I have reflected on this for the past three weeks to decide the best way forward. There is a lot at stake if I don't post this tonight. I have thought it through as best I can without a lawyer down the hall with easy access to content.
These are love stories. The ones I am most familiar with are of women age 55 and older, however, there are also young women carrying on with older men to satisfy their paradigm of deceit and money. This is a serious issue and it is not being addressed. That is why I am spending this evening adressing it here.
It is a "Me, Too" issue. It involves financial security for women. It exposes their most vulnerable aspect of themselves and uses that intimacy to sow undeserved trust. I have tried to put a name on it, but, the absolute best psychological word for it is "Stockholm Syndrome." The relationships can be very cruel and invasive in ways not normally considered by lovers.
I will discuss two cases this evening. Each one is at the opposite end of the spectrum as I can understand it. There is a pattern. It is a crime that sets their victims up in relationships before the final crime is committed. By crime I mean there are bank identities and services used by the men (no women perpetrators that I am aware of, although men have been victims,
but, most likely to other men).
It is international and dangerous in that Americans are vulnerable due to cultural issues. There are also government systems in play that are quite unbelievable. But, these systems are compromised and used without conscience except to achieve wealth of the man involved. I also believe there is international racketeering.
These woman are educated and former or current professionals. Some are licensed. Their experiences in life have opened them up to others that causes a shift in self-interest into the interest of others.
Both the cases I am going to discuss this evening started on LinkedIn (click here). There are currently at least a couple of dozen of women that have maintained their LinkedIn profiles that have been solisited and/or schammed for money. There are some that have left the site completely. The banks involved tell these women it is a scam and not identity theft. Legally, the women are responsible for all the trouble that comes their way. It never occurs to them at any time that they are in any type of peril. To them it is a loving relationship laced with complete trust. They believe their well being is esteemed by the men involved. It is amazing to realize the invasiveness of this paradigm.
LinkedIn has a sincere problem in that they don't accept responsibility for their accommodation of this tragedy. The men are well rehearsed in the policy. If a member of LinkedIn finds a person attractive and wants to date or correspond take the conversation to "Google Hangouts." And they do. That is exactly what the predator men do. After they introduce themselves to the woman they ask to take the conversation to Google Hangouts and the fun begins.
"Sent an invitation already to you on hangout.
Can you check and accept."
The women are often retired, but, keep their LinkedIn sites because they like to read the daily entries from friends, former co-workers or organizations and newsletter they have enjoyed. They are mostly open to other opportunities that are work related and some are more than qualified to be consultants to business and it is a way of being available for such opportunities.
LinkedIn does not allow social entities such as groups that would support such issues. If the women were allowed to congregate at a site where they could share war stories, it might stop. LinkedIn never allows such social content. In addition, there is no place on LinkedIn that allows members to communicate with the business offices. At no point in time did these women have an opportunity to report the behaviors that compromised them.
Basically, there are men from other countries allowed on the LinkedIn site to look at professional women with means to decide if they think they can scam them and get money out of them. There is nothing stopping that. I can't help but wonder if LinkedIn is aware of the exploitation of women and some men on their site in the manner it occurs as I will state it here. The women are mostly ashamed and rather take it to their graves than handle it in a way that can resolve some idea of justice.
They are all American women. I do not know of one case that is a foreign citizen. It probably takes place, but, I am unaware of it. The men are all from other countries. There are no American men engaged in these activities to my knowledge.
The men justify their acts with the women throughout the time they are involved as a loving relationship that will go on forever. They tell them, "You are happy because I love you." Even after the worse happens, the men repeat those words over and over as if that is supposed to sooth the women into compliance with the relationship. Only when it is too late do many of the victims realize this is a mistake. They don't understand how they became so involved.
