PSA: CAT MEDICAL BILL SCAM
Please signal boost this if possible to inform your followers about these scams.
Earlier today, I got a message from the account nicole-loves-king, where they asked me to signal boost a post because their cat needed medical help. Here's the ask:
(And you can see the post in question here)
I looked at this post and was immediately put off because they were asking for people to send things through 'friends and family', which if you aren't aware, is a very insecure way to send someone funds using paypal, because you don't have the protections you would get if you used 'goods and services'. So scammers can make off w your money really easily.
I looked at their blog and scrolled down to the end, and I realized their blog was made today! And, all their posts (there weren't many posts to begin with lol) were of trending topics. I noted puss in boots, and welcome to nightvale among others. This is probably how they found me, because I reblogged some of that stuff recently.
Here's the time stamp from their oldest post (notice it says the time, not the date, which means the post was from today):
In their ask, they also tell you to answer privately. Hm, that seems sus. Why would someone not want you to publish a request for help?
So I have a policy where I don't signal boost posts from brand new blogs because, yknow, they could be scams. I posted this, and the scam account blocked me. They also blocked my friend when they replied to their ask and said their blog looked suspicious. I did some more digging, and I found a comment from someone that confirmed my suspicions:
This is in fact a scam!
@nicstonka is almost identical to the above account (nicole-loves-king). Look at the avatar, the pictures, and the paypal address, both accounts even have 'nic' (as in 'nicole') in the name. The only thing that is extremely different is the name of the cat! Yet both blogs also have the name of the cat in their url ('king' and 'tonka'). That should also be a red flag, because usually someone isn't gonna have the name of their pet in their url, only a few posts, and a signal boost for that exact (fake) pet.
Here's a side by side:
Looks at those paypal accounts: nbrunelle519, and nbrunelle391. Nope definitely not a scam /s
And the cat pictures side by side:
Tumblr's "scam" tag is actually full of these reports now, which you can see here. Or if there's nothing there anymore, click here and here for images.
And links to some older PSAs about other cat scams: 1 2 3
So if you see any blogs like this, where all they have is trending posts, it seems like they've copied and pasted an ask to you, or if they're asking you to send things via friends and family, vet them so so so carefully, because chances are you're walking into a scam. Don't just repost things without carefully checking! If you aren't in a position to check carefully, better safe than sorry: don't repost it! Don't let these scams spread.
Pro tip: If a blog is dash only, so you can't view their archive to see when their first post was made, and you're on desktop, you can just open the blog in its dashboard view, then click 'end' on your keyboard over and over until all their posts are loaded. Usually if it's a spam blog, you'll only need to click 'end' 5-6 times, sometimes a bit more, since they only post just enough times to give the appearance they're active, then there's absolutely nothing after that.
If you want more proof someone is a scammer, you can look at the currency they use their post (or the currency shown in the vet bill), then hover over the paypal link and inspect the part of the url that says 'country.x=AA'. The 'AA' is the abbreviation for the country your money is going to! If that country doesn't match the country of the currency shown in the post, it's a scam! Example: someone's post says '$' for USD/CAD dollars, but the country in their paypal link is 'PH', which stands for Philippines, where they use Philippine pesos, not dollars!
Also keep in mind that these are not bots! There is a real person behind these accounts. They have replied to people who wanted to confirm they were real, but their intentions are still to scam you, they just know it looks better if they reply.
Stay safe!!
Edit:
Updating this post to announce the scammer's made more blogs, and they're probably gonna keep doing it! Here's the list so far. This isn't up to date btw, go to @scamarchive and check their pinned post for the most recent detected blogs
turncoatrune, starlightdisc, xxmy, wxnt, eeyore-pg, coatedpeanbean, starrypanelstars, panelstars, scyllostyle, the-nonbinary-witch, aash-aash, leechness, ash-aahs, commandobutch, lovely-pages, pagefive-to-six, reconnecteed, five-and-fourty, stepsapphic, farmer-butch0, health-pages, turnersapphic, lxve, march-pls-be-good, emberful, imse7en, kassidymaygemz, kassidymaydream, dreamingkassidy, kasdream, live-march, confusedskulll, march-lives, criticaltuesday, quicksilvah, wrldy, quicksilveey, the-stucked-pan, flurrbum, o345, nxce, thls, hokkairi, sykdykee, furrtasticbu, bumfurry, supsense, wickdart, the90sbest
Keep in mind you may not receive an ask like the above ones. You may get something simpler like this, instead:
Most of these are cats, but there's been dogs and even people too.
If you wanna get even more info on all these accounts, there's an archive of this scammer's pinned posts and asks here, so you can see at a glance how similar they all are. You can also see a comprehensive list of scammer red flags specifically for tumblr here!
And lastly, you can report the scams using 'report something else' > 'unlawful uses or content' > 'phishing'
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Honest “Favorite Character” Asks 🌿
I can’t find character asks that suit my type of discussion, so I made some. These are meant to be somewhat personal, therapeutic, and pensive.
Send someone one of their favorite characters along with any of the following questions.
—
1. Do you project onto this character?
2. Did you always like this character?
3. What first drew you to this character?
4. Did you initially dislike/hate this character?
5. If this character were a woman, would you honestly still like them? Or in reverse, what if they were a man?
6. Do you have any nicknames or pet names you use for this character?
7. Does the character’s age matter to you?
8. Does the character’s looks/design matter to you?
9. Does this character remind you of anyone you know? Does that affect how you see them?
10. Do you see yourself in this character even without projecting?
11. How did you “fall in love” with this character?
12. If you could write effortlessly and as much as you wanted, what story (s) would you write for this character?
13. If you could draw effortlessly and as much as you wanted, what scene (s) would you draw for this character?
14. Are you physically attracted to this character?
15. Are your thoughts surrounding this character usually sexual, non-sexual, or a mix of both?
16. Have you ever cried when thinking about this character? Genuinely?
17. Have you ever felt physical pain over this character? (ex: physical heartache).
18. Do you prefer to see this character suffer or know peace? Angst or comfort? Both?
19. Does this character serve as a stress ball/ security blanket for you? Something you run to after a bad day to feel safe or happier?
20. Do you feel affectionate towards this character?
21. Are your feelings about this character platonic, romantic, or familial? All of these feelings at once maybe?
22. Do you think you will always love this character?
23. Has this character permanently altered or impacted your psyche in a way you won’t forget?
24. Do you ever dream about this character? If so, describe a dream you once had about them.
25. What kind of fan-fiction do you read about this character? If you don’t read fan-fics about them, why not?
26. If you look for this character’s name on AO3, what tags are you including or excluding?
27. Do you like to ship this character with other characters or do you prefer not to?
28. Do you get defensive about this character? If yes, then why?
29. Do you affectionately bully this character?
30. Are you especially sensitive about this character?
31. Are you ashamed of liking this character?
32. If you could make this character a meal, what would you make them?
33. Are you “blinded by love” for this character or do you accept any flaws they may have?
34. Does this character inspire you with little things in your daily life?
35. Has this character ever prevented you from sleeping because you can’t stop thinking about them?
36. Do you feel a spiritual/soulmate connection with this character?
37. Is your love for this character a secret from people you know in real life?
38. Do you tend to joke more about dying or killing for this character? Both? What causes the distinction?
39. Do you feel lovesick over this character?
40. Are you very empathetic towards this character? When they feel a certain way in the story, do you feel those emotions too?
41. Do you prefer to interact with this character directly via self-insert/reader type content? Or do you enjoy seeing them mostly with other characters in the story and/or your OCs?
42. If you could, would you write this character a song or poem?
43. What type of weather makes you think of this character?
44. Which season makes you think of this character?
45. Do you feel as if you are intimately familiar with this character?
46. How much do bad interpretations of this character upset you?
47. Does this character ever make you laugh sincerely?
48. What’s your favorite physical/design feature for this character?
49. What’s your favorite personality trait in this character?
50. Link your fav song, playlist, aesthetic board, fan-fiction, reference pile, personal artwork, analysis post, meme, headcanon, or quote for this character. Whichever one (s) you are most comfortable with!
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