I hate scammers. They have cost me money and made me feel ashamed at my own stupidity. Why can’t they go and earn a living honestly and respectably just like everybody else!
Now in this digital age I am now being bombarded my fake texts. Just today I received this text;
“Medicare: You have been in close contact with someone who has contracted Omicron. You must order a free PCR test kit at: blah. (click on the link)”
These constant fake texts and emails and unsolicited phone calls from salespeople have made me doubt every single interaction to the point where I distrust all contact until perhaps I hear or see a real human voice. They disrupt my day and to be frank are annoying. I would turn my phone off but what if there is a REAL emergency?
Working in finance and accounting I am extra careful and would like to share with readers (who may already know these) but just to be sure you don’t get caught buying a fake PS5 on Facebook Marketplace (yes I fell for it) because it causes distress and heartache all round.
Type famous scammers into Google and you will be entertained for hours. Now, I don’t use Tinder so this one was new to me.
Simon Leviev
There is a Netflix show about this conman. He is preying on the poor, lonely, loveless people out there. He used to swindle money off his Tinder matches. Make women fall in love with him and then get them to take out loans for him by saying he is in the diamond business and was being chased by enemies who would track him down if he used his own credit. He was ultimately turned in by a girlfriend, spent a brief amount of time in jail, but is now living a rich life in Israel.

My Tips:
- Read everything twice.
- If it sounds to good to be true – it probably is
- Be suspect, if someone you don’t know contacts you unexpectedly
- You have been asked to transfer money quickly
- You have been asked to pay in an unusual way (gift cards, cryptocurrencies)
- The seller creates a sense of urgency or panic
- The seller’s email address has spelling mistakes or different characters.
- Before paying invoices, phone the company and ask for them to repeat the bank account over the phone as digital invoices are being intercepted and bank accounts changed before you get them.
In the old days we would hide money in the freezer or in socks. I may just go back to that, because if I have to go to my sock drawer and get the money out to hand it over, I will think twice about who is asking for it and why they want it.
If someone is promising you diamonds think twice it may just be glass.