so as a semi-popular blog i tend to get a lot of scam asks, but this is actually a type of scam i've never encountered on tumblr before, so i'm going to make kind of an in-depth post/psa instead of just the usual short "this is a scam" response i usually give.
usually, tumblr scammers tend to follow a few easy signs:
- blog less than a week old because they use them for like a week before discarding/being banned and then remaking
- fundraiser post for cause that's meant to tug at the heartstrings (cute pet that needs medical treatment, capitalizing on current crises like the genocide in gaza, single mother trying to provide for kids, queer teen who got kicked out, etc)
- pictures are stolen off facebook or gofundme, oftentimes from an actual, legitimate fundraiser (this is so scummy)
- paypal country code does not match with the country they state they're in
- spams asks to random blogs telling their backstory and asking for donations or reblogs of their donation post, often with a request to answer privately (so the spamming doesn't show up if you search their url)
those are donation scams, and i get them in my inbox about once every week or two. they're the most common type of scam on tumblr.
THIS asker didn't mention any kind of money, or donations, or backstory. just "can i be your friend". they have no fundraiser post or in fact any original posts at all, and their blog is almost a year old with consistent activity. seems kind of normal at first glance, if a little awkward, but this is actually the beginning to what's referred to as a "pig butchering scam".
pig butchering scams can be either romance-based or friendship-based. they involve an innocuous-seeming interaction developing into a relationship, and once the scammer thinks they have your trust, they start asking for money, using that built trust as the basis. you would lend a friend some money in an emergency if they promise to pay it back quickly if you could, right?
pig butchers are definitely harder to spot than donation scammers, but there are some clear signs if you look closely enough.
the out-of-nowhere nature of the ask was what got me initially suspicious, so i searched her url. this is what that search looks like.
clearly not a user trying to actually make friends, and instead a spammer. a couple people there have already pointed out this is a pig butchering scam.
a few weeks ago, she was even bolder and doing a more donation-scam approach:
(hint: she is not going to give it back to you)
@kyra45 even posted about this as far back as september, and apparently the scammer was a blank blog back then:
another, far less obvious tell is that she's following loads of bots, mixed in with normal users she's following. while i'm unsure if this user is a bot herself (i'm leaning toward a mixed use of a bot to send asks and personal replies once she gets a bite), normal users don't just... follow random bot/SEO accounts.
she also has a second, identical account at @pleasantdesttinykkryptonite, the same url with an extra k. possibly a backup in case she gets banned.
john oliver actually did a whole episode on pig butchering scams (already posted by someone in the url search) if you'd like to learn more.
