莎拉·G.
Last month, my mother met a man online who claimed to be a devoted Christian from the United States. He said he was a widower working as a military contractor in Qatar.
At first, he gained my mother’s trust through faith. He talked about God, prayer, and Christian values. Every day he sent kind messages, expressed love, and spoke about a future together. Before long, my mother believed she had met a sincere Christian man.
The next step was emotional attachment.
He constantly used sweet words, saying that God had brought them together and that she was the most important person in his life.
Then he introduced a young woman who claimed to be his daughter and encouraged my mother to add her on WeChat. The daughter was warm and friendly, making my mother feel accepted as part of their family.
Soon afterward, he mentioned that his daughter’s birthday was coming up.
My mother naturally asked what gift she might like. Looking back, it seemed like the conversation was carefully leading toward gifts and financial involvement.
By God’s grace, my mother suddenly began to question the situation. Instead of sending anything, she became cautious and decided to learn more before taking any action.
Using the proposed shipping arrangement, she was able to obtain a name and mailing address connected to the scammer. We preserved the evidence, gathered screenshots, photos, videos, and other information, and reported the case to the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3).
This experience taught us an important lesson.
The scammer first used a Christian identity to gain trust.
Then he used emotional manipulation to gain affection.
Next, he used a supposed family relationship to create a sense of belonging.
Only afterward did the conversation begin moving toward gifts and potential financial requests.
As Christians, we should continue to trust God, but we should also use wisdom and discernment. Not everyone who speaks about faith truly represents Christ.
Please be careful when building relationships online. Sometimes the greatest danger is not the request for money—it is the trust that is gained before the request is ever made.