1195: Javier Leiva | Modern Romance Scam Tactics and Ways to Fight Back

2025-08-12

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Beyond catfishing, romance scammers are moving in with victims and rewriting wills. Here, Pretend Podcast host Javier Leiva exposes their new playbook.Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/1195What We Discuss with Javier Leiva:Romance scams are so common that identical fake stories (architect in Indonesia, talking to Johnny Depp) are used with thousands of victims simultaneously, making them seem like urban legends.Scammers target vulnerable people by checking boxes: isolated from family, cognitive...

Beyond catfishing, romance scammers are moving in with victims and rewriting wills. Here, Pretend Podcast host Javier Leiva exposes their new playbook.

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/1195

What We Discuss with Javier Leiva:

Romance scams are so common that identical fake stories (architect in Indonesia, talking to Johnny Depp) are used with thousands of victims simultaneously, making them seem like urban legends.
Scammers target vulnerable people by checking boxes: isolated from family, cognitive decline, terminal illness, government pension, loneliness. More boxes = bigger mark.
Advanced scammers move in with victims, become caregivers, get named as estate executors, then move on to victim's elderly relatives when the person dies.
Damage goes beyond money — victims often become unable to trust again and avoid relationships entirely, while family stress affects everyone for years.
Watch for red flags: excessive early generosity, isolating behavior, urgent requests bypassing reasoning, password/financial access requests, sob stories. Trust family concerns.
And much more...

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