Toying with a scammer

[corndog]

So, I ran across this ad: https://rentmasseur.com/branc

 

There were all kinds of red flags: it had just been posted, it listed three cities (Santa Fe, New Orleans, and Ft. Lauderdale) simultaneously, and google image search linked the photos to a guy in Brazil who's facebook page (and real name) was easy to find.

 

Faced with a little boredom, and a fair amount of curiosity, I decided to engage. I've got some apps on my phone that provide free "burner" phone numbers which are great for fishing expeditions like this one (Apps are TextFree, TextMe and TextNow). I, of course, was also secretly hoping that this hot guy was for real.

 

The first number I texted him from was a 504 area code, which is New Orleans, one of the cities listed in his ad. At this point, I was giving him the benefit of the doubt and when he immediately asked if I was in New Orleans, I said yes, and asked him where he was. "Downtown" was his reply, which is conveniently generic, but a little odd since, in New Orleans, we don't usually say "downtown," we say "the central business district" or "the CBD." He quickly followed up with a specific hotel address which is, I believe, the exact closest hotel to the center point of New Orleans on a map.

 

I had discovered the real name of the guy in the photos, so I asked him "Are you really (real name here)?" That shut down the conversation.

 

Less than a day later, I decided to try again, but this time I was already quite sure he was a scam artist and was just trying to learn more. I used a Florida area code this time, and started by inquiring about his location. "Downtown" he replied, vaguely. "Ft. Lauderdale?" I responded, and then he quickly provided a specific hotel and address: a Hampton Inn very close to the geographical center of Ft. Lauderdale. I wanted to waste a little bit more of his (or her) time, so I started asking questions about the services and activities offered. For each question, I was given the answer that he thought I was looking for. Since he would never actually meet, he could promise the world. I asked for more pictures, nude pictures, etc. All were forthcoming, but, of course, in the nude photos, you couldn't really tell whether it was the same guy.

 

Once I had convinced him that I was really horny, I asked if he was available now--he was. I told him I would take a quick shower and be there within an hour.

 

He was sure he had me hooked, so then he drops the bomb: He asks if, on my way over, I could stop at a Walgreens, CVS, etc. to pick up some iTunes gift cards for him. He specifies that he wants one $100 card, one $50 card, and I can pay him the remaining $50 in cash. "OK," I reply, "I'll take a quick shower and head over."

 

About 45 minutes later, I texted him that I had arrived at his hotel. As I expected, he told me to scratch off the cards and send him pictures of the codes. I searched google for images of iTunes gift cards, which were easy to find, but of course they were already redeemed, so they didn't work for him. I knew that I'd taken this about as far as I could, but I sent him images of more (worthless) cards just to waste as much time as possible. Surprisingly, he was very slow to give up, and kept asking me to send "real" cards. Then, ironically, he seemed to get mad that I was trying to fool him with fake cards.

 

The next day, I decided that I was in Santa Fe, NM. I texted him with a new number. Again, I started by trying to suss out his location. He was evasive, just claiming to be "downtown" and turning around the questions so that I would name the city. Once I revealed that it was Santa Fe, he immediately texted me an exact location, just like before. I was impressed that he had traveled from New Orleans to Ft. Lauderdale to Santa Fe within the course of about two days!

 

Once again, I offered to come right over, and he was immediately available! And then, the same pitch for iTunes cards, and in fact, the same specific request for one $100 card and one $50 card and $50 in cash. Since I knew he was going to ask me to send pictures of the codes, when he did, I asked if I could just give them to him in person, and said "don't you trust me? I'm an honest guy." He said that he needed to see the codes. I asked "what if you don't show up?" He said "I'm honest in my job." So, apparently my assurance that I'm an honest guy didn't cut it, but I was supposed to accept his honesty without question. It was all a game, but I was really hoping he'd play better.

 

I sent him the exact same images that I'd sent the day before. Oddly, he didn't seem to recognize the images, or realize that I'd put him through a similar exercise less than 24 hours earlier. This makes me wonder if this isn't an individual scammer, but some kind of organization that is staffed like a call center, perhaps in some far-away land.

 

At the end of this, once I knew it wasn't going much further, I asked him how he was able to be in New Orleans, Ft. Lauderdale, and Santa Fe in such a short time. He responded "I can travel over there for service." He seemed to be implying that he could just bop over to any of these places on a moment's notice. To me, this is another clue that he's in another country, perhaps a small country, so he doesn't understand that you can't be in Ft. Lauderdale one moment and Santa Fe a short while later.

 

So, what's the point of all this? Mostly, I suppose, a waste of my time. But, I think it helps us all to understand the patterns of these scammers who are out to victimize us. Hopefully, it goes without saying that you should never send anyone the codes from gift cards. And, maybe, just maybe, if we waste enough of these crooks' time, they'll find some other targets and leave us alone.

[+ azdr0710]

thanks for this, @corndog.....and though his "home" is Estonia, the text ad is in Portuguese!.....I'd sorta forgotten about the gift card code scam......great reminder for all of us.......stories like this should be forum "stickies", I'd think........

Edited December 29, 2018 by azdr0710

[HotWhiteThirties]

Well done, sir.

 

Yeah, when you read feedback from or speak with folks who’ve visited the US from overseas, one of the first things you’ll hear about (besides the tipping* practices) is how vast the country is. The idea of just whipping from Santa Fe to NOLA to FTL is evidence of someone who lacks experience to know.

 

(*As an aside, I kept trying to type “tipping,” but repeatedly kept hitting the “o” instead of the “i” on my touch screen, QWERTY keyboard on my iPhone. Which, of course, means if I hadn’t caught it, the parenthetical statement would have said “besides the TOPPING practices.” How apropos considering this audience. ???)

Edited December 30, 2018 by HotWhiteThirties

[Guest Lonlyboy]

I really enjoyed this. While it may have been a waste of your time so to speak it was very entertaining. Therefore I don't think you wasted your time at all

[EastbayMike]

Do guys really fall for this scam? It seems way too obvious.

Edited July 5, 2020 by EastbayMike

[marylander1940]

So, I ran across this ad: https://rentmasseur.com/branc

 

There were all kinds of red flags: it had just been posted, it listed three cities (Santa Fe, New Orleans, and Ft. Lauderdale) simultaneously, and google image search linked the photos to a guy in Brazil who's facebook page (and real name) was easy to find.

 

Faced with a little boredom, and a fair amount of curiosity, I decided to engage. I've got some apps on my phone that provide free "burner" phone numbers which are great for fishing expeditions like this one (Apps are TextFree, TextMe and TextNow). I, of course, was also secretly hoping that this hot guy was for real.

 

The first number I texted him from was a 504 area code, which is New Orleans, one of the cities listed in his ad. At this point, I was giving him the benefit of the doubt and when he immediately asked if I was in New Orleans, I said yes, and asked him where he was. "Downtown" was his reply, which is conveniently generic, but a little odd since, in New Orleans, we don't usually say "downtown," we say "the central business district" or "the CBD." He quickly followed up with a specific hotel address which is, I believe, the exact closest hotel to the center point of New Orleans on a map.

 

I had discovered the real name of the guy in the photos, so I asked him "Are you really (real name here)?" That shut down the conversation.

 

Less than a day later, I decided to try again, but this time I was already quite sure he was a scam artist and was just trying to learn more. I used a Florida area code this time, and started by inquiring about his location. "Downtown" he replied, vaguely. "Ft. Lauderdale?" I responded, and then he quickly provided a specific hotel and address: a Hampton Inn very close to the geographical center of Ft. Lauderdale. I wanted to waste a little bit more of his (or her) time, so I started asking questions about the services and activities offered. For each question, I was given the answer that he thought I was looking for. Since he would never actually meet, he could promise the world. I asked for more pictures, nude pictures, etc. All were forthcoming, but, of course, in the nude photos, you couldn't really tell whether it was the same guy.

 

Once I had convinced him that I was really horny, I asked if he was available now--he was. I told him I would take a quick shower and be there within an hour.

 

He was sure he had me hooked, so then he drops the bomb: He asks if, on my way over, I could stop at a Walgreens, CVS, etc. to pick up some iTunes gift cards for him. He specifies that he wants one $100 card, one $50 card, and I can pay him the remaining $50 in cash. "OK," I reply, "I'll take a quick shower and head over."

 

About 45 minutes later, I texted him that I had arrived at his hotel. As I expected, he told me to scratch off the cards and send him pictures of the codes. I searched google for images of iTunes gift cards, which were easy to find, but of course they were already redeemed, so they didn't work for him. I knew that I'd taken this about as far as I could, but I sent him images of more (worthless) cards just to waste as much time as possible. Surprisingly, he was very slow to give up, and kept asking me to send "real" cards. Then, ironically, he seemed to get mad that I was trying to fool him with fake cards.

 

The next day, I decided that I was in Santa Fe, NM. I texted him with a new number. Again, I started by trying to suss out his location. He was evasive, just claiming to be "downtown" and turning around the questions so that I would name the city. Once I revealed that it was Santa Fe, he immediately texted me an exact location, just like before. I was impressed that he had traveled from New Orleans to Ft. Lauderdale to Santa Fe within the course of about two days!

 

Once again, I offered to come right over, and he was immediately available! And then, the same pitch for iTunes cards, and in fact, the same specific request for one $100 card and one $50 card and $50 in cash. Since I knew he was going to ask me to send pictures of the codes, when he did, I asked if I could just give them to him in person, and said "don't you trust me? I'm an honest guy." He said that he needed to see the codes. I asked "what if you don't show up?" He said "I'm honest in my job." So, apparently my assurance that I'm an honest guy didn't cut it, but I was supposed to accept his honesty without question. It was all a game, but I was really hoping he'd play better.

 

I sent him the exact same images that I'd sent the day before. Oddly, he didn't seem to recognize the images, or realize that I'd put him through a similar exercise less than 24 hours earlier. This makes me wonder if this isn't an individual scammer, but some kind of organization that is staffed like a call center, perhaps in some far-away land.

 

At the end of this, once I knew it wasn't going much further, I asked him how he was able to be in New Orleans, Ft. Lauderdale, and Santa Fe in such a short time. He responded "I can travel over there for service." He seemed to be implying that he could just bop over to any of these places on a moment's notice. To me, this is another clue that he's in another country, perhaps a small country, so he doesn't understand that you can't be in Ft. Lauderdale one moment and Santa Fe a short while later.

 

So, what's the point of all this? Mostly, I suppose, a waste of my time. But, I think it helps us all to understand the patterns of these scammers who are out to victimize us. Hopefully, it goes without saying that you should never send anyone the codes from gift cards. And, maybe, just maybe, if we waste enough of these crooks' time, they'll find some other targets and leave us alone.

 

I got 2 new jobs for you!

 

 

and

 

[+ GregM]

I'm a lil slow but why would he want iTunes cards?

 

Hugs,

Greg

[Rudynate]

I'm a lil slow but why would he want iTunes cards?

 

Hugs,

Greg

 

 

They always seem to ask for iTunes cards.

[510guy]

I'm a lil slow but why would he want iTunes cards?

 

Hugs,

Greg

 

It's the closest equivalent to a money order.

 

1) it's untraceable

2) once you have the code from the card you can use it no way of cancelling and get money back

3) there are a lot of iPhones and apples out there so you can use it to buy things.

[rvwnsd]

...So, what's the point of all this? Mostly, I suppose, a waste of my time. But, I think it helps us all to understand the patterns of these scammers who are out to victimize us. Hopefully, it goes without saying that you should never send anyone the codes from gift cards. And, maybe, just maybe, if we waste enough of these crooks' time, they'll find some other targets and leave us alone.

When you consider the "quality" of most television shows it sounds like you did a better job of entertaining yourself than Hollywood ever could..

[+ Keith30309]

It's the closest equivalent to a money order.

 

1) it's untraceable

2) once you have the code from the card you can use it no way of cancelling and get money back

3) there are a lot of iPhones and apples out there so you can use it to buy things.

And you can gift them to a third party, directly or indirectly

 

I met a guy on SA who was scammed for $1300 and the scammer wanted iTunes cards. I’ve heard about the iTunes card request from others.

[+ Pensant]

Highly amusing...and thanks for the apps suggestions!

[+ azdr0710]

Try this:

 

 

 

great!!.....but this country-bumpkin Yank didn't understand his apparently funny line at 4:43 to 4:46......."often........"-something??........

 

did anybody get that??......thanks

[rogerG]

@corndog

You've taken a peculiar form of entertainment and turned it into something helpful. The more scams that are exposed, the easier we can spot them when they're about to touch us. Thank you.

[LoveNDino]

great!!.....but this country-bumpkin Yank didn't understand his apparently funny line at 4:43 to 4:46......."often........"-something??........

 

did anybody get that??......thanks

...Prosecco in Aldi is better than the one at Waitrose...

 

I think, is like saying, the Prosecco in Kroger is better than the one at Whole Foods?

[caliguy]

Ha. That reminds me of my own experience of dealing with scammers. Microsoft apparently found a dangerous virus on my computer and went to the trouble to send me an alert to call them immediately. Of course they were the virus. I did call the number and talked to some dude with a very heavy Indian accent named Tom. I toyed with Tom for like 15 minutes playing real stupid. At the end I told him the deal and Tom proceeded to call me every name in the book and promise to murder my family while he was at it. Of course I just laughed.

[rvwnsd]

...Prosecco in Aldi is better than the one at Waitrose...

 

I think, is like saying, the Prosecco in Kroger is better than the one at Whole Foods?

Hey @LoveNDino - we have Aldi (the discount food store that stocks private label products that are usually better than nationally-known brands) in many, but not all, parts of the US. It would be like saying "Prosecco at Trader Joe's is better than the one at Whole Foods" or "Prosecco at Walmart is better than the one at Kroger."

[caliguy]

I got 2 new jobs for you!

 

 

and

 

That was a great show. Him playing the Nigerian scammers was priceless. That and to catch a predator I loved. Would you like some sweet tea. Ha

[marylander1940]

That was a great show. Him playing the Nigerian scammers was priceless. That and to catch a predator I loved. Would you like some sweet tea. Ha

 

They should do more of them. I love this kind of entrapment style shows, I just wonder how much of them is real.

[+ azdr0710]

Would you like some sweet tea. Ha

 

 

[caliguy]

They should do more of them. I love this kind of entrapment style shows, I just wonder how much of them is real.

Oh it's real. One time they went over to the guy's house. Apparently he was smart enough to back out but they still went over to confront him. While they were standing outside he shot himself. You could hear the gun go off. He was a prosecutor so I guess they just couldn't resist that story. I kind of thought they went overboard on that one. Otherwise it was a great show.

[+ azdr0710]

well, sorry to get all serious, but this just showed up on the news.......

 

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/he-lures-alleged-child-predators-shames-them-facebook-now-one-n953856

[corndog]

well, sorry to get all serious, but this just showed up on the news...

Are you suggesting that there is a parallel between privately harassing a scammer and publicly shaming a child predator?

[marylander1940]

Are you suggesting that there is a parallel between privately harassing a scammer and publicly shaming a child predator?

 

I don't what @azdr0710 meant with his post but I think more folks need act like you did. You pretty much entrapped a scammer.

[+ azdr0710]

Are you suggesting that there is a parallel between privately harassing a scammer and publicly shaming a child predator?

 

easy there, corndog.......since the thread had already partly turned to the ol' "To Catch A Predator" theme, I thought this related news today would be interesting to some.....an example of how well-intentioned entrapment can have consequences

Edited January 2, 2019 by azdr0710