Need advice

By joining our community you will have the ability to post topics and access other forums reserved for members. Registration is quick, simple and absolutely free. Join our community today by clicking here.

Not quite a Newb Joined: 16 Feb 2006 Posts: 72

A friend of a friend (really!) got tangled up with a scammer, apparently she has not sent him any money, but she did give him her real information and now he is calling her over and over and over, and sending her numerous text messages. My advice is to just let him keep calling and make no response so that the lack of response causes the behavior to die out, with maybe one initial text message saying she's onto him, and no more response of any kind after that.

Is the idea of the initial text message a bad idea, and is there anything that can be done beyond just not responding?

Posted: Wed Jun 04, 2008 6:36 pm

Ignore him! Block the calls, if your phone service is capable of it.

Do NOT try to bait him.

If any account information was given out, notify the bank immediately!

Bruin

Posted: Wed Jun 04, 2008 8:27 pm

Exactly what BRUIN said. Put him on ignore, block his number and he'll eventually give up.

Posted: Wed Jun 04, 2008 8:30 pm

What has been said above. If he keeps getting nothing, no response, nada, he'll get bored and move on.

Not quite a Newb Joined: 16 Feb 2006 Posts: 72

The provider says they can't block international calls, and I don't know most of the details about cell phone features. Do some cell phones have an internal function to ignore calls from a particular number? I'll see what I can find out about the different features and try to figure out any technical advice that I might be able to give. I took a look at my own cell phone account, but didn't find out anything about blocking or ignoring (I just have a prepaid phone, so maybe the features are more limited).

I gave the advice about ignoring the calls and that's the right advice. The FOAF has now been turning off her call a couple of hours at a time, but he is unbelievably persistent, a call came in right after she turned the phone back on. I told my friend (the one who is her friend) to tell her, just keep turning the phone off for long stretches of time, and don't respond in any way. Along with all of you, I figure a day or 2 of no response and he'll get tired of it.

Real scary guy, makes me angry that people act this way. I told my friend, be there for her, give her all the emotional support you possibly can. Not only is it annoying and scary, it's also emotionally heartwrenching. From the perspective of a real victim, it's got to be one of the most devastating things that can happen to you - you act in total good faith and think someone really cares about you, and then find out he was lying to you the whole time and was treating you with contempt, and this is added onto losing the relationship you thought you had.

I did send him a bait message, but no response so far. She is really a friend of a friend, I don't even know her, plus I don't live anywhere close to her, plus I sent it from an account that doesn't show IP addresses, so there won't be any connection that can be made to her.