Scam Proof Your Life

So I was working from home one day and later in the day I decided to turn on the tv. It was 3pm and I was done with work. Actually, it was a quiet day and I didn't have much to do. Whatever, I either did work or didn't. Does this matter?

So I turn on the tv and there she is. My sister. And she was on the Oprah show. WHAT?? I know, right? WHAT?? I was in shock. But I heard about the story earlier in the year. What story? I'll tell ya.


I get on the train and there's my sister. We're rolling on the "R" train to Manhattan and we start chatting. "Blah blah blah...oh and I'm seeing this guy name Steve." I was like, "Oh really? Cool. How's that going?" She pulls out a picture of this guy. He was handsome. But my first reaction when I saw his pictures was me laughing a bit. "What? Why are you laughing?" My sister ask. "Oh nothing. It just looks like a fake picture. Is he a model or something, because most normal men don't photograph with their shirt open like that." Sure enough it was him. She had two pictures of him in her wallet. But to me it didn't seem right. "He's out in London right now working for some orphanage. He won't be here in NY for another 3 weeks. Then maybe you can meet him." She says. We get to our stop and say good bye and I would not see her for a month.

I'm walking down the block on my way home. I run into my sister and start talking to her. I eventually brought up Steve and ask if he had come to NY yet. She said no and once she said no, I had that weird feeling again. I just couldn't shake it.

Long story short, my sister had this relationship with this guy over the internet. They contacted each other and would talk over the phone. She could hear his voice. She got to know him more over the phone and through emails. She was falling in love and so was he. At least that's what he said to her.

Along the way, she started to think she was gonna end up marrying the guy and he would feed into it that he was going to. But he just needed to take care of a few things. That's when he ask her for some money. Yep, money. Now most men don't have to ask you for money, they can be lying to you just to get their jollies off, like...hmm a guy I know who is currently telling lies to an innocent, clueless woman. I'm not so sure how anyone can lie so much. I mean we all do, but come on. Anyway, this guy was lying to my sister and said he would come to NY and marry her. He made her wait 6 hours at the airport when he knew all along that he was never going to meet her.

In the end, he hurt her feelings and she was devastated. Several months later, she was on a few tv shows telling her story and then eventually ended up on Oprah. Oprah asked her some questions and my sister would tell her and the world her story.

At one point, Oprah looks at the camera and says how she wonders why anyone would think to send a stranger money, but hey, people get scammed everyday and these scammers are getting better by the day.



I felt really bad for her and feel bad for anyone out there who have gotten scammed before or who are currently getting scammed and don't know it yet. It's not always a good idea to fall in love with someone you meet on line, especially when you're in different times zones. Not that time has anything to do with it. Just that you're here and he's out there somewhere and you have no idea who this person is and their past. For all you know you think you're gonna marry the man of your dreams, but soon find out he's married and not planning on leaving his home town to live with you. It happens everyday. That's why we all need to be smart. It's not only young teenagers getting scammed. Grown women and men who are smart, get scammed. It's easy to get scammed when you think you're talking to a nice person. I mean it wasn't too long ago when a few women told me about a man that was lying to all of them. Telling them each how much he loved them and gave them some sort of hope for a relationship. It was terrible to hear how they were hurt. And til this day he is still doing the same and is currently lying to a woman in another state. I'm thinking one day, someone is gonna really hurt this man for all that he's done to them...that's if they get mad enough. If it ain't his wife that will do it, someone else will.

Be careful out there on line. There are so many wonderful people out there, but somewhere in that bunch is an asshole waiting for his prey. Just be smart. Scam Proof your life.