Expert: Marlene - 8/2/2009

Question
Hello Marlene, I have a friend that I think is getting scammed from her online internet chat friend. She says that the person is always very nice to her and makes her feel wanted and loved. The problem is that she as never met this person and he is always asking for her to send her money orders to a different country. Even know they have never met, my friend has very strong feelings for this man. What are some things to look for that these scammers do? And if they are scammers, how do I convince my friend that shes being scammed?

Answer
Hi Megan,

First of all, I commend you for the concern you have for your friend.

As far as your questions:  

These scammers are master manipulators.  They are trained very well how to scam people out of their hard-earned money.  Unfortunately, your friend is no doubt a kind-caring human being and that is the type of person these parasites prey on; they take advantage of a person's kindness.

Red flag #1:  Asking your friend to send money orders to a different country.  Why isn't this person able to take care of their own money order dilemma. Furthermore, a "normal" person does not ask a person they have never met to do such things.  Please point this out to your friend.

My advice to you is to have your friend contact me with more specifics in regard to this person that may be trying to scam her.

Kind regards,

Marlene