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Cybercrime is an increasing concern today, with the advancement of society. That a person can wake up and everything they worked for is gone is a devastating reality that people must protect themselves from at all costs.
This story involves not only the common scam but also identity theft. It all started with this man, who believes he’s met the real Kaley Cuoco and that they share something special.
For the story’s sake, we’ll call the original poster (OP) Ben.
Kaley Cuoco
The day before, Ben woke up to his mom begging him to talk sense into his father. You must have guessed why. Ben’s father was knee-deep in a catfishing scheme. He wanted to go to the bank to open an account so “Kaley Cuoco” could deposit $300,000 into his account, of which she would let him keep 40%. Sounds good, right? Not if you’re familiar with these catfishing schemes.
She needed his help because all her accounts were “frozen.” Ben’s dad is sure the person he’s been in contact with is the true American actress because they have been chatting for two years.
No Face, No Case
As a celebrity, she has to switch accounts now and then. She also can’t send photos or video chat; he won’t ask to maintain her trust. With that logic, people like Ryan Reynolds and Rihanna must have dozens of accounts.
Kaley Cuoco also can’t use her actual bank info because of her celebrity status. Still, she can afford to send him such a huge sum because, well, Hollywood pays well. First, however, she sent him her driver’s license, which Ben quickly pointed out was fake.
The Angry Break-Up Text
Ben’s father won’t believe any “made-up” stories about his friend — even from his family. So when Ben asked how he met her, he said her found a link to message her on one of her accounts. And when he asks how he’s sure it’s her, “he gets really defensive and just says he ‘just knows’ and tells me to shut up.”
After Ben showed him that the driver’s license was fake, he asked Kaley to send the real one and the address of her bank. To that, Kaley never responded. In return, Ben’s father got furious. He sent her an angry text and told her he never wanted to hear from her again and that he couldn’t believe a “famous person” would stoop low to scam people like him.
They Reconcile
People break up to make up, they say. Don’t roll your eyes yet.
The morning Ben shared his story, his dad made up with Kaley because she added him to her “top friends list,” whatever that is, and he came in hot at number one.
Ben is confused and frustrated and not sure what else to do. He thinks sharing similar stories with his dad would help him see the truth. There are slim chances, but he’s still giving it a shot.
He has no choice. He doesn’t want his family to lose all their money. “Kaley Cuoco” is definitely playing the long game, and he needs to save his father before it’s too late.
What People Think
Sometimes, even though one knows a thing is too good to be true, one wants to believe it so badly that they become blind to reason. Ben’s father may not know better here, but he probably thinks everyone’s against him and his bond with someone famous.
Ben knows the truth, and it’s driving him crazy, not knowing how to convince his father. Luckily, these helpful tips might save his father from making the mistake of his life.
According to someone, Ben has to “get him to call the AARP fraud hotline. They have experience working with older people who are being scammed. He can even get him to call to ‘prove’ it is not a scam.”
Another individual thinks nothing they do at this point will save his father, so they think Ben and his mother should save themselves from the impending doom.
They write, “It’s pretty obvious that nothing you can say or do is going to dissuade him. Your mother has to talk to the bank and explain the situation: she will presumably need to prove that she is who she says she is.
And she should consider talking to a lawyer to separate her own assets from his as much as possible, because this is going to get even uglier than it already is and she doesn’t want to be in the middle of the train wreck.”
One more sympathizer thinks that Ben needs to take matters into his own hands. “You could contact your dad’s bank and ask to speak to their fraud department. Not sure if it’s possible but try your best to prevent your dad from opening a new account,” they say.
In The End
Ben has tried to share other cases where scammers have used the identities of famous people, like Jared Leto and Keanu Reeves, to scam others. However, his father ends up further convinced it’s the famous people themselves “stooping low” to scam people.
This is a tough case, and Ben would have difficulty preventing his dad from digging his grave. You’ve heard the story; what should he do now?
This thread inspired this post.
This article originally appeared on Financially Well Off.
