GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Gainesville police are warning young men about an “embarrassing” scam.
On its Facebook page Friday, the Gainesville Police Department posted a scam alert that involved an attractive young lady (usually from the Philippines) befriending a young man on Facebook and then video chatting with him.
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According to police, the video chat escalates rapidly to “more of an adult encounter,” and then the “newfound girlfriend” says she wants money (usually with a comma in the figure) to not make the video public.
“These crimes generally originate from outside of the US, so prosecuting, much less investigating these incidents is next to impossible,” GPD said in the post. “So please, gentlemen, be smart. Don't show something to someone you don't know over the internet that would make your mother blush.”
The post went on to quote the Bangor Maine Police Department's tips for men who find themselves in such an encounter:
"This is a scam and you will look stupid being shown around the office doing something that you really cannot take back," the Bangor police said. "Once it is out there, we can do nothing for you."
Gainesville police emphasized that “if it seems to good to be true, it usually is.”