Exposure
IG socializing/funds being transferred/scammers customize scripts with different personalities to friend you/be rational, calm, and cautious/this article only provides a brief overview.
Recently, I got to know a Hong Kong guy on Instagram. He messaged me first, and at first, I thought he might be a fake account. However, after chatting with him, I felt that he was genuinely interested in me. He remembered everything I said, and of course, I remembered everything he said. To verify his authenticity, I analyzed his words and found no flaws or contradictions. I thought he was a genuine person. We quickly developed into a romantic relationship, and he said he would come to see me in September. He told me where he lived, so I trusted him completely and fell for his sweet words and gestures.
Later, he mentioned that he supports his physical store through investments in gold. He portrayed himself as a kind-hearted boss and mentioned that even during the recent pandemic, his store was losing money but supporting many people. He said he used investment in gold to cover the losses and suggested that I should also benefit from his knowledge of the market to save money. Initially, I was cautious and declined his offer, saying I didn't want to get involved in things I didn't understand. I believed that being happy didn't necessarily require having a lot of money. However, he emotionally manipulated me by claiming that I didn't trust him, leading to arguments. Eventually, he would call me to calm me down, and I would soften my stance.
I initially invested 15,000 TWD (New Taiwan Dollar) and actually made some profits, which I could withdraw. This made me trust him a bit more. However, he soon asked me to invest 50,000 USD. I told him I didn't have that much money,so he suggested me apply for a loan to cover 20,000 USD, and he would provide the remaining $30,000 USD. I found this request strange but didn't want to doubt him. I kept postponing the loan application, and he started expressing disappointment and annoyance, saying that I didn't need to worry about repaying the loan because the initial investment would almost cover it with just two market movements. I explained that it wasn't about trust but rather my lack of understanding regarding handling such matters. I wanted to focus on what I could do within my capabilities. He assured me that nothing bad would happen, and he would be there for me if it did. Once again, I fell into his emotional manipulation.
I eventually invested approximately 500,000 TWD, and on the day of the deposit, he asked me to participate in a "build a position" activity to maximize profits. I told him I didn't have any money, but he said he would figure something out. So, we proceeded with the activity. Next month, I have to repay the loan, so I asked him when I could withdraw the money. He said I could do it before the end of the month, once the activity was completed. Recently, I asked him when I could repay the loan, and he reassured me by saying he would handle it. However, after reading several articles, I realized that I had been scammed.
When I tried to withdraw funds from the platform, they refused, claiming that I hadn't completed the "build a position" activity. I found their excuses unreasonable because there were no rules specified for that activity initially. Additionally, the platform had been able to withdraw funds on my behalf before, so why couldn't I do it now? They stopped responding after I questioned them further.
Upon reflecting on the situation, I noticed some suspicious aspects:
I had video calls with him twice, but he never spoke. He claimed to be shy when seeing me, but I believe those were pre-recorded videos (stolen).
The photos he sent me can be found online except for one, which had very low resolution. You can check the resolution on your smartphone, and use Google Images, PimEyes, or consult anti-fraud groups to verify the photos.
He mentioned the YSHX trading platform, which could be found on Google, true, but the two website URLs he provided me were different. How did he happen to have URLs?
Regarding the "build a position" activity, there were abnormal records of deposits and withdrawals in my account, even though I hadn't made any myself.
The first URL he sent me (now blocked by the government): https://yshxwold.com/
The second URL he sent me: http://yshxword.com/
At first, I didn't want to expose this situation as I believed I wouldn't be able to recover the money. However, I realized that many people might be like me, unfamiliar with these scams, believing in the goodness of human nature and not questioning or verifying things in unfamiliar areas before acting impulsively. Some may think this is just a lame story and think it's made-up. I used to on that side too, but this is just a small part of the iceberg. The whole story was more complicated, even some words had my guards up, these scammers are skillful and sensitive. And they were gentle when lying to you.
I believe scammers are despicable, but the organizations behind them are even more malicious, brainwashing these scammers and exploiting trust between people. They take advantage of impulsive actions without careful consideration. Even if you think you're rational and clever enough, they customize scripts that can disarm your defenses through their customized scripts.
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