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   Profoundly Nerdy (profoundlynerdy@bitbang.social)'s status on Saturday, 13-Jul-2024 03:33:51 JST Profoundly Nerdy

   So, #askfedi is anyone else suspicious DMS that all follow a similar pattern?

   1. Brand new account randomly DM's a few people.
   2. Account has a profile photo of a reasonably attractive woman.
   3. A seemingly innocuous conversation starts.
   4. The new account makes casual comments about their wealth, businesses, speculative investments AT THE SAME TIME as grammar and punctuation fall off.
   5. Account gets deleted a week later.

   I suspect someone may be running a investment fraud scam on #Mastodon.

   • Embed this notice
     BeAware :fediverse: (beaware@social.beaware.live)'s status on Saturday, 13-Jul-2024 03:33:50 JST BeAware :fediverse:

     in reply to

     @profoundlynerdy just don't reply? I would think that most on Fedi aren't new to scams...

     Do we have our grandmas that barely know how to use Facebook, signed up to Fedi?😳

   • Embed this notice
     BeAware :fediverse: (beaware@social.beaware.live)'s status on Saturday, 13-Jul-2024 04:10:36 JST BeAware :fediverse:

     in reply to

     @profoundlynerdy I've never gotten a DM from someone new that's just wanting to discuss interests. Not a single time. Always public or not at all in my opinion.

     DMs from new people are always seen as sus to me.

   • Embed this notice
     Profoundly Nerdy (profoundlynerdy@bitbang.social)'s status on Saturday, 13-Jul-2024 04:10:37 JST Profoundly Nerdy

     in reply to

     • BeAware :fediverse:

     @BeAware The problem is, in all probability, I'd be ignoring a fair number of people who just want to say hi and chat about some interest we have in common. So, it takes at least a few exchanges to sort all this out.

     BeAware :fediverse: repeated this.
   • Embed this notice
     Joe (not2b@sfba.social)'s status on Saturday, 13-Jul-2024 11:12:53 JST Joe

     in reply to

     • BeAware :fediverse:

     @profoundlynerdy @BeAware If it is a new account, the profile picture is of an attractive woman, and "she" DMs you out of the blue, it is almost certainly fake. Same if you block DMs from non-followers, follow someone and get an instant DM. All the other social media platforms have those people. They usually have many simultaneous targets. There was a John Oliver segment on how bad the cons can get. Some of them will try to build up a relationship with you before springing the trap. And yes, they are here on Mastodon now.

     BeAware :fediverse: repeated this.
   • Embed this notice
     Profoundly Nerdy (profoundlynerdy@bitbang.social)'s status on Sunday, 14-Jul-2024 00:30:18 JST Profoundly Nerdy

     in reply to

     • Joe
     • BeAware :fediverse:

     @not2b @BeAware I figured. But I wanted to send this message up the flagpole as a warning to others.