Strange social media messages with even stranger offers

A couple of weeks back a reader called me up to report a very strange offer he received on Facebook where someone asked him to buy gift cards — in exchange for sex.

Now the gift card thing, that's a classic scam at this point we're all aware of, but man these scammers must be getting desperate.

I asked my old pal Google and sure enough, this is more common than I — probably naively — thought. In fact, in many cases, the scammer tries to build an online relationship with the person, sometimes through days, weeks or even months of messaging in an effort to build trust with the target before popping the question … so to speak.

What a buzzkill it would be to waste time talking to someone just for them to whip out the old gift card scam on you. Sheesh.

This scam can appear pretty much anywhere on social media be it places like Facebook and Instagram or dating apps like Tinder and Hinge.

Here's where I stress the importance of meeting people. You don't even have to do it in person right away. Online services like Skype, Zoom and any video chat app are useful even just to verify who you are talking to. If nothing else, you can avoid getting catfished that way.

Never send money or buy something for someone who you don't know, especially without any sort of verification. I'd take that a step further and say that even if you do speak with them over some form of video chat, still hold off. Who knows how far a scammer is willing to take the grift these days, especially since we now know what they are willing to say and do to get your money.

Stay safe out there.

As for an update in my saga, I am sadly still in the process of recovering that $900 through my bank. Here's hoping this is the week.

Scam of the Week generally runs every Tuesday. Readers are welcome to contact reporter Jake Hutchison to report scams and potential scams they have come in contact with by calling 530-828-1329 or via email at jhutchison@ chicoer.com.