Romance / “pig butchering” Shared by Anonymous · anonymized with consent
Romance
A woman text me and wanted to get to know me better. We started chatting and had great conversations. We spoke for about 3 weeks. She had mentioned earlier in our conversation that she would be taking vacation later on during the week. She text me to tell me that she was at the airport and would contact me once her flight landed. She did just that. About 15 min later, she said the airline lost her luggage and that she had put her purse in the suitcase. She needed money to Uber to the hotel. She asked if I could send an apple card with funds and as soon as she got her belongings back she would pay me back.I sent her $300 to allow her money for food as well. I never heard back from her again.
Other / not sure Shared by Anonymous · anonymized with consent
Military heartbreak
In June 2024 I met a woman who said she was a Staff Sgt in the US ARMY statio ed in Syria and I fell hard for, I met her through dating sites called Elite Singles and over the course of two years she constantly asked for money, had me send it to her in bitcoin, told me she had no access to her bank account and the list goes on. Here it is 2026 and she still claims to be in Syria and she had us bou cing from one private messenger to another and that was what scared me but I still kept thinking I was overthinking things and stayed to afraid to stay and to afraid to leave and to afraid to be alone. My feelings and emotions were everywhere, my mental and physical health began to deteriorate and the deal breaker was when she wanted remote access to my computer because she said that the military computers were unsafe and the wifi in Syria was dangerous and then she sends me a document with someone else's bank information and I froze up, like it wasn't bad enough she had sent me checks that I put in my bank account and .lost my account, then sent me another computer with someone else name on the package, and now this. I fell apart and I broke my laptop, my tablet and my hone to escape. I have finally replaced what I broke but I am now terrified that she will come after me or hurt my family, I'm terrified of the I telnet and anyone else who approaches me. I shut down all of my social media and then a friend suggested TikTok and I told her no social media but she said it will be okay aaand I am glad I took the advice because I came across this and thought maybe I could find a place to heal and recover myselff
Thank you for trusting me with your story. My heart truly goes out to you. What you experienced wasn't simply a scam, it was emotional manipulation over a long period of time, and that kind of betrayal can leave emotional and physical scars.
Please don't blame yourself. These individuals are skilled at gaining trust, creating emotional dependence, and keeping people caught between hope and fear. You're not alone, and you're certainly not the only person who has walked this painful road.
I'm so grateful that you listened to your instincts when things no longer felt right. That took courage. Healing doesn't happen overnight, but the fact that you're here, sharing your story, tells me you've already taken an important step forward.
My hope is that The River Within becomes a place where you can continue to heal, learn, and realize that there is absolutely no shame in what happened. You're among people who understand, who won't judge you, and who genuinely want to help others find their footing again.
Thank you for sharing your story. I believe brighter days are ahead for you, one step at a time. ❤️
Romance / “pig butchering” Shared by Anonymous · anonymized with consent
The Interior Decorator
She claimed to be an interior designer. She wins a bid and flies to Miami for a presentation. She wins the contract. She has to leave immediately to Paris to purchase materials for the client. The client deposits a large sum of money into her personal account. She claims that the account was locked due to excessive spending. She wants me to use my IP address to access a bank in Russia claiming that the account is under both her and her mother's name. She wants me to withdraw $50,000 to send to her. After refusing, she starts to ask for smaller amounts to buy food, to pay for her dog sitter and the list goes on. I finally was able to walk away.
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