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This Is Not Keanu: Inside the Billion-Dollar Celebrity Impersonation Bitcoin Scam
Hollywood Reporter ^ | 09 July 2025 | Rebecca Keegan

Posted on 07/11/2025 3:54:11 PM PDT by Drew68

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To: onona

I have dealt with people in my law practice who have been sucked into these online romance scams. They send hundreds of thousands of dollars that they do not have overseas, before ever meeting or speaking with the person they develop an obsession with. There is probably not a single person on the other end - just a group of scammers in Moscow, Nigeria or the Caymans, who are particularly good at crafting a scenario that fits gullible victims. The ones I have encountered are lonely retired women, and the stories that seem to have believability with them have in common Syria, American military personnel, and threats of danger that can only be mitigated with transfers of cash.

One retired woman took out as much in cash advances as she could manage (nearly $150K), purchased Apple gift cards at Target, and then sent images of the gift cards front and back (with silver stripe scratched off) by Google Hangouts to the ostensible romance interest.

Crazy, but I have seen three instances of this kind of scam in the last 3 years in FL alone. The Syrian element is that the romantic interest is an American military member, who is in Syria and needs money to get out. Preposterous - we do have some military advisers in Syria, but the number is small, and whatever resources they need, they get. No need to resort to this source of funding.


21 posted on 07/12/2025 12:28:36 AM PDT by Wally_Kalbacken
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To: 21twelve

I’m a fat 76 YO but you’d be surprised at how many hot young chicks have wanted me in the past few years. They usually text my number by mistake but are willing to continue chatting. Doesn’t take long for them to succumb to my charms. Sadly, the relationships end when they find I don’t have any money.


22 posted on 07/12/2025 12:38:34 AM PDT by Hootowl
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To: Hootowl

Ask for nudes. They usually leave you alone after that


23 posted on 07/12/2025 1:29:12 AM PDT by Keyhopper (Indians had bad immigration laws)
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To: mfish13

She’s 90 right now. Not exactly a spring chicken. Obviously not what she once was but I could send you some pictures of her in earlier times and whisper sweet nothings in english (Italian is extra). Otherwise my rates are very reasonable. :)


24 posted on 07/12/2025 7:27:28 AM PDT by xp38
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