Kidnapping & extortion in Colombia via Facebook

[QRCAP2012]

Here's a news article about crimnals in Colombia arrested for kidnapping wealthy men after using women's profiles on Facebook to lure them in. I wonder if the same thing might happen on dating sites such as Colombian Cupid?
http://colombiareports.com/colombia-news/news/25359-colombian-kidnappers-chose-their-victims-on-facebook-police.html

[benjio]

Here's a news article about crimnals in Colombia arrested for kidnapping wealthy men after using women's profiles on Facebook to lure them in. I wonder if the same thing might happen on dating sites such as Colombian Cupid?
http://colombiareports.com/colombia-news/news/25359-colombian-kidnappers-chose-their-victims-on-facebook-police.html

Never heard of any kidnappings initialized through contacts on Colombian Cupid; but I do personally know of other crimes that stemmed from bait and switch traps on the site.

[Calipro]

Never heard of any kidnappings initialized through contacts on Colombian Cupid; but I do personally know of other crimes that stemmed from bait and switch traps on the site.

Sounds like the ring was shooting a little higher than wife hunters and mongers.

[SkyNorth]

How could detailing every single part of your life on the World's largest public forum be a bad thing?
 
LOL.

[V_Man]

How could detailing every single part of your life on the World's largest public forum be a bad thing?
 
LOL.

Exactly!

[MariaJBueno]

  Nobody uses their real name on Colombian cupid.. they used fb because people tend to show who they are on there.
True so true why put all your personal info on there and make it public?
It reminds me of the jokes about people with full FB, public bios(phone #, Address) who would to post details of their tips and the dates they would be gone from their home and come back just to find their place had been emptied out. Talk about a friendly invite 

[benjio]

Nobody uses their real name on Colombian cupid.. they used fb because people tend to show who they are on there.
True so true why put all your personal info on there and make it public?
It reminds me of the jokes about people with full FB, public bios(phone #, Address) who would to post details of their tips and the dates they would be gone from their home and come back just to find their place had been emptied out. Talk about a friendly invite 

Maria,
 
I've probably met a few dozen women from Colombian Cupid in person in the last couple of years. Although there's no way to verify whether or not all of them were being truthful about their names, I'm absolutely sure quite a few used their real names on their profiles. Now in terms of whether or not they were exactly who they said they were on CC when I met them in person...that's a different story altogether.
 
The red flags have been documented on this forum a thousand times. Usually an honest Latina on a dating site will prefer to communicate extensively via chat, Skype, phone, etc. before meeting a foreigner in person. When a girl is desperate and/or in a rush to take a relationship to the next level, I've always eventually found something amiss. Most of the women I meet from Cupid have been using it long enough to know that a very good majority of the gringos on the site are full of $HIT. Either they are lying about who they are, what they look like, or being single; or they joined the site to fulfill some sort of twisted need to play with women's emotions without ever seriously planning to make the journey to see them. Gringos should approach any dating or social networking site exactly the same way.
 
I'm working in Bogota now, and I've met a few girls from Cupid here in the last year. But I have almost always refused any and every woman that has suggested we meet in person after speaking for only a few hours or a couple of days, especially if it's on her terms. When a man is patient and uses his big head, 99% of the times any intention of foul play will reveal itself beforehand. As much as some Colombianas lie, I have yet to meet one that's good at it. Even if a man insist on meeting a woman in person he hardly knows, he should do it in a safe, nuetral, public place. Dennis spoke of this extensively while he was dating in Colombia. A man would have to be idiot to meet up with a complete stranger here regardless of where or how he met her.

[mudd]

three girls on my  facebook   had their photos stolen and somebody is using them on cupid and latin cupid.  reporting it is a joke, cupid would not remove one profile. be careful what photos you post and who your friends are.

[mudd]

Never heard of any kidnappings initialized through contacts on Colombian Cupid; but I do personally know of other crimes that stemmed from bait and switch traps on the site.

forgot, last week, ex gf told me about  a  news story on the tv in medellin about this subject. criminals using stolen photos and cupid and other sites  to set up guys.

[Gato4Astrid]

 
 
 But I have almost always refused any and every woman that has suggested we meet in person after speaking for only a few hours or a couple of days, especially if it's on her terms.

+ 1

[MariaJBueno]

I know what you mean, I got to met a lot of women from Colombian Cupid.
Now when this post turn to be about dating?  The post was extortion via FB or did I miss something?
Maybe it did not get across on my post, but what I meant was that people who have no purpose in really meeting a guy but to get something out of them or kidnap them, they would go FB rather than to connect with them via Colombian Cupid. I know that a lot of the men get the hang of how CC works and learn to surf through the scams.

I never meant that the women profiles on there were fake or the names of the girls were not real . It is well known that it is easier to learn more about a anyone through FB or do you update your status on CC on a daily basis? And do most of the men in there have their family and friends in their contact list on CC? I don't think all men use their real name either do they?

I am not questioning your or anybody Else's techniques about staying safe. I am mainly pointing out that if an extortion is going to take place, I am sure criminals would start by getting to know their target real well and what better place than site where a great percentage of the people write all about themselves? even their whereabouts? 

Now can they start fake profiles on CC and get to know the men well and can there be a man who do not run into this site and they naive enough to fall for a scam on CC ?? OH HELL YEAH!!!  it can sure happen!!! It has sure happen!!
Just my 2 cents!!!

[V_Man]

As much as some Colombianas lie, I have yet to meet one that's good at it.

In my limited experience I have found the same thing.

[QRCAP2012]

In the past two months I have been on Colombian Cupid I have had 3 contacts that were set ups for some kind of scam. I reported each of the three to the Report Abuse thingy and within 24 hours received a reply that the offending profile had been removed. So, yes, it is easy to spot the scams most of the time, and yes, Colombian Cupid follows up and does the only thing they can do which is ban the profile. The same person could have been all three of these scams. All they needed was a new email address and a few minutes to put up a new free profile.
Another thing I notice on Colombian Cupid is how girls use different names a lot. Many of the profiles use their own first name but not all. Colombianas have 4 names to begin with, and then they usually have a nickname. One girl said maria in her profile, then when I contacted her  she responded as Edith. Then I got her email address which is Valeria. Then I met her on Skype and her name is Eliana. It confuses the heck out of me sometimes, like just today I got a very nice email from "Violeta" and I have no freaking idea who she is or what her profile name is so I'll have to ask her.

[Calipro]

In the past two months I have been on Colombian Cupid I have had 3 contacts that were set ups for some kind of scam.

WOW!!


This doesn't sound like your normal idle chit chat....this sounds like you really have some useful information that might help others avoid these scams.


How did it go down...don't spare us any details.