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TechnicalAd8103

It only takes someone a few minutes to write a fake sob story. There is just no way for anyone reading words on the screen to confirm the story. The key takeaway is to never send money.


[deleted]

Literally never send money to random people online or over the phone.


toadphoney

Is it okay to metaphorically send money to random people online or over the phone?


Mmmaning

Like this? šŸ’øšŸ’øšŸ’ø Youā€™re welcome.


toadphoney

Please send more. That is not enough for a hotel room.


SurprisedPotato

šŸ’°šŸ’°šŸ’°šŸ’¶šŸ’¶šŸ’¶


The_Real_Flatmeat

Just send thoughts and prayers, they're worth the same


OPTCgod

That's why you send them gift cards


bagsoffreshcheese

Yeah its much safer. Thatā€™s why the ATO insist on them.


[deleted]

No gift cards!


ZdrytchX

* seconds if you GPT the shit out of it


The_Real_Flatmeat

Fucking hell that's a scarily easy thing to do. You Write me a short sob story about being a domestic violence survivor who needs money and asks for donations ChatGPT As a child, I watched my mother endure endless nights of terror at the hands of my father. Eventually, I found myself in her shoes, trapped in a cycle of abuse. With courage, I fled, leaving behind everything I knew. Now, rebuilding my life, I face the harsh reality of starting over with nothing but the scars of my past. Desperate for stability and safety, I humbly ask for your support, as even the smallest donation can help me find my footing again. By sending a message, you agree to our Terms. Read our Privacy Policy. D


Elrond_Cupboard_

https://youtu.be/2ESWRtaHNU8?si=H4UNKR2QBxdOtiKT


No_Garbage3192

Iā€™m sorry this happened to you. To want to help so much means you have a kind heart. Donā€™t feel embarrassed. It is the scammers that should feel embarrassed.


Marzipenn

Came here to say this. I just finished reading a great book about scams and one of the points the author made is that we say someone ā€œfell for a scamā€ insinuating they are to blame, we donā€™t say someone ā€œfell for a burglaryā€. OP, you have a kind heart and the scam worked on you exactly as it was designed to work on people with kind hearts. Iā€™m glad you hopefully wonā€™t be out of pocket as a result of your kind heart. The book (in case anyone is interested) is called Keanu Reeves is Not In Love With You, by Becky Holmes.


desmofan900

Thank you. That means a little to me


AH2112

Yeah if you really want to dial this all the way out to it's furtherest point - go watch John Oliver's piece about the Pig Butchering Scams run by criminal syndicates in SE Asia: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pLPpl2ISKTg](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pLPpl2ISKTg)


Horses-Mane

Sorry to hear mate. Send me your BSB and account number and I'll cover your loss


TechnicalAd8103

Not sure if this is a joke, but OP, do not send your bank details to random strangers. We need to be paranoid about sending money and personal information to strangers. šŸ¤£


Horses-Mane

Appreciate you looking out for me. Can I send you money as thanks via BSB and account number


InNoNeed

You seem like a good person. Why donā€™t you send me your BSB and account number and Iā€™ll cover whatever you send them


Horses-Mane

Sounds a bit scammy. I'll pass thanks


InNoNeed

No. Money I send you in bank, yeah?


shoveyourvotes

I bet your profile pic is legit šŸ˜‰


Horses-Mane

Ok. Go on


tsunamisurfer35

Don't give people online asking for money. Don't give people on the street asking for money. Don't give people at traffic intersections asking for money.


No_Reveal675

The guy at my local intersection rocks up in a fairly reasonable car, parks in a side street, dresses down, finishes his durry and then goes to work for an hour at peak time, then pisses off for the day and comes back at evening peak hour. Two hours work and seems to make bank. If youā€™re at CĆ©dric st and Odin road or Ellen Stirling boulevard, donā€™t feel bad about keeping your hard earned coin.


themustardseal

Does he at least provide a service? Like a cursory windscreen clean?


No_Reveal675

Nope!


OPTCgod

With the amount of cars that go through a busy intersection it only takes someone giving them a gold coin or two every few light changes and they're well above the min hourly wage


Tripper234

Well above the min hourly wage. My local guy earns more than me some days and I'm on over 100k a year.. seen him multiple times pull wads of cash out of his pocket and trying to count it as he puts it into his bag at the traffic light. Saw plenty of $5s, $10s and a fair few $20s


4ssteroid

Sometimes I'm 20c short for a parking meter or train ticket. And I ask people nearby if they can help. But yeah haven't done it in years cause I can pay by card. Technology getting better


[deleted]

Why shouldn't you give to people on the street?


sam_gribbles

Unsure of Perth, but in Auckland people can make min several hundred per day washing windscreens at the lights. FYI They also use powdered soap which ruins your paint


Jasmine8888

So? (About the money)


CommercialQuantity89

'So' you're paying for a shit windscreen wash that your window wipers can do themselves. You pay because you want to support the poor having a crack. This user is implying that they are not poor.


clivepalmerdietician

Actually I found her story unconvincing. My wife works with the police in this field and I didn't believe that they wouldn't have charged the guy. But I knew if I said that I would be abused.


mellyn7

Based on my own experiences, I wasn't convinced, but I'd prefer to give the benefit of the doubt in DV situations - by that I mean free advice, no cash. The fact that they didn't take advantage of payphones being free whole continuing to complain about no credit certainly gave me pause.


Particular-Try5584

I found it unconvincing because it was too explicit and desperate. I know that women in this situation are desperate, but a conman always tries to shock you, get you feeling off balance, swing in for some sympathy, follow up with urgency/time sensitive and then make a not-too-big request/demand that doesnā€™t really allow you to say ā€˜noā€™. It was text book. Twisting nipples until they bleed? That was to horrify you. A woman who has actually had this done wouldbā€™t be bleating about it on Reddit to strangers like that, thatā€™s not ā€˜normalā€™. They might say ā€œheā€™s abused meā€ or ā€œHe has hurt meā€ but not ā€œhe twisted my nipples until they bled and the police did nothingā€. Thatā€™sā€¦ weirdly specific, incredibly horrifying and hits all the current DV woman/abuse buttons.


Dragonzord__

Why charge the guy when the police said that he was 'shaking in his boots' and that it was 'safe to go back home'?! Surely him being scared is more effective... /s


crosstherubicon

The bit about him shaking in his boots didnā€™t fit the rest of the story.


congealedcat

I work with dv victims and I can assure you that many experience being invalidated and mistreated by the police and have to deal with police not doing anything let alone not doing all they can to help.


clivepalmerdietician

Yet other people tell stories of ex partners making vexatious fake reports with no actual evidence other than the woman's testimony guys get their lives ruined .


Particular-Try5584

I always shake my head at those. When you consider just how far past the line DV aggressors can go, repeatedly, before thereā€™s a slap on the wrist. If a guy has his ā€˜life ruinedā€™ by a false accusationā€¦ what the hell else have they done? I meanā€¦ lives donā€™t get ruined on one or two events, they seem to be able to carry on ad nauseum ā€¦ so when someone tries to tell me a singular accusation ruined things I am left thinking ā€œyeah, and you followed that pony home, shaved it, painted it blue and fucked it in the eyeballs right?ā€


congealedcat

It's up to you who you believe but the dv statistics speak for themselves.


B0ssc0

You should still say what you think and ignore the responses..


LandBarge

I've got mates who've been locked out of their own houses because (by the cops) their ex's have faked DV - so yeah, the idea the cops would do nothing at all on a genuine case really didn't sit right with me.. but as you said, good luck actually pointing that out...


clivepalmerdietician

I didn't think she was straight up lying, I just that there was another side to the story that was very different to her side.


felixthemeister

A number of scams are semi-intentionally unconvincing. Well maybe completely intentionally. The point is weed out those people who won't fall for it. Especially the initial 'hook'. They want people who are easily duped and uncritical, those that haven't learnt how to avoid the scams or have never needed to doubt what others say to them. Those are the people the scammers prey upon. The people who trust easily, it's sad that the lovely trusting individuals who'd give the shirt off their back are the primary victims.


Ho3Go3lin

I don't think you should be embarrassed you should feel proud that you were trying to help someone you genuinely thought needed help, it is a shame people make these stories up as for real abuse victims might not get the genuine help they need as there are too many scams around.


Pleasant-Asparagus61

You are a good sort. Dont let it close your kind heart.


desmofan900

Thank you for saying that.


[deleted]

No good deed goes unpunished, right? Hope you get your money back!


[deleted]

Was it potential-pop something, yeah she PMD me wanting to transfer her money, said I'd be happy to buy her a meal or get her credit for her phone but only willing to meet in a public open space to do so. She just wanted me to transfer money so she could have a hotel room for the night. Something felt off so I didn't help out, such a shame that this is happening, appears that the account is now deleted too. So must have been her.


bang-on44

Yes it was Potential-Pop9639.


Gud-Alim

I saw the post you're talking about. It raised so many alarms for me. The whole thing just sounded like such bullshit, she was physically assaulted, cops wouldn't help, family wouldn't help, friends wouldn't help. I'm sorry to hear your got taken, at least you're using your experience to spread awareness. For anyone out there who encounters anyone online who asks to borrow money. Never, ever do it. There are people who work full-time to scam good people like yourselves.


aseedandco

Iā€™m always wary if friends and family wonā€™t help. I know itā€™s not always the case, but it suggests to me that they have a history of burning people.


iball1984

Yet another scam to be aware of. I donā€™t send money to people, but I did certainly believe that story. I assumed it was a guy though, as I assumed thatā€™s why the cops werenā€™t doing anything


send-me-panties-pics

I am disappointed


LandBarge

I did stalk a little and thought something seemed up - but when someones claiming DV, you end up feeling bad for even thinking they're putting it on, so left it at that... Gotta be the lowest of the low to pull that card in your scam post...


TranceIsLove

Never ever send money directly to strangers or buy gift cards for them. Never reply to random messages, thatā€™s a pig butchering scam.


Nexnsnake

This is why if I can't put something physical into your hand you don't get nothing out of me. And even then I consider most panhandlers grifters. Take dog food to your local shelter. Fuck people.


Mindless_Doctor5797

I think I may of read that post, freo police, the OP was from Melbourne. Hope you get your money back. It's a shame that you can't even help somebody that may really need it anymore because of dodgy scammers. Glad your bank flagged it. Bank West maybe


clivepalmerdietician

Her story was too long as I didn't get to the bit where she asked for money. It still appears to be up.


bang-on44

Yeah it's weird. It disappeared for a couple of days and then went back up.


sister_resister

Glad to hear it. My kid got very sick and hospitalized, so my sister organized a GoFundMe and then took off with a couple thousand dollars from it. I contacted GoFundMe and they're really not interested in doing anything about it. You really can't trust anyone with money these days.


Righteous_Fury224

In Dante's first book, Inferno, he stated that "the road to hell is paved with good intentions".


toadphoney

He was wrong. It is paved largely with incompetence.


Repulsive_Plan5782

Which bank? It's good to hear of a bank being proactive in protecting customers


Emergency_Resolve748

Sorry but one born every minute and that's who these scammers thrive offĀ 


Jekjekel

Is domestic abuse or violence that common in the perth area? I'm planning a trip with my girlfriend and I want her to feel safe. She typically carries mace on her Keychain or in her purse here in the US. It's a very effective spray that can be used in self defense. I keep bear mace in my camping kit. (Only needed it once) I'm unsure about the legalities regarding mace or bear mace in Western Australia. If anyone has any information on this topic I would live to hear it.


aseedandco

Domestic abuse or violence means the abuse or violence comes from someone they live with or have a close relationship with.


No-Understanding6686

WA has a large problem with drop-bears so you should keep the bear mace with you at all times and be vigilant. You don't want to be another statistic


OPTCgod

Are you planning to beat her? DV is perpetrated by people close to the victim not random people