3/29(Tue) Swindlers (Host: Joseph Sr.)

[joseph]

Article to read:
Session 1:
https://www.boredpanda.com/how-people-g ... n=organic

1.What is the most interesting scam you have seen?

2.What is a common scam that people STILL fall for?

3.A Guy asked for a small amount of money to take bus. You saw him pulling the same scam on another man a week ago. Would you walk up and told the man that it’s a scam?

Session 2:
Cited from Taipei Times

https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/lang/a ... 003773455

Netflix’s latest documentary The Tinder Swindler has gone viral after it went online for its “crazier than a movie” story. Featuring the accounts of three victims: Cecilie, Ayleen and Pernilla, the film introduces the audience to Simon Leviev, a good-looking con artist posing as a billionaire, who scams several women out of millions of dollars. What begins as a fairytale romance sours into a nightmare, and turns into a cautionary tale of the dangers of online dating.

Claiming to be the son of a diamond tycoon, Simon would entice women on social media by flaunting pictures of his luxurious lifestyle. He invited them to fly on private planes and stay in luxury hotels, making them believe in the Cinderella story while stealing their hearts and their money.

Cecilie, Ayleen and Pernilla got together to uncover his swindling schemes and managed to put Simon behind bars. Simon was given a 15-month sentence for fraud but only served five months and went back on the prowl on social media and dating apps upon release. Simon has had a surge in followers after the show went online, proving that reality is sometimes even more bizarre than fiction.

1. Through this Ponzi scheme between 2017 and 2019, where he would use money from one woman to fund lavish dates with another. Can you think of any scam that is similar to Ponzi scheme. Share with your group.

2. Would you think 5 month prison is enough? What more our law enforcement coud have done to avoid this type of scam?

3. “how stupid women get when they fall in love.”
Do you agree?

4. Male scammers asking women for money is much more common, or the other way around? Share your thoughts with us.


Agenda:
6:45 ~ 7:00pm Greetings & Free Talk / Ordering Beverage or Meal / Getting Newcomer’s Information
7:00 ~ 7:10pm Opening Remarks / Newcomer’s Self-introduction / Grouping
(Session I)
7:10 ~ 7:50pm Discussion Session (40 mins)
7:50 ~ 8:10pm Summarization (20 mins)
8:10 ~ 8:15pm Regrouping / Instruction Giving / Taking a 10 Minutes Break (Intermission)
(Session II)
8:15 ~ 8:55pm Discussion Session (40 mins)
9:00 ~ 9:20pm Summarization (20 mins)
9:20 ~ 9:30pm Concluding Remarks / Announcements

Meeting Date: As shown on the Subject Line
Meeting Time: 7:00pm – 9:30pm
Meeting Venue: 丹堤咖啡 Dante Coffee (Minimum Order $80)
Address: 台北市濟南路三段25號[MAP]-捷運忠孝新生站3號出口步行3分鐘

Important Notes:
1. We advise participants to print out the discussion questions and bring them to the meeting for reference. As for the supporting articles, feel free to print them out, as well, according to your preference.
2. We suggest that participants read the articles and think about the questions in advance.
3. Newcomers should prepare a two-to-three minute self-introduction in English to deliver when called upon by the host before the start of the discussion. The host may also ask you to give brief feedback about the meeting at the conclusion of the meeting.
4. We conduct the entire meeting in English. All participants should have at least moderate English-conversation skills and be able to articulate your ideas for each discussion question.
5. We welcome newcomers and other guests to attend the meetings and join the discussion freely for three times. After that, we hope you will consider becoming a YoYo English Club member. We charge a NT$1000 lifetime membership fee.

[Rock]

The lesson I learned from this documentary: you don't have to be good in English to make 10 million bucks from people who speak much better English than you. Language fluency is not the key.

This is a very inspiring story. That guy is my personal hero now. As we can see, even scammers work so hard, what are our excuses to not fight for our life?

[Iris Wu]

Q3. "How stupid women get when they fall in love!" Do you agree?

If this question implies “women are easier to get scammed by romance frauds”, then a new study may suggest differently. According to the research conducted by the security firm Tessian, “Men are more likely to fall victim to an email romance scam than women (28% versus 19%, respectively).” https://www.securitymagazine.com/articl ... nce-scams

I think the reason why it feels like women are more fuzzy-headed and easily victimized in romance scams is that more women report romance fraud than men. It is probably more OK for women to report as scam victims than for a man to do so.

As we know that romance fraud is seriously under-reported, especially the male victims must be feeling humiliated but embarrassed to report it.
So, the answer to the question is, No. Men are equally, if not more, foolish and light-headed when falling into romantic relationships.

[Rock]

Q3. "How stupid women get when they fall in love!" Do you agree?

So, the answer to the question is, No. Men are equally, if not more, foolish and light-headed when falling into romantic relationships.

Totally agree. I can testify as a victim myself.

[Michael-liu]

To be honest, I also ever fell victim to online romance fraud too. The fraudster was from China.