Love is Cruel VI

We were discussing that going to the foreign country and spending money on the "girlfriend" is a one-time thing.

     Remember the primary purpose of the sweetheart scam - it is not to get married to the foreigner (after all, once that happens the scam is more or less over, but that is for another discussion).  The primary purpose is to get the mark to continue paying money - just like the 419 scam.  The "girlfriend" gets the mark to keep coming back for more.

    So, at this point the mark is visiting the girlfriend's country and is spending money on her.  He is putting her up at expensive hotels, buying her expensive meals and paying for the "agency" who introduced them.  Also, let's not forget that the mark is also probably buying for her expensive gifts as well.  Remember what I said at the very beginning of these posts on the sweetheart scam - it is especially cruel and unforgiving as it relies on the age-old human desire for companionship.  This desire has millions of years of evolution behind it and scammers know that people have this basic human need and exploit it.

    After the initial visit, usually when the mark is getting ready to leave, there is talk about taking the relationship to the next level, sometimes even marriage proposals.  At this point, the mark will have to return home to the United States, but the "girlfriend" will still be able to continue the scam.  After all, now that the mark has visited his "girlfriend" and has gotten to know her (usually, of course, involving sex), his emotions are even more easily manipulated.

    So, once the mark returns home, the emails and phone calls continue, along with the pleas for money.  The "girlfriend" needs help with unexpected bills, applying for the visa, applying for transportation to the city where the Embassy is located, etc.  The scam continues, with more and more demands for money.  Let's not forget that in many countries, U.S. currency is still highly valued and if the scammers can get $3 or $4 thousand dollars from the mark, this is an excellent salary.

    Tomorrow, we will discuss when the visit to the "girlfriend's" country can take a violent turn.

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As always, have a great and fraud-free day.

-------------->>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>gene tausk