Someone try to scam me in Tinder

Angelg

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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.
 
I think you are very fortunate that didn't fall into their trap. Therefore, I don't think you have anything to fear. It's fine to feel a bit paranoid but I believe in order to open a line of credit you need at least social security if you reside in the State. You already informed your bank and if you still unease then you can file a police report. If any future identity fraud you have prove that your identity was stolen through someone online. It's also depends if your scammer wants to use your identification to conduct any illegal identity. I don't think that only with your name and a phone number they can do anything about it. Did you submit any type of ID to them too? Such as passport and ID where it has your address? If you do then the chance of using your personal identity is higher but even with that is not enough to open up a line of credit.

Good luck Bro!
 
If you didn't hand over any payment info, you should be ok.

but you could put a temporary freeze/fraud alert on your credit report.
 
I don't know how your bank works, but my bank require a random pin number which the bank send to my phone to confirm a transaction which is outside of my normal transaction.
So, without that random pin number, the translation cannot take place.

However, for credit card transaction, be very careful on how you authorize any transaction because the vendor can charge you multiple times if you have authorize the first payment as "recurring" even without your knowledge. Read the fine print carefully before you authorize credit card charge.

As for the internet love scam, that has been going on for some time now but still seems to be pretty effective as lonely horny men are thinking with their little brother's head instead of with their cranium.

There really is not much anybody can do for these lonely horny people being taken by these love-scam except to advice them to report to the authorities and hope the scammers can be tracked down and brought to justice.
 
I think you are very fortunate that didn't fall into their trap. Therefore, I don't think you have anything to fear. It's fine to feel a bit paranoid but I believe in order to open a line of credit you need at least social security if you reside in the State. You already informed your bank and if you still unease then you can file a police report. If any future identity fraud you have prove that your identity was stolen through someone online. It's also depends if your scammer wants to use your identification to conduct any illegal identity. I don't think that only with your name and a phone number they can do anything about it. Did you submit any type of ID to them too? Such as passport and ID where it has your address? If you do then the chance of using your personal identity is higher but even with that is not enough to open up a line of credit.

Good luck Bro!

Yes, I have also thought about that, file a police report to protect myself in case there are legal issues in the future. Even tough the scam didn't take place I hope they will allow me to file it.

No, fortunately I didn't share any personal ID or passport with my address on it. The problem is, other parts of the world, Europe for instance, there is no such service as "real time alerts" on your credit. You can get these from the bank you are already a customer but you won't get notified if a new line of credit is requested in any other bank where you are not a client. So if they ever try to open a credit in any country outside US, I don't know how I would be notified.
I don't know how your bank works, but my bank require a random pin number which the bank send to my phone to confirm a transaction which is outside of my normal transaction.
So, without that random pin number, the translation cannot take place.

However, for credit card transaction, be very careful on how you authorize any transaction because the vendor can charge you multiple times if you have authorize the first payment as "recurring" even without your knowledge. Read the fine print carefully before you authorize credit card charge.

As for the internet love scam, that has been going on for some time now but still seems to be pretty effective as lonely horny men are thinking with their little brother's head instead of with their cranium.

There really is not much anybody can do for these lonely horny people being taken by these love-scam except to advice them to report to the authorities and hope the scammers can be tracked down and brought to justice.

Yes my bank is similar. They have additional security measures: codes which are sent by SMS, passwords on physical cards handed to me when I opened my account, even finger print with phone apps. This makes very difficult to make any transaction without your knowledge. But man, looks they always find ways to overcome the protection measures.

Haven't though about that, but now that you mention it, Amazon for instance, does not ask for any additional code nor does notify you when a purchase has been made (as far as I know). Most of my pruchases are punctual, fortunately I do not have a lot of authorise vendors. But will have to think a bit about that.
If you didn't hand over any payment info, you should be ok.

but you could put a temporary freeze/fraud alert on your credit report.
Yes, I have activated the alerts for my credit report. I wonder, thought, what if they try to request a credit in Europe? Because in Europe real time alerts on credit report do not exist in many countries.
 
Yes, I have also thought about that, file a police report to protect myself in case there are legal issues in the future. Even tough the scam didn't take place I hope they will allow me to file it.

No, fortunately I didn't share any personal ID or passport with my address on it. The problem is, other parts of the world, Europe for instance, there is no such service as "real time alerts" on your credit. You can get these from the bank you are already a customer but you won't get notified if a new line of credit is requested in any other bank where you are not a client. So if they ever try to open a credit in any country outside US, I don't know how I would be notified.


Yes my bank is similar. They have additional security measures: codes which are sent by SMS, passwords on physical cards handed to me when I opened my account, even finger print with phone apps. This makes very difficult to make any transaction without your knowledge. But man, looks they always find ways to overcome the protection measures.

Haven't though about that, but now that you mention it, Amazon for instance, does not ask for any additional code nor does notify you when a purchase has been made (as far as I know). Most of my pruchases are punctual, fortunately I do not have a lot of authorise vendors. But will have to think a bit about that.

Yes, I have activated the alerts for my credit report. I wonder, thought, what if they try to request a credit in Europe? Because in Europe real time alerts on credit report do not exist in many countries.
I don’t think is that easy to open something in Europe either. I don’t really know the procedure to open up a line of credit in Europe but if you’re not an European resident, don’t think you can do that over there. I don’t think your identity can be stolen like that with such little info you have given out, but if you have set up alerts and have done all the necessary precautions you should be fine. I know it can be overwhelming with all the tricky things that they can do now but it’s out of your hand now. I mean if you’re that unlucky then you should stop using your credit cards too because the chances of big shopping stores or amazon having their customers’ data breached it’s also very common. We are living in a digital age so, our identity is easily stolen therefore these scammers are taking so much advantage of it.
 
just entering name and creating a profile on MT4 wont affect you. So dont worry about it. Its great you didnt make any payment.
 
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.
The dark web has everything for sale including phone numbers and ID's therefore it has become common for victims to be contacted randomly. Scammers also look on Facebook, Instagram, etc. to find random people and work to lure them in. It is very difficult to hack a phone, not impossible, however it's highly unlikely this can occur when registering for a demo account on MT. Please note these demo accounts are not part of MT but instead a different server so they can and likely do have your IP. I recommend to get a free VPN app for your phone or laptop before you make contact with them again. If you really want to make them mad then string them along for months and at the very end say you have no interest to invest :cool:
 
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