😂
Yep I did that also and got banned from the dating website!!😂 So sad how people can be so gullible 😢!
She even sold her mobile home... lawdhammercy 🤦🏽♀️😫
😂😂😂😂 I have a new swear
Lawdhammercy - Love It!! I'm going to use it too. Thanks
😂🤷🏽♀️
$130,000 dollars down the drain!
What is wrong with these people?? It’s flabbergasting to me!! In love, engaged, and giving hundreds and thousands of dollars but never even FaceTimed let alone met?? I wouldn’t even lend my husband $100,000 let alone an absolute stranger. Mind blowing how gullible and naive these people are!!!
Ya
I never stop being amazed at how gullible these people are.
They're vulnerable and in need of connection. Many are also tech illiterate.
I just don’t feel sorry for them anymore
@@spooningbards9138 yeah, I feel like there'd have to be some sort of small course on scams you'd have to finish before it would allow you to join any social platform
@@tamicox990seriously, I really don't either because this is absolutely insane. Who believes this sh*t?
I'm to the point that I'm sad so many people have such low self esteem
I am a senior citizen and whenever I get friend requests on social media, if they aren't located in my town, I know it's a scam. C'mon, ladies, you're smarter than that.
All my social media is privated with a publicly seen note that unless I actually know you in the flesh, don't bother friend requesting. Still doesn't stop the occasional attempt. I still laugh at the one who went on about how beautiful I look in my avatar picture when it's not even a photo of me but an art piece of a superhero character I like.
Unfortunately that's not good enough. You are telling others they are smarter than that, but YOU shouldn't accept friend requests from random strangers, even if they created a profile showing your town. THAT'S how they'll still get to you .. If you don't know who they are, decline. And even better to make your profile private.
@@PSmith-ie9jx Actually, I deleted my FB account in 2020, so I haven't been friending anyone for 4 years. No Twitter either. But if you can't physically meet someone that's no bueno.
Loneliness kills
@@PSmith-ie9jx Yes, that is a good point. I see if we have friends in common I look further, but even that is not fool proof! I have seen scammers clone profiles of my friends and some of my FB friends become friends of scammers.
I check out the profiles thoroughly and if they are a single good looking man with all the red flags I ban then immediately. Gotta be a fake! LOL
I am forever baffled that people blatantly ignore fraud alerts, take in these elaborate life stories, and suspend all of their disbelief to literally give everything they have to someone they have never met.
I would love to see more about the psychology of these scams. I’m sad for some of these victims because mental/emotional health issues aren’t always easy to overcome without support.
Same here. I'm curious as to makes what makes one person more susceptible to these scams more than others.
Her bank dropped her for participating in fraud but she would never do that!!!
Yet, that is exactly what she has done. Doh.
I would love to see several psychology students get together for a study for finals by studying several of these people to analyze how they think and can anyone get through to them. So many of these people turn around and continue or find someone new and start all over again. A proper study would go world wide.
Google mind control and how cults use it to recruit and fleece its members. WARNING: There's a lot of material to go through so have some food within arm's reach as you search and read.
@@SonjaElizabethTeal IMO, these poor women are so desperate for attention. And being alone, after a loved one, but....... soo sad!
I don’t think she was in love,as a widow, you are suddenly alone and it’s a vulnerable time. 😢
Grief can make people do strange things. I hope this lady gets counseling to help her with her feelings and put things in perspective.
@@elainebmackThis "lady" was pouring money into a relationship she didn't have with a man she never met - but she believed showering him with cash would do the trick. She's little better than a procuress expecting a stranger to prostitute himself at the right price.
A work colleague mentioned she put “widow” on her dating profile, to avoid awkward questions, and said she had to remove it as she was flooded with so many obvious scam replies.
Yeah, this is actually a mental disorder called limerence. People use a romantic fantasy to regulate their emotions.
@@kmm291 I agree. Immense grief can mess people's mind. I still cannot understand how falling for a picture after decades of marriage can make things better, but, hey, horses for courses....
From 500 a month, to 80,000, to ' a client had no cash so they paid me in gold bars'
These scammers must be laughing their asses off when they find a victim so dumb to believe their obviously bullshit stories.
He’s a pipe laying architect. In Turkey. With a Mexican accent from his Norwegian ancestry.
People tell me sometimes I’m too skeptical but really?
😂😂😂
🙄🤔😁😂🤣
The multimillion dollar company he allegedly worked for needed tons of cash for repairs/new equipment
He's laying pipe alright haha
I'm pretty sure these scammers often say some obvious off the walls s*** to see if the person will buy it, because at that point they know they have a live one they can squeeze a lot of money out of.
I am a nurse for almost 30 yrs. Divorced a long time ago. Am perfectly content with my 4 dogs. And my crafts. I like my money too much to give it away. I enjoy reporting scammers on POF. Lol😂
Good for you love.😅😅
I'm to mean to give any away if thay ask me for money do you know
What idd say.idd be like HOW MUCH DO YOU NEED???
Thay be 200.
Idd be AM NO!!!! LOL LET THAM WAIT A MIN THAN NO.THERE A JOKE😂
Fellow RN here. Retired after 45 years experience. I’m tired. I don’t have the energy.😂😂😂
Bad do and OK Stupid also have scam profiles
If she wants to rescue someone go to the shelter and adopt a dog and cat. You’ll receive mote love and loyalty.
Or give some money to a single mother or somebody homeless. 😖
There are genuinely poor people out there yet you suggest she give money, not to a fellow human but a dog or a cat, this says quite a bit about you
"I know a mexican accent, I live in florida". 💀💀💀💀💀 Oh honey, you sure they aren't cuban?💀💀💀💀😂😂😂😂😂
I caught that too!
As a former South Florida resident of a decade long I also thought the same, LOL.
"He's in a BAD MESS!" No, Lady. You are in a BAD MESS! (And, I haven't even watched the show yet.)
Fools who comment before watching.
Thinking the same thing!
If you watched it you would see she’s not a bad mess. This is actually quite sad
This scammer used every trick in the Scammer’s Manual - the only excuse he didn’t pull was the one about having a sick child. Even after she spoke to another woman he was scamming, she still forgave him and sent more money. Honestly, who does a job for someone and gets paid in gold bars? Even if he was real, why would you want a lover who does nothing but ask you for money? Wake up Hedy!
I guess it's with the expectation that they'll get their money back and they're onto a win with a guy who has the ways to be moneyed later on.
She did---she's still grieving for the loss of her TRUE LOVE - her second husband!
That’s my landlord. Sick child at local hospital that he’s not allowed to enter
Or so she says. So far it been a heart condition and now a brain tumor. I have zero sympathy as he could easily find out the truth if he wanted to.
The gold bar thing cracks me up....people really fall for that part of their script.
If these women were dating a man in real life and they were constantly asking for money they would call them a loser and stop seeing them- and yet, they will turn around and fall for these scammers. 🤦♀️
No they wouldn't--they'd give that real life man plenty of cash, a place to live (their place), a paid-off vehicle, new clothes, vacations, etc. etc
I agree 😂 it’s a crazy comparison
No, ugly, masculine or not confident women always splurge on men.
The storyline is so good---rich man who is trapped in a foreign country and needs help. Will pay everything back, my love.
@@jodylarson4697unfortunately most of these people haven’t travelled overseas. Getting ‘stuck’ in a foreign country just doesn’t happen.
Someone organised enough to lead a construction team doesn’t have banking problems. People don’t get put in jail for having an expired passport, they get deported on the next flight home.
Loneliness and grief can short-circuit critical thinking. The accent is definitely African, probably Nigerian. There is also an element of greed to many of these stories, as the scammers promise these victims great returns on their "investments", gold bars, a beautiful mansion, a glamorous lifestyle.
Im not saying this lady deserves to get scammed. But at at certain point if you're sending $150,000 overseas to a stranger that you never met, who promises to return your cash in gold bars, you kinda get what you get 😂😂😂
You have probably never experienced a deep, abiding love relationship as this woman did with her second husband and she had not gone through the "valley of the shadow" grieving for her "lost love". This cheap trickster will hopefully get his just reward in the after life because I have read many articles on the romance scammers and 95% of them to SCOT FREE. They're too hard to identify and arrest and Nigeria is an extremely poor country so they feel they are "entitled" to steal from "lovelorn" older women. Most of them are young men--well educated in Nigerian or UK universities. I speak from first-hand experience as I have been scammed (only to the tune of $2,000) by an "older type" guy (Spanish origin) and I called him a scammer too many times in the past 20 months but kept "reuniting" with him. This video cemented my resolve - NO MORE ONLINE "ROMANCE" for this chickie of some years!
I dont like victim blaming. But yeah, the accent is clearly nigerian and he claims he is norwegian, moved to the US and now having a mexican accent. Its a lot of bollocks.
Yep. How could you be smart enough to be a nurse but be this ignorant?
@@kelliedoxiern4308same way as many rich/highly educated people get scammed.. love confuses logic
@@kelliedoxiern4308 I have my PhD in physics and was one of the women I never thought I would be by staying so long with my abusive partner.. love made completely delusional
No one pays ANYONE with gold bars. Not architects, not military, not anybody.
Wait she said that he told her he was from Norway. But has a Mexican accent? Lord have mercy, just blew past the red flags 🚩.
And with her being in S. Florida, it is almost certainly a Cuban accent, which sounds NOTHING like a "Mexican" accent. ETA... what she thinks she's hearing in S. Florida... not that the scammer sounds like that.
Is not Mexican accent I'm Mexican and we don't have that accent
@@tormentors that’s what I was thinking too I’m from Mexico City and nope we don’t have that accent
Not all of S. Florida is Cuban--majority of landscaping crews/businesses are Mexican@@izzylopez81
Everyone but Hedy knows it Nigerian
"For some reason my bank thought I was perpetrating a con." Why in the world didn't she have a talk with them? That's a serious criminal issue.
They did, she ignored it
Oh man, I did not catch that. There is none so blind.
Because she didn’t want to hear the truth.
I know .the bank would have definitely have spoken to her before sending large amounts like these. I am beginning to wonder if these stories are true
@@lizbethruffman7915 I wondered the same.
Every social media site and dating site should have mandatory tutorials on catfishing scams before you can sign up
Even if you do people will continue to be scammed.
Dating sites would not want to push this. It would limit folks for signing up for there services therefore limiting the business cash flow.😢
@@rebeccaabel4589exactly!
@@julienawrocki655 Then people should be allowed to sue these sites for not verifying these catfish accounts before allowing them to be posted. The lawsuits would make the dating sites change their ways quickly
That's not the answer. People need to be made more aware of scams, mainly the elderly
"I know Mexican accent, I live in South Florida"... Proceeds to give all her money to the scammer...
I’ve battled cancer for the past two years. It looks like I’m going to beat it, but I promise you… if I die, and my husband does something this dumb with my life insurance, I’ll haunt him so badly it’ll make “The Exorcist” look like an episode of “Sesame Street”… 👻
Edit: He would NEVER. Ever.
Make your husband watch these episodes & have someone be in control of the money like a lawyer- so he can’t access the funds so easily.
@@Theorganizationmavenoh my gosh, thank you, but I was really just being funny! 😂 My husband is WAY too smart and WAY too good with our money to ever do something like this. It would never happen.
Plus, neither one of us would look for love if the other one passed. We’ve been together since we were practically kids, and we’d never sully the memory of our true love this way. We figure we’ll go within days of each other someday, and we have our finances in order and organized so it’s as easy as possible for our kids.❤
These stories are wild. I can’t fathom why anyone would send a dime to someone they don’t even know!
😂@@Theorganizationmaven
@@MisplacedTexanOr think that they share "love" or a "romance" wait, they have never met!
😂😂😂😂
A stranger asks for 80k and you say sure! And then you sell your home!! 🤯
What the heck? Is she nuts?
Well it starts slow then when you finally get to that point you are done so much that it doesn’t seem like much
Unlike some of the “scammees,” she didn’t try to stay in denial once they shared what they found. You could see how shaken she was. Her financial situation has been destroyed at an age where she’s not likely to recover from that. None of these victims are.
Sold her rental mobile for $150k and no doubt capital gains taxes were due on THAT but she sent the scammer the whole thing! That rental income is gone, and then her mortgage was in arrears and all she has now is SS checks
@HobbyOrganist 😢😢so sad.whether she should of known better or not it's still sad.
SS checks are nothing, this lady is in real trouble.
While I was watching this, two ‘American’ men sent me friend requests on Facebook, with obviously fake profiles. Both their profiles were created 12 days ago and only had two photos, zero friends and no information about themselves. Who falls for this???
I really think the only reason she stopped giving money is that she ran out. Then the penny dropped and she thought, what do I do now that all my money is gone and he hasn't given me one dollar back. That is a very hard way to wake up to a scam. I really don't understand how this happens but it does
Imagine being a nurse, for decades. Saving all of the money you can for retirement. Then sending it all to someone you never met from the internet. A fool and his money are soon parted.
Nursing is thankless profession
He’s supposedly from Norway so how does he acquire a Mexican accent? Smh it’s wild how many things get looked over! Obviously that accent is from Nigeria or somewhere in Africa , that’s so sad she sold her mobile home and gave up basically everything she had for a scammer
Why do they never video chat?
It’s because the average American doesn’t know any geography.
It's pretty clear this guy is NOT Norwegian/American/Mexican. The tonality alone gives him away as African. That would not be a problem if he were straightforward. But he uses pics of an older white man. I find it very sad this woman's alarm bells failed to sound.
I'll never understand how they don't think something is off especially when the scammer brings up gold bars. WHO uses gold bars today?!
Edit: I love your replies to this! 😂
It's ephemeral to them, because they don't know how gold transactions work. All the victim understands is that it's "a lot of money".
They envision the typical film image of these long gold bars sitting stacked upon each other, because that's the only thing they're familiar with. Of course, one of those gold bars is about 25-lbs and worth ~$700K.
😂😂😂😂😂
Exactly!
Right??? And frankly I wouldn’t want to be paid back with gold bars. I don’t know or want to learn how to mess with that lol My own could ask me for a loan to be repaid with gold bars and I’d say erm no son. Cash money 😂
Well, a lot of people do use gold to transact internationally because it is more stable than some local currencies. But the average person isn’t going to have the right knowledge surrounding laws, weights, and worth when it comes to precious metals so scammers take advantage of this ignorance and can essentially make up anything they want to align with their “situation”.
This lady's story is heartbreaking. Kudos to her for recognizing the mistake she made, for believing the team, and for realizing that she needs to grieve. I don't think she'll fall victim to a scammer again, unlike so many others who can't seem to let go of the illusion.
Yes, this
I could have told her she needed to grieve.
yes just like Jodie
Yes she will
@@mamacindyrogofsky495 and for free! Not 150k
I don't understand how all of these elderly people have 80 to 100k just laying around to send to a stranger.
It’s never their own money. It’s their spouses.
Homes that are largely paid for now worth a lot more these days !!! And 401k accounts & pension funds etc etc - it's older folks who mainly have those kinds of accounts ! You have to wonder just how many of these frauds there are going on right now! It's been Nigeria for many years that was the source of such schemes - so if nobody trusts Nigerians these days - there is the reason ! I'm glad to see that they are now trying to find the perpetrators - that is a good thing.
Insurance
I’m 74 and I wouldn’t send one brown penny to anyone online😡
Not their $$$$
Born in Norway, grew up in the U.S and has a "Mexican" accent? The people on your videos are the MOST GULLIBLE I've seen... I really hate these scammers and how they mentally destroy these victims. I'm glad she has her kids and dogs and she can move to the healing process now ❤
To be fair there is not much to destroy. If you fall for this crap, you are very easy to fool. They are old or not good looking but are looking for young rich and good looking. Anyone with half a brain would be like I can't date shrek irl but online I can land a movie star. Clearly something ain't right with these people.
If they ask for money it is a scam!!! Block him!!!
Immediately block and don't look back
Yes. No matter what reason he or she said.
A really sympathetic woman who does not claim once, she's smart (which makes me think she actually is, but was very vulnerable at the time) did already know everything scam fish detected. A woman capable of seeing her faults and admitting errors. I applaud that. No doubt she will make good use of your help and get out of this scam.
I wish her all the best.
Why can't a smart woman be scammed?
@@JRspeaking she can.
She’s cool. I like her.
@@SapienSafari So do I. She has a good heart and I so wish they get this criminal and make him pay her the money back. Unfortunately, I doubt this will happen.
@@JRspeaking-- it has literally never happened that one of the people who fell for these laughable scams was even SLIGHTLY intelligent.
😂😂 the only truthful thing he told her was that she doesn’t know every Mexican accent! Because S Florida is filled with Cubans NOT Mexicans 😆
This needs to be blasted daily on every news show and newspaper, vulnerable people need to be warned consistently about these scams. Where common sense fails maybe education works.
These people aren't watching the news or reading a newspaper, though. Or at least any that will give them factual info.
They're unaware that London doesn't have devastating earthquakes; that the Taliban is Afghani (not Turkish); that soldiers aren't discharged and left stranded in foreign countries, nor do they pay out-of-pocket for healthcare or purchase their own rifles/ammo with Steam gift cards; that when citizens lose their IDs in foreign countries, their embassy/consul is where they should go...and forget the ones with celebs. You can't fix that kind of willful ignorance and stupidity via an info campaign.
Maybe a daily pop-up on all chat, dating and social media sites: "If anyone asks you for money for any reason, report and block immediately."
Exactly, why not send out info about this in social security checks?
💯
Yeah and we only see the ones who are suspicious enough and bold enough to go through with the investigation. As she said, she was worried doing it at all would upset her fiancé so that's reason enough to stay in the dark forever.
@@tammychapman3150 Probably an email or text would be better because who gets a check anymore. Not that it would help.
It's just incredible that there is so much on the net about Romance scams.That people have not bothered reading. I find it difficult to feel sympathy for elderly people careless sending money to people they have never met. Mention of money Block them ..
The vast majority of Elderly people don't use the internet for more than Facebook and maybe a few games here and there if theyuse the internet at all.
I've gone one better and simply have nothing to do with men at all :)
LMAO the Turkish Taliban made me burst out in laughter🤣
Never would I send money to anyone. I'm gobsmacked that people fall for these's scams. 😮🙄
What I don't understand: why don't these victims ask themselves why these "dream partners" don't have friends or family who can help them financially in such an (alleged) emergency situation?
That's a huge red flag right there. The scammer says he's successful, has tons of money stashed away that he can't get to right now, and yet..he has NO FRIENDS who can help him? I would definitely wonder what was wrong with that person!
I don't have anyone who would help me as I'm estranged from my family. Also some people have no one. Having said that if I'm in a financial bind I figure it out. I would be homeless before I asked a stranger for a dime! Good people don't put others (especially ones they claim to love) in a financial bind to save themselves! Also it's no one else's job to pay another adults bills! These victims should ask themselves "Would I ask an online "lover" for thousands of dollars over and over again?" If the answer is yes then that makes you a user and you deserve to get scammed! If the answer is no then tell online lover you're dying of some horrible disease and lost everything you own and are now living in a nursing home and can you please borrow 100 bucks. They'll leave skid marks disappearing!
Because they feel special being needed lol
Right, or insurance or support from a consulate/ ambasies etc?
Great point…
I’m Norwegian by birth .The scammer is definitely not from Norway 🇳🇴 😂
Or American, or Mexican 😂
I think from Nigeria, a Yahoo boy
It’s a full on Nigerian African accent lol you can instantly hear it’s Nigerian etc
A Norwegian with the profile name Shin Bet? Sounds a little (((suspect))).
When they start asking for money or gift cards block them or call Catfish before you are scammed.
i play with them, giving them the wrong number on the back till they get so frustrated they leave
@@Hexighost i never get that far.
Thats the best answer yet,as soon as they ask for money,or try to get you involved with parcel acceptance,call catfish
@@Hexighostme too
Thats the best answer yet ,that includes parcel acceptance
She needs to be placed under conservatorship.
Look at her.😮
She has nothing else to give or to lose.
What’s her family doing…shouldn’t they be giving her guidance…she certainly lost all her common sense.
Is her name Britney?
Guardianships can be hard to get, and being a scam victim may not be enough. If it were, everyone “selling” essential oils, vitamins, etc as part of an online MLM company could be under supervision, as most end up losing money.
Hearing her story about how she mailed the iPhone to California now makes the part of one of the previous Catfished videos make sense. I'm talking about the part where the victim was receiving brand new Mac's and mailing them somewhere else as part of the scammer's "business". I never could figure out where the brand new computers were coming from. This guy is probably working multiple victims and asking for phones in a similar way.
It's the same as money laundering. The items are shipped to multiple destinations.
Get a load of Sherlock Holmes here.
@dashopepper,
I wonder if they ever do a street view search on Google maps to see the 'business' they send things to? Sorry if that was a clumsy sentence.
Either that or as I suspect- those "Apple" computers were cheap Chinese knock-offs, if I rememebr right the victim said they were wrapped up and she was told to not unwrap them but to reship them.
This victim acually paid for a freaking brand new way overpriced iPhone 13
and then mailed to someone in California to mail to the scammer in "Turkey"
Should have sent a cheap flip phone instead with a "here's a phone you can use until you sell your gold bars and can afford a better one!"
@@HobbyOrganist i would have
Ah yes, the good 'ole gold bars 🤣
😂😂😂😂
😆😂
She fell for everything else. Might as well sweeten the pot : (
Ah yes---the Taliban or pirates attacking the ship I'm working on
One thing alot of you don't understand is that at this age loneliness is 100 times worst then you can imagine. The yearn for having someone is highly intensified. It throws off your original way of thinking. Like a child you start believing in fairy tales again. I feel so bad for her 😢I work with the older population I it's sad they are the most misunderstood vulnerable and easiest to manipulate. Not all but most...we have to protect our seniors like we do our children.
A Norway man with a Mexican accent? Sounds legit to me. 😂
I know right 😂 it's hilarious but sad
Here we go with the gold bars again. 🤪
I applaud these people being brave enough to share their experiences even though they might get judge…I’m sure they are saving other people out there who may be targeted. Thank you Hedy and hope your doing well 🙏
Exactly!
This!.. I hate how these comment sections are just full of judgement and hate. Like the victim doesn't feel bad enough already.
How come most of the women being scammed are nurses? Strange but true.
You really don't need to be capable of significant critical thinking in order to become a nurse.
I noticed that too; it’s weird.
@@kingdele01 Really? Where did you go to nursing school?
@@pattibennett8774 I have many relatives in the medical field and that is their assessment of nurses.
Also, I've interacted with many people in nursing school in the past and many of them struggle with basic math classes (such as algebra). Which show that they are less capable of abstract thinking.
My theory is it’s just that vintage of lady, older boomers- back in the 60s/70s and even 80s there weren’t that many careers readily accepting and open to women, so that’s why you’ll find most ladies this age are usually nurses and teachers- I’m not at all saying that women couldn’t have other careers, of course they could, it’s just society mostly pushed women Into ‘womens jobs’ back then (it still does now! Just not as bad! Haha)
0:41 I’m guessing that picture was sourced from a ‘bear loving’ website 😂
yeah, i've seen his pic on here before, he's gay with a husband
I just said it. Im certain if i had seen that photo before but I can already tell this guy's beard oil is not one on the bathroom sink. Lol.
LOL I just said that!🐻
😂😂😂
This is the first time I’ve felt sorry for a scam victim. Her pain was so obvious and she said that she felt stupid. I don’t date online, but, I was married to a narcissistic looser who stole money from me. I divorced him 18yrs ago and I still feel stupid for not seeing him for who he was. Hedy, don’t waste your life regretting this experience, forgive yourself and move on.
Great message. 👍🏾
Beautiful comment
Great advice.
Lovely sentiment!
loser*
Wait... he was born in Norway and has a Mexican accent?
Seems legit already 😂
Guys, seriously. If someone is actually interested in dating you, they will NEVER, EVER ask you for money prior to meeting you in person. Anyone who does so is very likely a scammer.
He had better NEVER ask me for money...PERIOD!
Some people won’t even give a homeless man or woman a dollar on the street so afraid they will allegedly spend it on drugs but will send $150,000 to someone they don’t know and have the most outlandish stories better of helping someone less fortunate
what a great point!
Because they want romance, it's a selfishness in a way.
Ooooh this comment tho
I want that “My child’s sick, I’m trapped in a foreign country, I need money my queen” type love.
Have you eaten today?
I can give it to you! But first I need you to help me get off this oil rig 🤑
A friend of mine was contacted by a very wealthy surgeon living in the Yemen providing free services to the community but didn't have $50 for his son's birthday present. I actually had to tell her that the profile probably was not genuine - seriously?@@theartistcherrypi6454
You left out; "Hi BABY!" I'm going to book a flight to come see you soon BABY!" "Oh baby, can you send me $12,000 for my plane ticket?" "Oh BABY, I LOST my ticket when the police arrested me, BABY, can you send me $5,000 for my bail and anoter $12,000 for another flight ticket baby?"
I'm from New Zealand and even I know that accent is definitely not Mexican. To me it is clearly the accent from someone who originated from the African continent as their dialect is quite distinct. A friend of mine was scammed out of NZD750,000.00 which is around USD460,000.00 three years ago and is now living in poverty and STILL giving every dollar to online scammers she has never met. I feel this is a medical condition and mental health assistance is required but if the person going through it won't admit there is something wrong, nothing gets done. Several of my friends all tried to help including phoning her bank and the police as none of the organisations offering safety online were prepared to even listen as they did not believe us as the amount was so great. Wake up people and get help if this ever happens to you and never give even one dollar to anyone you meet online
The dialect of an entire continent is distinct? That’s a ridiculous thing to say…
Having worked, taught and lived on the African content for over 15 years and marrying an African I think I might know a bit more about it than you do. I will call it as I see it and you are most welcome to agree or disagree. All the best. Uyaqonda@@fluffypineapple790
Seems like an addiction, yes.
OMG she told my story and I feel her pain. Mine happened when my husand died in Dec 2015 , I forgave him, but not myself. Bankrupcy happened and I had to move in with my daughter...I gave my Social security check to my daughter but I still driver Uber and Lyft and most of that went to him...I know the pain she is feeling but Ive never been able to pay for help./ Dr Phil accepted me on his show, but then a week before taping he cancelled me. Another loss!! Suicide seemed the only answer but im a coward. Im going to therapy but the pain doesnt seem to want to go away. Thanks for listening..
That’s terrible. You sound very vulnerable and I hope you get therapy asap. This scam isn’t worth the end of your world
Best of wishes Barbara, stay strong, you got this!
Oh gosh I am so sorry! The after affects sound devastating. You will heal. Therepy is a good step forward. Focus on the positived and what you still have or value worth more than money. Your daughter. X
Barbara you are loved by Jesus. He can put the pieces together and bring good out of the situation.
Honey, God loves you, and He wants you to live, And Jesus died for you! ❤
If someone claims to be Norwegian (for instance). Ask them to sing the Norwegian anthem. Or say a certain phrase in Norwegian. Record it.
I’m half Norwegian and all I could manage would be hej da! And lutefisk
The women arentvthat intelligent, they want to believe everything
@@dontatme319 Then you're not actually Norwegian, are you? You're from somewhere else, and is just a descendant to actual Norwegians, right? Perhaps American? It's usually Americans who go "I'm 20 % Italian" or "I'm 1/3 German", "I'm half Norwegian".
That’s very easy. They’ll just search for it in Google.
There needs to be an in-depth study done on these people. Some university psychology group should undertake it. Because there is definitely a type of person who falls for this. From what I can see they are either one of these things or a mix of them: lonely, arrogant, vain, greedy, narcissistic, selfish.
Agreed, they having mental health problems.
All of it
and gullible/delusional
Ignorant, too.
Massive egos
People in the USA badly need to stop being so insular. "Ah loff yuh so mush". So OBVIOUS.
Yes I agree. ... older women from Florida and Texas seem particularly susceptible to romance scams where the scammers' heavy Nigerian accents should be an easily identifiable red flag.
Too much watching Fox perhaps?? 🤔
Ah, Hedy, we all fall in love with "nobody." Then with time the illusions we've created about them fall away and harsh reality sets in. Sometimes we can still love the real person, as you did your husband.
"I fell in love with nobody." That was so sad to hear.
That hurt my heart too
That was terrible...
😂😂
Bless her, its just so awful 😢
Poor lady, she breaks my heart
I know it’s been said before but if you ever think you’re dumb…just watch these victims and you’ll feel a whole lot better about yourself.
I know, that's what we all feel. It's foolishness any a lot of ignorance about peoples true nature. But try to not comment such things. There are so many negative comments here and I wouldn't be surprised if social catfish ends up blocking comments or have less victims come forward. We all wouldnt like that. Try to keep it positive and less judgmental. ❤
Best comment!
That's what we all feel? Nope--I don't
It’s so hard to feel sorry for these people when there are so many red flags they’re ignoring
I'm so dumb that I think Old McDonald is real and has a farm. 😂
How do you not recognize an African accent?
Let me guess - You've spent your whole life ignoring them and pretending they don't exist.
She would be shocked that the Hispanics she talks too in South Florida aren't all Mexican.
This lady had so many red flags that she ignored, unfortunately. I think she's one of the few who's been scammed that I really feel sorry for.
This was such a sad story. I’m only glad that she was courageous enough to discuss her situation on this channel so that someone else might see it and learn from it. Very sad.
Yes. This woman is a very good lady, it's obvious at the end. She's better than every other scam victim i've seen on this show so far, binge-watched for a few days now, seen probably 20 episodes.
Nursing schools should probably take those courses where they tell students to send money to anyone with a strange accent who calls them Queen out of the curriculum.
😂😂😂
*NOT to send
@@goddammitalana whoosh 🤣
"Have you eaten today?"
I'm a nurse and I would never😂
Suggestion: If an online stranger asks you for money, refuse to send them a dime . I guarantee that will be the last you hear from them.
Some people want to help others
@@frofrofrofro900
Then volunteer at a soup kitchen
That's all you need to do. No deniro.
Real men don't date online. 😎
As a couples counselor I learned quick: Ignore what people say. Completely ignore words. Look at what they DO. Simply watch their behaviors. That's all you need to know who they are. I've never been good at hearing someone talking and knowing if it's the truth or not. But behaviors never lie, and also, the truth always comes out. Eventually.
I cried for Hedy. She's such a lovely, genuine person who was suckered by a professional who knows exactly what buttons to push. Yes, she made some rookie mistakes, but that's what happens when you haven't learned yet that _every_ stranger on the Internet is a possible (and indeed, likely) scammer. I wish Hedy the very best on her road to recovering from this terrible experience.
Me too especially if there a nurse. My mom was a nurse and died chasing her old love
Cried for her?? Shes heartless, her "love of a lifetime dies after 35 yrs" and she falls in love 5 months after he dies?? Shes a monster
@@jeffreygeorge219 Oh yeah, I forgot only men can date again shortly after their partner passed away.
‘Cried for her’……seriously now. Get a bloody grip for goodness sake.
@@jeffreygeorge219You really don’t understand the psychology of someone who is mourning.
I never saw anyone actually laugh all the way to the bank..NOW IT’S TRUE!
Accent is not Mexican! Turkey laying pipes!😆😆
When she said I live in South Florida I talk to a lot of Mexicans….something about that comment just rubbed me the wrong way 😬.
@@HaintblueRee yea. Especially because South Florida doesn’t have a particularly large Mexican population. It has a large Latino population but the majority are not Mexican.
It's a Nigerian accent, honey. By the way, even if he was real, why would you give him all your money and assets anyway?
Because she believes that she would have to buy a man's love and keep him 'happy'--real or not
I am 69 yrs old and happily married. I keep getting these friendship requests on FB , almost everyday. Absolutely gorgeous young men from UK and US. All are either doctors or Armed forces. I have a good laugh with my husband and delete . People are lonely and click on these. Poor lady.
Your husband has one leg in the grave... Might as well explore your options.
@@azazello1784 no need. I am sure it is a SCAM and that person looks like crap. 😂😂