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Prison Inmates Catfished $560,000 Out of Military Service Members in Sextortion Scam, NCIS Says (gizmodo.com)
Hundreds of military service members reportedly got caught up in a sextortion scam run by prison inmates using cellphones, according to a release issued by the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS). From a report: Military agents from multiple criminal investigation groups have served summons and issued warrants for arrests related to the scheme. According to the NCIS, South Carolina and North Carolina prison inmates, assisted by outside accomplices, sought out service members through dating sites and social media, then took on false identities, feigned romantic interest, and exchanged photos.
Once the inmates had successfully catfished their targets, they would then pose as the father of the fake persona, insisting their child was underage and that the target had therefore committed a crime by exchanging photos. In some situations, the "father" claimed he wouldn't press charges if the target gave him money. Sometimes the catfisher would pose as law enforcement requesting money for the family.
Once the inmates had successfully catfished their targets, they would then pose as the father of the fake persona, insisting their child was underage and that the target had therefore committed a crime by exchanging photos. In some situations, the "father" claimed he wouldn't press charges if the target gave him money. Sometimes the catfisher would pose as law enforcement requesting money for the family.
Or, if you're using a dating site, exchange phone numbers as quickly as possible, chat on the phone, and meet in person. Don't do stupid **** like exchanging nude photos with people you've never met.
Did they intend to commit a crime, though -- i.e. did the fake dating profiles have a birth date that was over 18 years ago? This is basically an online variant of the old scam. Women gets a guy drunk, takes him home from a bar, they get naked. Random guy bursts in on them naked. Guy either pretends to be:
(1) The woman's angry husband, who'll report the guy to his CO for adultery
(2) An angry pimp demanding payment
(3) The woman's father, and the woman is actually 16.
(4) An undercover cop investigating a prostitution ring.
Either way, some money changes hands and everyone is on their merry way.
This is a technique China and Russia use to collect military secrets. Extortion, and instead of being paid in cash, payment comes in the form of information about weapons systems, sensor performance, etc.
It works.
I intend to be offensive. Fuck the American culture of hero-worship of anyone in a uniform and with a gun.
The data contradicts your belief. Military enlistees are better educated, have higher IQs, and come from wealthier families than their peers in the general population.
Entrapment schemes like the one described in TFA are by their very definition designed to trap people who are behaving normally and reasonably. If there's any selection bias going on, it'd be on the part of the scammers. They might deliberately target military personnel because the potential penalty for being entrapped is much greater for military personnel (prison + dishonorable discharge) than for civilians (only prison), making them more likely to pay the extortion fee.
Fuck the American culture of hero-worship of anyone in a uniform and with a gun.
The hero worship increases proportionally to the square of the distance from the nearest military base. When travelling in uniform, people would buy me drinks. But just off base, lawns would have signs that said "Dogs and Marines Keep off the Grass". Familiarity breeds contempt.
Semper fi.
This scam isn't limited to the military... They called me, and I am not in the military and i'm not on dating sites. And, of course, i dont send pictures of my junk to people. Based what the guy said I figure they got my info off facebook. He told me $500 would cover my "transgressions" or else. I told him to "Bring it, bitch" and never heard from him again.
Scammers like this are all bark and no bite.
chris watts íë¦ìS ì(TM)ì
that contempt is usually well earned and easy to understand how peoples view would improve at distance. I have lived near a military base and the lack of respect for the local community and property by those from the base was atrocious. It is actually something I would always look at in future to ensure a place I buy is not near a base.
If a girl under 18 sneaks into the bar and you do her, even with her consent, your "She must have been 21 because she was in the bar" defense won't save you.
There are guys who even checked a girl's convincing fake ID and relied on that as proof of her being over 18 yet have ended up convicted of statutory rape (although, I doubt police would get away with fake ids in a sting operation -- that would likely be crossing the entrapment threshold).
Why is there an "insightful" mod and why isn't it "-1"? If I wanted insight, I wouldn't be reading