My gorgeous friend who lost her husband of six months last year sent me an excited text about a guy she was talking to online.
She phoned to ask if I thought it was too soon. Apparently the guy lived in America, widowed, had a daughter, he worked offshore...yes, you see where this is going.
Anyway, I asked her to forward photos of him that he'd sent her. Of course, image reverse and he has a dozen different names on different platforms. Every name and photo I sent her, she was messaging him and she forwarded messages back to me from him saying oh he was hacked, it was an ex, blah, blah.
It's taken me all evening, despite screenshots, links to documentaries, more screenshots, for her to understand.
She's vulnerable and easy picking.
But she's blocked him!!
I said to report to Action Fraud. I hope she does.
We all need to be alert, not just ourselves but for our friends. I'm just so very glad that my friend is close enough to have told me, albeit from excitement, but that she was able to realise the truth of the scam before they started asking her for money.
Some people out there are just scum of the earth.