Scam artist or real person?

[Toastfortwo]

I am trying to work out if someone online is real or fake? They have a few sm accounts, but run duplicate accounts- two facebooks and two Twitters. They rarely post pictures of themselves. The accounts go back a few years and they post messages but most have little substance behind them. There’s no ‘nice day at the tea room with my mother and a picture of them’. This makes me think it’s fake. But the actual messages seem like it’s a real person.

I have reverse image searched to not avail but I only have access to a couple of pics.

I am in no danger of being scammed - I’m actually looking out for a friend. The friend thinks they are real. They have never video called or met in real life. Only one brief accidental video call which was cut off (I understand scammers do this too). They are not living in the same country.

What else could I do to check?

[WunWun]

Type their name in the search bar on facebook, but instead of clicking on their profile when it comes up click on the photos tab at the top. The same with posts. Then you can see any photos or posts they have been tagged in, even if they have removed the tag

[WunWun]

Do you know any other facts about them? Where they have said they live or work? Even just what industry they work in?

[Theos]

Show us who

[Toastfortwo]

They teach English. Live in Europe. They don’t use their real name on Facebook or Twitter or Instagram. They use aliases. So let’s say someone’s name is Mary Jones - they use missmagic. Or Skiingqueen. They don’t use their name and the accounts don’t show their life as such. I don’t use FB much but I may have happy birthday on my page and a picture of cocktails at a friends birthday and if you click on those people they are real. All this person posts about is music they like and their hobby (which is a non social hobby).

I have found more accounts then my friend thought they had.

[Toastfortwo]

The Facebook name is not a name - for example skiingmagic - they use two fake names or a mix of those names. Missmagic/skiingqueen/magic queen as examples. I’ve been digging and found more than my friend found 😁.

They advised ‘they don’t use SM’ then I found 40 tweets some days - all really odd. Posts like - believe in yourself. Time is a great healer. Quotes from poets. Pictures of the sky or planets etc.

Nonsense and I wouldn’t give them the time of day personally but I know some of the posters on here are really good at this type of detective work! I don’t really want to put their pic etc all over here - I think that would be awful if they are just a really private person.

[WunWun]

Yeah this 100% sounds like a scammer or someone trying to build a shitty SM following with inspirational quotes.

Not someone I would put the slightest bit of trust in.

[Nuca]

Does your friend have their phone number or just social media? You can search for a phone number on Facebook and it will show if it's linked to an account. Same with email address

I used to be an expert at finding people my friends had spoken to online dating. I managed to find one person with just his first name and the county he lived in

[Toastfortwo]

Thanks for your replies, my gut is screaming scammer. But I’m known as the cynical one.

They message very regularly (through SM). No - no phone number. They reluctantly gave an email address. The English is pretty good - errors but not many. They certainly write well (but not perfect). The messages seem real, it’s not quite ‘you are my prince’. But it’s certainly ridiculous! Lots of adoration and ‘you are wonderful’ blah blah. Not something you would normally say unless you had met in person and actually knew the person. No sexual messages despite messaging for a few months.

The SM accounts scream that the person is either extremely private (their half visible face, or face in the very distance seems attractive - so I can’t see why they wouldn’t put it on SM) or a slow burning scammer. Education is a good reason not to be on SM but my teacher friends are on SM. Their excuse is ‘I don’t use SM’ (forgetting the 40+ tweets some days).

The SM is built around a hobby. But again no face. Definitely trying to get a following.

[Toastfortwo]

I guess I don’t know why a decent looking person, in their late 20s/early 30s, who is educated and can speak a a couple of languages and has travelled the world teaching language is not happy to put their half decent looking face onto their own SM profile (which is based around a popular/mainstream hobby) when they are building a SM following. And why they have several SM accounts (which they deny having) that are full of drivel. But I’m cynical apparently.

If I met someone on line that I adored I’d be talking on my phone to them and using video calls at the very least! At 30, as a free and single person, into fitness and outdoor activities with a nice face I doubt I’d be messaging from behind a screen avoiding showing my face. But I am not into SM so maybe I am wrong?

[Toastfortwo]

@Nuca I have tried FB but nothing more than the accounts I found. I think there were about 11 friends on it. Most of whom had accounts that are locked down.
The main people on IG that comment regularly on the posts have private accounts too.
There’s one post where the potential scammer says thanks sis - I searched the hell out of the ‘sis’ again to no avail.
Some of the photos appear to be reused. Including a headless body shot (jeans and jumper) 😂.

It’s not looking great or they are very private with very private friends!