new or old type of scam?

I found out this evening that someone has created a new account and has approached a friend of mine to ask for cash/lindens.

They claimed that *my* account had been banned and didnt know why..and that they couldnt bear to be a newb and to please lend them some money. Sadly my friend DID to the tune of quite a lot of lindens...I personally wouldnt give a monkeys about how i looked, id be more worried about my rentals & tier fees but anyway lol

I presume that they made the connection as he is in my profile and iam in his, we both state we are good friends and help each other. Im rather shocked he didnt notice the (to me anyway) very obvious differences in our typing style ie: *u* for you and lots of americanisms /slang talk, i never ever use *u* for you..or anything like that, i abhore text/sms talk.

I have sent in an AR about it, as im concerned that this person might make another account and approach other people i know or know me....

Is this something an AR might get a result for? or dont they get involved in this type of scenario?

thanks Fai

Nifty scam, for the utterly gullible.
I would think that if I were approached by someone in SL claiming to be my friend and asking for money, I'd pose a few skill-testing questions to make sure that this person is who they claim they are. Surely, your friend knows something about you that a stranger would not.
Maybe I'm cynical.

I would report this since obviously your friend has this person's AV name. But I'm guessing that the scammer has by now laundered the Lindens and ditched the AV.

Remind your friend that SL isn't all rainbows and lollipops.

B.

yup..as i said i have AR'd it and i was pretty surprised he was taken in by it. Might have been so keen to help he just didnt think so hard but WOW...i sure as hell wouldve asked a few questions before i parted with my lindens- just like you said.

But my thoughts were...we DO give quite a lot away in our profiles..friends names, where we live can be found from the the locations of where we enter picks maybe?, our businesses, even through the type of groups you belong to...it must actually be quite easy to get info on someone to TRY this out..and if youre one day old and an alt..whats to lose i guess if they say no?

Nope LL will do nothing.

Towards the end of Daniel Linden's era he had given a speech or two concerning the protection of resident identity and how it was a priority, for him anyway. Since he's gone along with so many other Lidnens I would say their interest in that sort of protection is out the window as well since not much has been said since.

maybe keep a hidden group that your friend would know about, but wouldn't be a common group that you would belong to.

oh thats a good idea ty x

another reason why people should perhaps stop putting "this is blah blah mess with her and you mess with me" in there picks

-Crunch

thats rough...even though i have seen the text where she patently claims to be me?

geez. i wish your friend had tried to contact you (to check it all out) before handing over the money. you've been around long enough to know how to escape the n00b look rather quickly for very very cheap and even free.... i'm sorry this has happened.

glad you AR'd, although i doubt anything will come of it.

i never have, or would...but i do write nice things about people i like and care about

oh, i don't think you should stop writing nice things if that's what you're in to... but you might want to warn all your friends that if it happens to any of them, to be wary before handing over money.

youre so right! id head off to awesome and deck out in a few fine freebies maybe after id contacted those who i need too lol

he is a sl based friend only..so no way to check it out..but lesson learnt, i think ill make sure people can contact me in other ways. This creature obviously just tried to get lucky...we probalby both know the individual...ew thats a creepy thought

Wow thats a slimy scam!

make sure you let your friends know so this person doesn't hit any of them up. Did you have the person who paid out's name listed in your profile picks?

yes i did.with photo and name

..so i took the precaution of informing all those i know not to be tempted to give anyone claiming to be me any cash , also took heed of what another poster said and have made some security type questions that only them and i would know- its a bit of a "after the horse has bolted " type thing though...totally opportunist scam...thought it might be good to alert as many as possible to it.

Then i bet instead of it being someone who knew you - its just a profile lurker ..


Look through profiles, find picks with the full names on them, Hit those people up for money.

really scummy.

Don't know how it could be stopped though - maybe just awareness. And only put people's first names in your picks.

but they don't have access to things and conversations that only you and your friends know. its easy to convince someone if they know enough surface stuff, or if they know how to manipulate the conversation so it seems that the scammer is you, that could have been the case with your friend. so don't be too upset about it just hope he has chalked it up to a lesson learned and that you know in the future you can count on them if you need them.

sorry faith i didn't mean you personally.

i'll be trying to spread out a warning about this scam in world, it's a good one that i think alot of people will fall for

-Crunch

no probs, i didnt think you did mean me ~squidges you anyway~