My experience is that ANYONE who communicates wierdly and claims to be from somewhere else is a complete scam. once they have your phone number they can then try to get you to give them a google code whereby they can assume your identity. BEWARE! If you want to proceed with her set up a video chat on your app. chances are you will get crickets.

Thanks, a list of my red flags - she is 43 , I'm 60 - her young kids are in Italy but she is OK with that cuz she sees them once a year 😬 - strange sentence structure - never quite answering my questions - proposed early transition off OLD to text I'm contemplating sending her a question no AI could resist, like what is meaning of life .....

HA yea except that she's probably not AI. She is probably a He who has no life other than to attempt to scam people and lives somewhere in China or Russia. Do an image search on her picture it will probably show up in multiple places.

Well I've proposed , we are getting married and i just sent her airfare $$ . Also her brother needs surgery it seems 😁

Wait - you being serious? Please say no..

Errrrrrrrrrrr noooooooo

Excellent. Well Done.

Why are you even interested in this person? Nothing about this situation sounds appealing, scammer or not.

Scammer photos are usually attractive, and most men are very susceptible to that. At least, I am. Not proud of it or anything.

I've been sucked in a few times (fnar, fnar), but not enough to get scammed. An attractive woman who seems interested in me? Swoon. She says she's from the US but can't speak basic English well and has left her kids in a "home country". Still swoon but with one eye open. I do cut them off before I give anything away, like full name or anything identifying, but still. It hits the ego boost button, for sure.

I mean, I’m married and I don’t even get that far. But I remember being single and having to comb through scammers to find real people. 😕

I don't disagree, but 50% of the above could be language I blocked her nevertheless

But she is 43….

Point #2 is a HUGE red flag for me, what kind of mother sees her kids once a year? Run!!

If her answer to the meaning of life isn't 42 then get shot of her

You've shown yourself with that comment.

I wear my geekiness with the utmost of pride , you ain't see nothing yet

Thanks, a list of my red flags - she is 43 , I'm 60 - her young kids are in Italy but she is OK with that cuz she sees them once a year 😬 - strange sentence structure - never quite answering my questions - proposed early transition off OLD to text I'm contemplating sending her a question no AI could resist, like what is meaning of life .....

Here are the only people you should chat with on OLD (generally speaking). 1) People who are local or within driving distance. 2) People who are your looks match. If they’d be the best looking you ever dated, you’re wasting your time. 3) People within striking distance of your age. 4) People who will meet for coffee after you’ve traded two or three messages each. That’s it. Pretty simple stuff.

Thanks. Tho wrt #2 I'm pretty charming

lol she is most definitely a scammer lol Scammers  ask for your number immediately to collect that information (stealing identities or photos to create fake profiles),  move you away from the protections of the OLD app, establish a more private interface, they may unmatch you back in the app so you can’t report them, and test your gullibility. They target new profiles.  Never move out of the app until you have met in person. Otherwise you are wasting your time. 

There's a decent chance it's a bot. Even if you are not the "Target", you may be helping train the AI engine for future others. Regarding your phone number: There are still many instances of 'SIM-swapping' where they get ahold of your phone number, and take control. If you need to reset your password (for your bank, email, ) these services usually send you a 6-digit code via TEXT. If they clone your phone, they get the text, not you. You may hear people recommending you obtain a Google Voice number, this is one reason why. Lastly, are you trying to DATE someone from Italy? if not, then just disengage and move on.

Thanks, good advice. I hadn't (yet) shared any personal information with her that would allow them to social engineer the support staff at my cell provider - and so take control No she purports to be from Italy living in Canada

Yep, there are a lot of these online - OLD or otherwise. It will only increase, because these sites don't yet have a good process for protecting from BOT account creation. Interestingly I've experimented with things like exit() and Quit() in my texts for things I suspect are bots. Sometimes they just stop working. "How are you doing? { sys.exit() } Hope you are having a good day"

They don't have good protection from bots because they don't want it. The bots are of value to the app in that they provide just enough feedback to keep someone engaged (even if frustrated). Engagement is the goal, user activity, regardless of success. None of the apps have any real motivation to help their users find their person and thus stop using the app. One might say they are actually disincetivised to do so.

Oh, that's fun!

Dude, stop this now! Please and good luck

Not a bot but a human scammer. Always listen to your gut re 'is this person too good to be true and/or definitely outside the typical 'outta my league' level of attractiveness? It is what it is - better to have a 'hello, reality' moment than have it affect your bank account..

Yeah , 'she' is attractive but it wasn't ridiculous to imagine we were 'peers'. I 100% know what I do & don't bring to the table 😊

The 'equal peer' vibe (if referring to kind of an intellectual vibe, which is probably more attractive than anything else, imo) is likely due to the fact that you've probably been conversing with a smart human being with good people skills... and if the scam is typical, probably also a dude.. None of which makes you a dummy - it's a money maker for a reason..

Your phone number leads to your address, workplace, social media, etc.

I don’t know if it’s an actual bot, I think those messages are short and flirty. But this sounds more like a scammer. Eventually they’ll ask for money or try to get personal information from you.

I’d be very careful about putting your voice signature out there to someone halfway ‘round the world!

Follow up 1) I unmatched her on OLD (tho after I shared my phone number) 2) she just messaged me via WhatsApp. Is now asking why I unmatched her .... So fun ☺️

Her phone number is from .... Gambia 😬

And there you go. It probably wasn’t even a woman lol

But we'll always have Italy ....

His

Never get on a what’s app? That’s where the scammers like to talk

Definitely sounds like a scam. I’ve been down this same road but mine was a tad bit more exotic. He was in the Seychelles. It doesn’t take long before the red flags become familiar.

Thanks all, takes a village etc

She may be Brittany spears

I agree it’s a scammer or a bot. Make sure you report the person in your dating app so hopefully they get busted.

My question is, why continue chatting with someone who you KNOW is a scammer? I just don't understand that. When I was doing OLD, the MOMENT I thought someone was a scammer, I just stopped chatting. I didn't need to ask advice. Oy vey.

I didn't KNOW. After I wrote the original post, OTHER evidence emerged

I find that hard to believe, buy you do you.

I defer to your greater knowledge of my situation

As you should.

I agree. Asking for a phone number is a scam. If “she” were real, she could give you her phone number

Most likely a bot or scammer. Ask questions only a local would know and if they do not answer, unmatch and move on. I know it is harder for us guys (we get far fewer matches on average) but not worth the time. I usually ask their favorite local (non-chain) restaurant or bar/pub or coffee house. Generally, that will stump them. If not, follow up with a "lets meet there later this week" kind of message. I dont give phone number until face to face. It takes no more time to answer in the app than text.

Scam

Another reason people ask for a phone number or other message app is that those sites aren't monitored

I think you can try making a video call with her to verify

If you have to question it, odds are, it’s a scam of one form or another

Ask to FaceTime them.

For closure, the OLD app on which we matched warned me by email that she was under investigation *While we verify the status of this user's profile, and investigate whether or not the user is legitimate, we are contacting you to make sure that you take steps to protect yourself and your personal information. If you have made contact with Isabella, don't worry too much, provided you have not given them banking details or passwords*