InstaScammers

I have started this blog because I like to use Instagram both for business and social reasons but I am getting sick and tired of getting messages from men (probably but who knows). Some are obvious fakes but the ones who have been doing it for a while are a bit more clever.  So I have decided to start this blog to record the guys who message, claim undying love within 5 minutes, and then ask for money or something of value.  Check them out here; I will be adding to this collection often.

These are key things to spot when trying to identify a scammer:

• Using flattering language to soften you up and make you more receptive to their "charms"
• Often are widowed; their wife usually died in really tragic circumstances
• If not widowed then they will be at the least divorced or separated
• They often have at least one or two children
• They are often in the US Military, posted in Afghanistan, Syria and I have seen Libya used too
• If they are not in the military they may well be assigned to it in a different profession eg doctor
• If not in the military, the oil and petroleum business is popular - I have had an oil rig worker, constructors of oil grids etc - all seem very dubious when you ask them what their job really entails
• They could pose as an engineer of some kind - I have had oil industry, construction, road building and computer (with this one I did wonder if engineer was another term for scammer!)
• Within a very short space of time when messaging you they will want you to leave Instagram and contact them on Hangouts, Kik, WhatsApp, wherever they can make direct messages, phone calls or video calls
• They will soon be falling in love with you and asking you to send pictures of yourself which they then continue to compliment in an increasingly flattering way
• They will quite quickly ask you to wire them money usually via Western Union or by buying iTunes gift cards (you scratch off the voucher number, photo it, send it and they either spend it or sell it on for cash in their currency)
• Use of the word 'alaye' - this word appears in similar forms and uses in several different African languages.  It seems to mean information and is often dropped into a conversation to mean good information, ok, good to know. This is a clear indicator to me that I am being messaged by a scammer.  One particular one forgot himself about 3 messages into the conversation and got himself blocked and reported very early doors indeed.
• Offer minimal answers to the same questions asked
• Often answer with one or two word answers - to keep the conversation with you going whilst having the same conversations with other people they are trying to scam. It gets difficult maintaining a lot of conversations at the same time so they will answer minimally, say they have something to do like go on patrol, or say the connection is weak.

If your gut instinct is telling you the person is a fake then trust your gut. Get them blocked and reported on Instagram or whichever platform you are communicating with them on.  Never send any intimate or revealing photos of yourself because the person may well use them to blackmail you in the future, sell them on or pass them on to who knows who, who knows where.  Once sent, in good faith, they will be out there on the internet accessible by anyone, at anytime and from any place.