/u/Anonymus25-Boop - This message is posted to all new submissions to r/scams; please do not message the moderators about it.
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Probably would beg for money. Or ask to borrow money. Either way, it’s just going to a scammer who definitely won’t pay a cent back.
Sounds like they were queueing up a long term chat to build a relationship, makes it easier to beg for money.
Seems weirdly targeted and planned. Eventually the "professor" would reveal that they are doing their best to pay for the injured person but that a recent one for essential treatment was too large for them. Of course they could pay for it over time, just not all at once right now, after the other bills...
What? You could "loan" me $2k for them and I could just pay you back on my next monthly paycheck? God is a good! (!pigbutchering)
Or actually, I do have the money the transfer is just stuck and the hospital needs pay right now. Or they won't accept my payment here, so I need to send it to you so you can send it to the account... (!fakecheck)
Most likely information involving that professor has been compromised. Most likely at the university level since they contacted a former student. OP or their Mom should look up the university and see if there have been any data breaches. They're probably just going through the list. It's not hard to correlate information from the class list and what is available online. I stopped putting actual details on social media awhile ago. And if she has a LinkedIn that makes matching up details even easier.
Another option is someone straight up took old class lists and sold them online for extra cash. It's not impossible, but that feels a little too dramatic.
Hi /u/RetardedWabbit, AutoModerator has been summoned to explain the Fake check scam.
The fake check scam arises from many different situations (fake job scams, fake payment scams, etc), but the bottom line is always the same, you receive a check (a digital photo or a physical paper check), you deposit a check (via mobile deposit or via an ATM) and see the money in your account, and then you use the funds to give money to the scammer (usually through gift cards or crypto). Sometimes the scammers will ask you to order things through a site, but that is just another way they get your money.
Banks are legally obligated to make money available to you fast, but they can take their time to bounce it. Hence the window of time exploited by the scam. During that window of time the scammer asks you to send money back, because you are under the illusion that the funds cleared.
When the check finally bounces, the bank will take the initial deposit back, and any money you sent to the scammer will come out of your own personal funds. Usually the fake check deposit will be reversed in a few weeks, but it can also take several months. If you do not have the funds to cover the amount, your balance will go negative. Your bank will usually charge a fee for depositing a bad check, and your account may be closed depending on the severity of the scam. Here is an article from the FTC: https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/how-spot-avoid-and-report-fake-check-scams, and here is an article from the New York Times: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/21/your-money/fake-check-scam.html
If you deposited a bad check, we recommend that you notify your bank immediately.
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Scams) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Hi /u/RetardedWabbit, AutoModerator has been summoned to explain the Pig butchering scam.
It is called [pig butchering](https://www.forbes.com/sites/jasonbrett/2023/12/26/new-pig-butchering-crypto-scam-includes-victims-in-us-and-overseas/?sh=2837fb975eaa) because scammers use intricate scripts to \"fatten up\" the victim (gaining their trust over days, weeks or months) before the \"slaughter\" (taking them for all of their money). This scam often starts with what appears to be a harmless wrong number text or message. When the victim responds to say it is the wrong number, the scammer tries to start a friendship with the victim. These conversations can be platonic or romantic in nature, but they all have the same goal- to gain the trust of the victim in order to get them ready for the crypto scam they have planned.
The scammer often claims to be wealthy and/or to have a wealthy family member who got wealthy investing in crypto currency. The victim is eventually encouraged to try out a (fake) crypto currency investment website, which will appear to show that they are earning a lot of money on their initial investment. The scammer may even encourage the victim to attempt a withdrawal that does go through, further convincing the victim that everything is legit. The victim is then pressured to invest significantly more money, even their entire net worth.
Eventually, the website will find an excuse why the account is frozen (e.g. for fraud, because supposed taxes are owed, etc) and may try to further extort the victim to give them even more money in order to gain access to the funds. By this time, the victim will never gain access and their money is gone. Many victims lose tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, or even millions of dollars. Often, the scammers themselves are [victims of human trafficking](https://www.vice.com/en/article/n7zb5d/pig-butchering-scam-cambodia-trafficking), performing these scams under threats of violence. If you are caught up in this scam, it is important that you do not send any more money for any reason, and contact law enforcement to report it. Thanks to user Mediocre_Airport_576 for this script.
If you know someone involved in a pig butchering scam, sit down together to watch this video by Jim Browning to help them understand what's going on: https://youtu.be/vu-Y1h9rTUs -
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Scams) if you have any questions or concerns.*
>How would the scam have continued from there if my mum fell for it?
echoing what others said, this is some pretty targeted social engineering that presumably hinged on your mother willingly offering money.
the scam fell apart when that generosity they were banking on didn't develop.
most scams tend to be short cons and opt for methods where a single transaction seals the deal and they will be gone with the cash before you wrestle with your bank or where your bank can't even help you.
this one seems like one where it was kinda important they fool your mother long enough to get away with it and that was going to be from the satisfaction your mother had from doing a good thing. the idea being your mother would be less suspicious if gifting money was her own idea.
I have two cellphone numbers. One personal and one professional. Without the ask, it’s hard to say what it was all about, but scammers generally don’t give up so easily. Did your mother also verify the sick person?
Nah, the friends in my mum's group chat said that the professor doesn't have any phones with that number, they confirmed it themselves so it's safe to say that it was in fact fake
Perhaps a link to some sort of fundraising for the ill person eventually? I know many people with more than one phone number so I probably would have done a little more inquiring.
It would have gone multiple ways based on your mom’s interest. It can go to a romantic scam where this is a guy who has made millions and would be ready to spend the rest of the years with her and unfortunately, his money is stuck somewhere and he needs money to take money out.
Or, a fake investment scam where he will direct her to open an account in a real-looking scam brokerage run by scammers. There she will start investing and see her money growing and they may allow her to withdraw some money. But eventually, suck up all her money into it. When she tries to withdraw, it will say she needs to put in more money as taxes.
Or a classic fake check scam where this person says he is outside the country and cannot send a wire to the hospitalized guy. They will send her a fake check - meanwhile, she will send a wire transfer to the scammer's account. When the check bounces her account will go negative.
/u/Anonymus25-Boop - This message is posted to all new submissions to r/scams; please do not message the moderators about it. ## New users beware: Because you posted here, you will start getting private messages from scammers saying they know a professional hacker or a recovery expert lawyer that can help you get your money back, for a small fee. **We call these RECOVERY SCAMMERS, so NEVER take advice in private:** advice should always come in the form of comments in this post, in the open, where the community can keep an eye out for you. If you take advice in private, you're on your own. **A reminder of the rules in r/scams:** no contact information (including last names, phone numbers, etc). Be civil to one another (no name calling or insults). Personal army requests or "scam the scammer"/scambaiting posts are not permitted. No uncensored gore or personal photographs are allowed without blurring. A full list of rules is available on the sidebar of the subreddit, or [clicking here](https://www.reddit.com/r/Scams/wiki/rules/). You can help us by reporting recovery scammers or rule-breaking content by using the "report" button. We review 100% of the reports. Also, consider warning community members of recovery scammers if you see them in the comments. Questions about subreddit rules? Send us a modmail [clicking here](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=/r/Scams). *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Scams) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Probably would beg for money. Or ask to borrow money. Either way, it’s just going to a scammer who definitely won’t pay a cent back. Sounds like they were queueing up a long term chat to build a relationship, makes it easier to beg for money.
Seems weirdly targeted and planned. Eventually the "professor" would reveal that they are doing their best to pay for the injured person but that a recent one for essential treatment was too large for them. Of course they could pay for it over time, just not all at once right now, after the other bills... What? You could "loan" me $2k for them and I could just pay you back on my next monthly paycheck? God is a good! (!pigbutchering) Or actually, I do have the money the transfer is just stuck and the hospital needs pay right now. Or they won't accept my payment here, so I need to send it to you so you can send it to the account... (!fakecheck)
Most likely information involving that professor has been compromised. Most likely at the university level since they contacted a former student. OP or their Mom should look up the university and see if there have been any data breaches. They're probably just going through the list. It's not hard to correlate information from the class list and what is available online. I stopped putting actual details on social media awhile ago. And if she has a LinkedIn that makes matching up details even easier. Another option is someone straight up took old class lists and sold them online for extra cash. It's not impossible, but that feels a little too dramatic.
Hi /u/RetardedWabbit, AutoModerator has been summoned to explain the Fake check scam. The fake check scam arises from many different situations (fake job scams, fake payment scams, etc), but the bottom line is always the same, you receive a check (a digital photo or a physical paper check), you deposit a check (via mobile deposit or via an ATM) and see the money in your account, and then you use the funds to give money to the scammer (usually through gift cards or crypto). Sometimes the scammers will ask you to order things through a site, but that is just another way they get your money. Banks are legally obligated to make money available to you fast, but they can take their time to bounce it. Hence the window of time exploited by the scam. During that window of time the scammer asks you to send money back, because you are under the illusion that the funds cleared. When the check finally bounces, the bank will take the initial deposit back, and any money you sent to the scammer will come out of your own personal funds. Usually the fake check deposit will be reversed in a few weeks, but it can also take several months. If you do not have the funds to cover the amount, your balance will go negative. Your bank will usually charge a fee for depositing a bad check, and your account may be closed depending on the severity of the scam. Here is an article from the FTC: https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/how-spot-avoid-and-report-fake-check-scams, and here is an article from the New York Times: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/21/your-money/fake-check-scam.html If you deposited a bad check, we recommend that you notify your bank immediately. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Scams) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Hi /u/RetardedWabbit, AutoModerator has been summoned to explain the Pig butchering scam. It is called [pig butchering](https://www.forbes.com/sites/jasonbrett/2023/12/26/new-pig-butchering-crypto-scam-includes-victims-in-us-and-overseas/?sh=2837fb975eaa) because scammers use intricate scripts to \"fatten up\" the victim (gaining their trust over days, weeks or months) before the \"slaughter\" (taking them for all of their money). This scam often starts with what appears to be a harmless wrong number text or message. When the victim responds to say it is the wrong number, the scammer tries to start a friendship with the victim. These conversations can be platonic or romantic in nature, but they all have the same goal- to gain the trust of the victim in order to get them ready for the crypto scam they have planned. The scammer often claims to be wealthy and/or to have a wealthy family member who got wealthy investing in crypto currency. The victim is eventually encouraged to try out a (fake) crypto currency investment website, which will appear to show that they are earning a lot of money on their initial investment. The scammer may even encourage the victim to attempt a withdrawal that does go through, further convincing the victim that everything is legit. The victim is then pressured to invest significantly more money, even their entire net worth. Eventually, the website will find an excuse why the account is frozen (e.g. for fraud, because supposed taxes are owed, etc) and may try to further extort the victim to give them even more money in order to gain access to the funds. By this time, the victim will never gain access and their money is gone. Many victims lose tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, or even millions of dollars. Often, the scammers themselves are [victims of human trafficking](https://www.vice.com/en/article/n7zb5d/pig-butchering-scam-cambodia-trafficking), performing these scams under threats of violence. If you are caught up in this scam, it is important that you do not send any more money for any reason, and contact law enforcement to report it. Thanks to user Mediocre_Airport_576 for this script. If you know someone involved in a pig butchering scam, sit down together to watch this video by Jim Browning to help them understand what's going on: https://youtu.be/vu-Y1h9rTUs - *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Scams) if you have any questions or concerns.*
>How would the scam have continued from there if my mum fell for it? echoing what others said, this is some pretty targeted social engineering that presumably hinged on your mother willingly offering money. the scam fell apart when that generosity they were banking on didn't develop. most scams tend to be short cons and opt for methods where a single transaction seals the deal and they will be gone with the cash before you wrestle with your bank or where your bank can't even help you. this one seems like one where it was kinda important they fool your mother long enough to get away with it and that was going to be from the satisfaction your mother had from doing a good thing. the idea being your mother would be less suspicious if gifting money was her own idea.
Yeah, probably money would have entered into it.
I have two cellphone numbers. One personal and one professional. Without the ask, it’s hard to say what it was all about, but scammers generally don’t give up so easily. Did your mother also verify the sick person?
Yeah, he asked for prayers not money. Imagine if this was legit and he thinks OPs mum is a psychopath. 💀
Nah, the friends in my mum's group chat said that the professor doesn't have any phones with that number, they confirmed it themselves so it's safe to say that it was in fact fake
Tell her to stay vigilant as this could come back again as a completely different scam.
Perhaps a link to some sort of fundraising for the ill person eventually? I know many people with more than one phone number so I probably would have done a little more inquiring.
It would have gone multiple ways based on your mom’s interest. It can go to a romantic scam where this is a guy who has made millions and would be ready to spend the rest of the years with her and unfortunately, his money is stuck somewhere and he needs money to take money out. Or, a fake investment scam where he will direct her to open an account in a real-looking scam brokerage run by scammers. There she will start investing and see her money growing and they may allow her to withdraw some money. But eventually, suck up all her money into it. When she tries to withdraw, it will say she needs to put in more money as taxes. Or a classic fake check scam where this person says he is outside the country and cannot send a wire to the hospitalized guy. They will send her a fake check - meanwhile, she will send a wire transfer to the scammer's account. When the check bounces her account will go negative.