Scammed Again

[+ Gar1eth]

So I have the hook-up app Growlr. For those who aren't familiar with it, it's the Bear equivalent of Grindr ( what is it with the elision of the letter 'e' in these apps?). So a guy with a faceless profile who is supposedly in Atlanta, Ga, but whom the app shows me is 7400 miles away, messages me out of the blue. He sends a face picture, and he says hello. I ask him why if he's in Atlanta does the app show him to be 7400 miles away. He says he's deployed. I ask where. He says Afghanistan. He tells me he is looking for 'someone to share his life with'. I have no problem with this. I often open up conversations on hook-up apps with this same line within the first minute of chatting with someone (note to self- is it possible that my dismal response rate on hook-up apps is because I am coming on too strong and scaring potential mates and Friends-with-Bennies away---NAH COULDN'T BE.)

 

Now my naive and innocent heart wants to believe this good-looking, clean cut guy wants to be my Knight in Shining Armor ( or a Knight in Shining Camos would be good too). But I don't know. There is this thought- I know it's preposterous- but could this possibly be a scam? I'm sure this 100% all-American Boy is totally honest. But I can't quiet my unworthy thoughts of whether this could be a scam.

 

Finally I ask him how the weather is in Afghanistan. He says very nice! I ask him what the temperature is. He replies 22. Now usually people don't think weather 10 degrees below freezing is that pleasant. Who knew Afghanistan even got that cold in the summer?

 

Gently , because I didn't want to break the poor guy's heart when he was so attracted to me, I told him I didn't think it would work out.

 

Gman

[TruHart1]

22 centigrade = 71.6 fahrenheit

 

...Now my naive and innocent heart wants to believe this good-looking, clean cut guy wants to be my Knight in Shining Armor ( or a Knight in Shining Camos would be good too). But I don't know. There is this thought- I know it's preposterous- but could this possibly be a scam? I'm sure this 100% all-American Boy is totally honest. But I can't quiet my unworthy thoughts of whether this could be a scam.

 

Finally I ask him how the weather is in Afghanistan. He says very nice! I ask him what the temperature is. He replies 22. Now usually people don't think weather 10 degrees below freezing is that pleasant. Who knew Afghanistan even got that cold in the summer?

 

Gently , because I didn't want to break the poor guy's heart when he was so attracted to me, I told him I didn't think it would work out.

 

Gman

 

Hey Gman,

 

Maybe he was using centigrade? 22 centigrade is about 72 fahrenheit! Sorry you missed you Knight in shining camo's!!!

 

TruHart1

[+ Gar1eth]

So I have the hook-up app Growlr. For those who aren't familiar with it, it's the Bear equivalent of Grindr ( what is it with the elision of the letter 'e' in these apps?). So a guy with a faceless profile who is supposedly in Atlanta, Ga, but whom the app shows me is 7400 miles away, messages me out of the blue. He sends a face picture, and he says hello. I ask him why if he's in Atlanta does the app show him to be 7400 miles away. He says he's deployed. I ask where. He says Afghanistan. He tells me he is looking for 'someone to share his life with'. I have no problem with this. I often open up conversations on hook-up apps with this same line within the first minute of chatting with someone (note to self- is it possible that my dismal response rate on hook-up apps is because I am coming on too strong and scaring potential mates and Friends-with-Bennies away---NAH COULDN'T BE.)

 

Now my naive and innocent heart wants to believe this good-looking, clean cut guy wants to be my Knight in Shining Armor ( or a Knight in Shining Camos would be good too). But I don't know. There is this thought- I know it's preposterous- but could this possibly be a scam? I'm sure this 100% all-American Boy is totally honest. But I can't quiet my unworthy thoughts of whether this could be a scam.

 

Finally I ask him how the weather is in Afghanistan. He says very nice! I ask him what the temperature is. He replies 22. Now usually people don't think weather 10 degrees below freezing is that pleasant. Who knew Afghanistan even got that cold in the summer?

 

Gently , because I didn't want to break the poor guy's heart when he was so attracted to me, I told him I didn't think it would work out.

 

Gman

 

Hey Gman,

 

Maybe he was using centigrade? 22 centigrade is about 72 fahrenheit! Sorry you missed you Knight in shining camo's!!!

 

TruHart1

 

I think that was my point. In fact I know that was my point. It was a trick question. Would an American soldier use Celsius? ( the modern preferred name for Centigrade).

 

Gman

[TruHart1]

I think that was my point. In fact I know that was my point. It was a trick question. Would an American soldier use Celsius? ( the modern preferred name for Centigrade).

 

Gman

 

OIC...I guess that flew right over my head, although if everybody in the location a soldier was stationed used Celsius, wouldn't he?

 

TruHart1

[+ Gar1eth]

I think that was my point. In fact I know that was my point. It was a trick question. Would an American soldier use Celsius? ( the modern preferred name for Centigrade).

 

Gman

 

OIC...I guess that flew right over my head, although if everybody in the location a soldier was stationed used Celsius, wouldn't he?

 

TruHart1

 

But even then, as an American knowing that I'm an American who is likely ignorant of Celsius,wouldn't an average American soldier have naturally said- that's about 72 degrees Fahrenheit?

 

Gman

[Guest Starbuck]

Gman, I think you are in OHIO ... and if you Google the distance from there to Afghanistan, I think it IS about 7,000 or so miles ... so ... just maybe ...

[Steven_Draker]

It was 22 at 23:30 in Kabul.

 

Over and out.

[marylander1940]

But even then, as an American knowing that I'm an American who is likely ignorant of Celsius,wouldn't an average American soldier have naturally said- that's about 72 degrees Fahrenheit?

 

Gman

 

In the army the metric and Celsius system 90% of the time at least, even inside the country. Why? Because it's easier.

 

Knowing that in the Northern hemisphere it's summer, did you ask him if he was using the Celsius of Fahrenheit system?

Besides, Afghanistan is full of mountains: "how's the weather in Afghanistan?" is as naive as "how's the weather in Western Europe?".

 

Did you send him a clear picture of your face and body?

 

It was 22 at 23:30 in Kabul

 

Over and out.

 

Exactly! At night... maybe during the day it was 39c (101f)

[+ Gar1eth]

In the army the metric and Celsius system 90% of the time at least, even inside the country. Why? Because it's easier.

 

Knowing that in the Northern hemisphere it's summer, did you ask him if he was using the Celsius of Fahrenheit system?

Besides, Afghanistan is full of mountains: "how's the weather in Afghanistan?" is as naive as "how's the weather in Western Europe?".

 

Did you send him a clear picture of your face and body?

 

 

 

Exactly! At night... maybe during the day it was 39c (101f)

 

It was obviously a scam. I asked the question because I assumed as a scam he would give me the temperature in Celsius. The fact that within the 1st few texts he was telling me he wanted a life partner is another indication. The majority of people on these apps- even if they really want a life partner- are usually smart enough to not state that as their goal within the 1st three texts that they send. While there is a chance that the guy was on the up-and -up, the probability is so small as to be almost a certainty that it was a scam.

 

Gman

[Diverdan]

Me thinks you are over thinking it.... why not chat for a few days and see what develops? You shut him down after only one or three attempts and with a crazy question to boot? It may be a scam or someone trying to get their jollies, but I don't think you really know that based on what you have posted here.

[+ Gar1eth]

Me thinks you are over thinking it.... why not chat for a few days and see what develops? You shut him down after only one or three attempts and with a crazy question to boot? It may be a scam or someone trying to get their jollies, but I don't think you really know that based on what you have posted here.

 

From my limited experience on the hook-up apps, and from looking up similar lonely heart scams online- this was a scam. The only ones who seem to declare their wish almost immediately for a life partner are scams and guys with profiles from places like Bali and Malaysia. But those are very likely scams too. I texted the entire story to a friend of mine who has been on the apps a lot longer than I have, and his opinion was the same.

 

 

Gman

[maninsoma]

I think it's a scam, too, but not because of the weather question. I just don't know why someone who is several thousand miles away would be using a mobile pick-up app to find the love of his life.

[Lookin]

It was 22 at 23:30 in Kabul.

 

Over and out.

 

 

Good one! http://www.boytoy.com/forums/public/style_emoticons/default/thumbsup.png

[+ FreshFluff]

Me thinks you are over thinking it.... why not chat for a few days and see what develops?

 

I'm not Gareth, but I'd answer, "It hurts to get one's hopes up and have them dashed. Sure, it's worth taking that chance if someone seems to be for real. But if he already seems like a fake at the start, then one might want to think twice."

 

Of course, that doesn't apply to those looking for NSA sex rather than a relationship.

[+ sf westcoaster]

Gman, it is time to get real with your expectations!

[+ Gar1eth]

Gman, it is time to get real with your expectations!

 

My expectations are fairly 'real'. Even if this guy had been true, the chances that a relationship would have worked out is almost nil.

 

Gman

[instudiocity]

My expectations are fairly 'real'. Even if this guy had been true, the chances that a relationship would have worked out is almost nil.

 

Gman

duh. 7400 miles requires one hella long penis. How long would his esophagus need to be to contain his tongue when not licking your rosebud?

[jgoo]

Try setting up a video skype session with him and see what he says. Lots of excuses and reasons he can't would tell me all I needed to know.

 

As an aside, I chat with an American overseas on a regular basis and anytime we talk about weather he always uses Celsius. And I know this person is an expat originally from Chicago and is legit. So just saying that one piece doesn't complete the puzzle, at least for me.

[Steven_Draker]

As an aside, I chat with an American overseas on a regular basis and anytime we talk about weather he always uses Celsius.

 

When I'm in the US, I use Fahrenheit and when I'm in Europe, I use Celsius. It's much easier to use the scale everyone around you uses.

 

When I Skype with friends in Europe, while I'm in the US, I have to think twice and convert F degrees into Celsius. It doesn't come automatically.

[+ Funguy]

When I'm in the US, I use Fahrenheit and when I'm in Europe, I use Celsius. It's much easier to use the scale everyone around you uses.

 

When I Skype with friends in Europe, while I'm in the US, I have to think twice and convert F degrees into Celsius. It doesn't come automatically.

[/color]

 

BTW…when are you coming to the US?