Gay Dating Scam

I believe I was recently a target of a gay dating scam. The scammer emailed me on a gay dating site. Unfortunately, I deluded myself for 3 days before I got wise. I emailed him my private email address, my home telephone number and worst of all an old magazine profile of me - so he was able to search the Internet and find out more information about me as a writer and filmmaker. The photo in the profile was very old and shot in an expressionistic fashion with me in profile - My face is pretty much unrecognizable. The scammer/scammers are from Eastern Europe and because of my magazine profile probably assume I'm some rich Hollywood director WHICH I'M NOT.

Am I in any jeopardy? Although these scammers are 7,000 miles away could they arrange for locals to burgle my home because of their Hollywood fantasy or am I just being paranoid? What other possibilities could these scammers do with the information I gave them. Keep in mind I gave them no address (though that's easy to look up), no ID, no pics outside of the mag profile, no bank accounts, etc. And of course I did not send them any money - oddly enough in 10 days of communication they never asked for any.

I did not bait them in an obvious way but asked a lot of questions to get as much information and photos as I could. I then extricated myself very smoothly without a hint that I was on to their scam and have since ceased communication.

Please answer asap as I'm very anxious about the situation.

THANKS.

Hello and welcome to Scamwarners!

Although it is not ideal for the scammers to have this information about you it is also not something to worry too much about. These scammers are after easy money. They are criminals and not someone you would want to puposly meet but the likely hood of them coming to you to rob you in person is very very slim. These scammers are after fast money not to cause you physical harm or rob you in person in most cases. They loose victims all the time and from what you wrote you did not do anything to make them angry.

If you ignore then they will move on.

Justin

Justin is right. They just don't want to put energy and time into someone who doesn't believe their story. If you don't actually cause harm to them by shutting down their websites, bank accounts, reveal their true identity or whatever.. they don't have a single reason to come after you.

The worst thing that could happen - and the chances are small, keep that in mind - is that they use your name and pictures to pose as you and lure in other victims. Sometimes scammers use the details they obtained from their (near-)victims and pose as them. It has nothing to do with revenge though.

Again, as Justin said, if you just ignore them the chances that you will get involved further are practically zero.