Weird Coincidence....

[AllenInWV]

Is any part of the PR more prone to scammers or whatnot than others?

I've only recently been looking at the possibility of retiring to the Philippines, and it's not something I've been advertising. Yet today I get a friend request on Facebook from a young Filipina.....okay, 31, but that's young to me. LOL....anyway, as I usually do I chatted with her a bit. I had assumed she knew somehow the Filipina that goes to my church.

 

Nope. Just randomness. Pleasant enough conversation, nothing really stood out as "weird". Just that my profile is pretty private, so I can't think of anything that'd make someone want to send out the random friend request.

 

Which of course made me a tad suspicious.

 

So what's the deal? Is this the opening salvo of some scamming campaign? Am I just a jaded old cynic who should quit being so suspicious??

[BrettGC]

Stay cynical ;)

 

Not one of the female members on here? Or perhaps another PI expats forum?  You on any of the dating sites?  There's some pretty powerful photo face recognition sites out there now that could possibly use a picture of you from a dating site and match it to one of you on FB; I used one to sort out the scammers when I was on the dating sites.

 

Just some ideas.

Edited January 6, 2014 by BrettGC

[AllenInWV]

I don't know any of the female members here by name. Not on any other forums, don't do dating sites, and my FB profile pic was put up on the 1st. LOL

Edited January 6, 2014 by MikeB
Removed name and personal info.

[Dave Hounddriver]

I am always EXTRA suspicious of any on line contacts who come from places like Zamboanga and tell me it is unsafe for foreigners to come there but if I send her money she will come to me.  I am also extra suspicious of on line contacts from Manila but that is a personal caution.  Then there are the ones who claim to be from the city I live in but when I contact them they are 'out of town' that week.

 

Other than that there are no specific regions that I am aware of.

[Fred & Mimi]

If the girls are on one of your friends friend list, they can friend you just because you are a foreigner. Just a simple search in the names field in FB comes up with people I've never heard of. Some could be scammers, others just taking a chance to get a step closer to a foreigner. Take a look at the amount of foreigners compared to Filipinas in RP ....its pretty low so its not easy to find one and a good one, kind, financially secure and generous...needle in a haystack

Edited January 7, 2014 by Fred & Mimi

[AllenInWV]

Yeah, that was the first thing I asked, if she knew Jennifer. She said no, she was just sort of browsing. LOL Oh well....yet someone else to question about the PR. :)

[Thomas]

I am always EXTRA suspicious of any on line contacts who come from places like Zamboanga and tell me it is unsafe for foreigners to come there but if I send her money she will come to me.  I am also extra suspicious of on line contacts from Manila but that is a personal caution.  Then there are the ones who claim to be from the city I live in but when I contact them they are 'out of town' that week.

 

Other than that there are no specific regions that I am aware of.

Dating scammers organiced GANGS are found rather recently in Cauayan and Cebu city.

 

Yeah, that was the first thing I asked, if she knew Jennifer. She said no, she was just sort of browsing.

That sound very odd. Otherwice I would have guessed same as Fred & Mimi said.

[Jollygoodfellow]

Facebook comes up with suggestions of who one might like or know depending on what's in your profile or other friends you have. So your profile may have come up to her without searching for it.  Don't just write it off as she may be the one if you are looking. 

[AllenInWV]

Ooooo......good point. I never considered that. Some of the stuff she said she was looking at (military or Christian pages) would have ties to me I suppose.