Follow us on these social networks
The term “catfish” has come to mean, an online imposter hooking and conniving another into thinking they are someone they aren’t and inducing the target to part with their money. Some of these are too ridiculous to believe, until we take a moment and put ourselves in the shoes/mindset of the victim. The story of “71 year-old Mort” which played out on the Dr. Phil show on 14 July 2014 (scroll down for transcript) is a prime example of how the catfish con is conducted. The culprits are preying upon the good nature and sympathy of another. Who among us would not assist an acquaintance in need, especially when a request is within reason?
Meet Mort and “Keri”
Let’s look at this case. Mort’s interlocutor described herself as wealthy, from modest origins, working class who is in a bit of a pinch financially while awaiting the legal wheels to turn so she could obtain a sizable inheritance – $2.75 million in this case. And over the course of 18 months, Mort believed this story, and corresponded with over 1500 emails and 100’s of transactions where he sent money to this person he knew as “Keri Davis.” Long story short, “Keri” provided contact and engagement to a gentleman who was alone (his wife having passed a few years prior), desired company, and had contacted someone who had appealed to his likes and aligned with is dislikes – of course, as the criminals on the other side of the equation were evolving their persona to be the most appealing and thus the most convincing to Mort.
In Mort’s case, his two adult daughters intervened, but only after he had sent more than $130,000 to “Keri” in Malaysia. How did “Keri” have Mort transfer money to her in Malaysia? She had him start by using Western Union, and to their credit, they shut Mort down in short order, banning the transfer of funds to “Keri Davis in Malaysia.’ Stymied, but not shut-down, Mort went underground, precisely where “Keri” would want Mort to be, out of sight, and out of the sights of the fiscal monitors within the US. They had Mort put money in the middle of magazines and then ship those magazines to Malaysia with case in the middle. As long as the amount transferred was under $10,000 there was no reporting requirement, but alas some of Mort’s transfers to “Keri” exceeded $10,000 and thus he was in fact breaking the law by not reporting the transfer of funds in accordance with the U.S. Treasury, Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) rules and regulations.
The artificial persona
Dr. Phil explained to Mort the likelihood of “Keri” being a real person, who had a house in South Dakota, with $2.75 million dollars waiting to be recovered in Malaysia were below “slim and none.” Dr. Phil pointed out how the picture of the individual who purported to be “Keri Davis” was the same picture of a “Galina” from Mariupol, Ukraine. Now Galina of the Ukraine, is as much a victim as Mort, as her pictures were picked up off the “interdating” website and repurposed for the purpose of populating the unnamed dating site which Mort visited and met “Keri.”
What could Mort have done to sort out the identity of “Keri?”
Mort could have taken Keri’s photo and placed it in either Google or Bing image search and learned that there were two individuals one in Malaysia via South Dakota and the other in the Ukraine using the same photos, but under two different names. Mort could have also headed the warning coming from every State Attorney General’s office across the United States which advises all persons, not to send money to any individual whose identity they are not 100 percent certain to be true, who is not well known to them (even if 1500 emails had been sent). Furthermore, in Mort’s case the con artist did not make physical contact, and maintained the charade via virtual connectivity. Mort’s daughters when they learned that he had sent thousands of dollars could, as Dr. Phil suggested, accompanied their father to meet the “new love of his life” in Malaysia. The charade would have quickly caved in upon itself.
It is repugnant to know Catfishing is ongoing, ever present across all social networks – including Facebook, Google+, Twitter and many online dating sites, and everyone is vulnerable, not just the boomers/seniors, to being targeted. With that in mind, please adhere to these basic rules:
* If a new acquaintance asks more questions then you do – be aware.
* If a new acquaintance has a family member with severe illness and need monetary assistance – be aware.
* If a new acquaintance has no pictures and no webcam – be aware.
* If you can’t verify any of the physical data on the individual – be aware.
And to be duped, is not a sign of diminished or lack of cognitive skills, as some of the brightest people in the world have been conned by skilled flim-flam men for many many years and the art has simply morphed from in-person engagement to virtual engagement.
Follow us on the social networks and receive all our updates
