I had a match with this Asian girl in Tinder. Her profile was verified, she was "apparently" very close to my place and I was the one to start the conversation. These 3 factors made me lower my guard more than usual.
Soon enough, she ask me for my whatsapp and we continued chatting there. Her number was from Hong Kong. The conversation went on for five weeks. It was a pleasant, normal conversation that could last for a few hours each day. She eventually says she works for an investment firm and that her father has insight information. She sends me an screenshot of the profits she made that day and tells me she can teach me if I download mt4 app (Meta trader 4) and create a demo account.
I created my demo account and choose the broker she told me. At this moment something clicks in my mind and I realize it's a scam. I don't go any further than this: no demo playing, no real money transfers, no contact with her "father", no registration at suspicious sites. I end contact with her with no explanation.
I have saved her pictures, phone number and the name of the suggested MT4 broker, just in case.
I'm surprised as how far she managed to go. I'm usually wary about this stuff and have had dozens of conversations in dating apps, but I wasn't expecting some much time and patience in a scam. It looked real.
That said I'm a bit concerned by the fact she knows my phone number and name and by the creation of this demo account using MT4 with her suggested "broker". I know MT4 is a legit app where some scam brokers do their "business" but still, give me bad vibes the fact I set up my account with that broker. I have already delete it and uninstall the app. In this context these are my concerns which I hope you guys can help me with good advice:
1) How can I protect myself from someone trying to use my identity to ask for a credit or make any expenses pretending to be me? I know that with only the phone number and name is very difficult to request an illegitimate credit, but still, I already told my bank to be wary and will ask regularly for the credit report. However the credit reports are updated 1-2 months, which means that by the time I read the report might be too late since the credit has already been issued. I have read something about real time alerts when a new line of credit is requested. Those these real time alerts have to be asked to the same 3 bureaus that issue the credit report: Equifax, Experian and Transunion? Or is it only a service available with the banks where you are a customer? What other measures should I take to prevent identity fraud?
2) Does your demo selected broker in mt4 has access to his followers/customers personal data? The personal data you give when opening a demo account in mt4 iphone version is basically your phone number and an email, that's it. She already had my phone number, while the email provided in registration process is not linked in any way to my bank. But still, I would prefer them to know little about me. Anyone who is registered as a broker in mt4/mt5 iphone app can provide some insight?
3)Is there a possibility these scam brokers hack your iphone when someone selects them when registering their demo account, and therefore access the information saved in your iphone? I know this sounds paranoid as hell, but man, this scam is sophisticated that anything would surprise me right now...
4)I know the next step of the scam would have been to "invest" or make a transfer with real money. Can these transfers with real money be made through MT4/ MT5? Or they ask these transfers to be made through an external website that has nothing to do with the apps?
Sorry for the long post.
Soon enough, she ask me for my whatsapp and we continued chatting there. Her number was from Hong Kong. The conversation went on for five weeks. It was a pleasant, normal conversation that could last for a few hours each day. She eventually says she works for an investment firm and that her father has insight information. She sends me an screenshot of the profits she made that day and tells me she can teach me if I download mt4 app (Meta trader 4) and create a demo account.
I created my demo account and choose the broker she told me. At this moment something clicks in my mind and I realize it's a scam. I don't go any further than this: no demo playing, no real money transfers, no contact with her "father", no registration at suspicious sites. I end contact with her with no explanation.
I have saved her pictures, phone number and the name of the suggested MT4 broker, just in case.
I'm surprised as how far she managed to go. I'm usually wary about this stuff and have had dozens of conversations in dating apps, but I wasn't expecting some much time and patience in a scam. It looked real.
That said I'm a bit concerned by the fact she knows my phone number and name and by the creation of this demo account using MT4 with her suggested "broker". I know MT4 is a legit app where some scam brokers do their "business" but still, give me bad vibes the fact I set up my account with that broker. I have already delete it and uninstall the app. In this context these are my concerns which I hope you guys can help me with good advice:
1) How can I protect myself from someone trying to use my identity to ask for a credit or make any expenses pretending to be me? I know that with only the phone number and name is very difficult to request an illegitimate credit, but still, I already told my bank to be wary and will ask regularly for the credit report. However the credit reports are updated 1-2 months, which means that by the time I read the report might be too late since the credit has already been issued. I have read something about real time alerts when a new line of credit is requested. Those these real time alerts have to be asked to the same 3 bureaus that issue the credit report: Equifax, Experian and Transunion? Or is it only a service available with the banks where you are a customer? What other measures should I take to prevent identity fraud?
2) Does your demo selected broker in mt4 has access to his followers/customers personal data? The personal data you give when opening a demo account in mt4 iphone version is basically your phone number and an email, that's it. She already had my phone number, while the email provided in registration process is not linked in any way to my bank. But still, I would prefer them to know little about me. Anyone who is registered as a broker in mt4/mt5 iphone app can provide some insight?
3)Is there a possibility these scam brokers hack your iphone when someone selects them when registering their demo account, and therefore access the information saved in your iphone? I know this sounds paranoid as hell, but man, this scam is sophisticated that anything would surprise me right now...
4)I know the next step of the scam would have been to "invest" or make a transfer with real money. Can these transfers with real money be made through MT4/ MT5? Or they ask these transfers to be made through an external website that has nothing to do with the apps?
Sorry for the long post.