Stranger Danger!! (actually Catfishing 🙄)

[AnnieLit]

Frankly, ain't no such thing as 100% secure.

There are different levels of security. Yes, telegram is not secure from Russian government and Whatsapp is probably not very secure from the American one. Whatsapp is a Meta product, so probably will release whatever they can by court order. They claim that they can't release Whatsapp messages because they don't store them, but this is not entirely true - they can, if they really want to, give access to the account itself.

But either way, all this is for big boys, I don't think a run of the mill catfisher is that good at hacking. They are quite literally fishing for information, not hacking into anything to get to it.

 

[UsuallyPresent]

There are different levels of security. Yes, telegram is not secure from Russian government and Whatsapp is probably not very secure from the American one. Whatsapp is a Meta product, so probably will release whatever they can by court order. They claim that they can't release Whatsapp messages because they don't store them, but this is not entirely true - they can, if they really want to, give access to the account itself.

But either way, all this is for big boys, I don't think a run of the mill catfisher is that good at hacking. They are quite literally fishing for information, not hacking into anything to get to it.

Agreed w/ different levels of security. Happily!

Also agreed that today's catfishers won't be able to tap international links, nor force traffic to route through chosen points, or any of the other nastiness allegedly available to the 'big boys' as you put it.

However what was yesterday's big-boy trick often becomes the middle-of-the-road tomorrow and generally available eventually. Do I suspect eventually everyone will be able to force traffic to a given chokepoint? What do you think corporate firewalls are, but yesterday's big-boy tricks rewritten to the modern world? Sure, doesn't give as broad a scope to investigate but the costs are lower. IE, reworked to a different scope, cost, and threat.

Again, different levels of security, paranoia, inspection, and acceptable costs.

 

[Foxed]

Not exactly out of the blue, but sometimes I DM first if we start talking on the board and there is something that I don't want to post publicly or just don't want to spam someone else's thread.

Same. But I seldom initiate except to answer a specific question posted

 

[Foxed]

Same. But I seldom initiate except to answer a specific question posted

Ps and that would mostly be something specific to another female

 

[rickinco]

Same here. New female wanting good conversation and friendship and pushing to go off the platform here. No way jose!

 

[Hornymwtxn]

Telegram and another one I don't recall and hadn't heard of before. I ended the conversation when she replied so sad.

Things seemed a bit fishy to me when I said I was from Wisconsin, 59, retired and she said she was 37, independently wealthy and in Chicago. I thought Telegram was used more by people in Europe.

I've been in contact with another person in the UK that uses discord.

I had exactly the same thing happen in an initial pm to me.

I actually gave them my telegram and got no reply on telegram.
I have no public posts on telegram and have only used it for one on one conversations using the "secret chat" feature.

Have had a couple other initiate pm on lit with new accounts and supposedly female.

One thanked me for complimenting her and I had never seen any of her posts nor complimented any of them.

 

[Hornymwtxn]

The main problem with WhatsApp (and I think Telegram as well, but there I am not sure) is that you have to connect it to your phone number and that number is visible to whoever you are talking to. And you can't use google voice number or something like that, it has to be a real number through a provider. Which means that your anonymity goes out the window.

You can hide your # in telegram but that option is buried in tje settings and iirc "secret chats" those that are end to end encrypted are limited to one on one chats.

Signal is the best messaging app IMO

 

[MrMikelobe1952]

Hello Lit Family!

<rant>

This thread is targeted mostly towards the guys, but it’s really applicable for everyone in the forums. In recent days I have been apparently targeted by some very sketchy accounts on here purportedly being women “new to the platform” looking to start a conversation. The accounts are brand new and have either no posts or just a couple posts in the forums.

I try to be an open minded, and friendly person, so I usually give everyone the benefit of the doubt.
Because I’m this way, and because I figured that as a guy, I wouldn’t generally be a target for bad actors (sad situation I know. I’m sorry to our members identifying as women) so I leave my PMs open. However I am seeing an uptick in sketchy PMs.

I wanted to warn my fellow Lit members to be careful when you respond to unsolicited messages. Avoid disclosing any personal or financial details without first putting on your detective hat, and looking deeper into who that PM is coming from. Have fun, but protect yourself!

</rant>

DeadBed1968

One other moral is this. If a seemingly young female contacts a male in a DM out of nowhere, with no apparent reason, that should seem too good to be true. And when something seems too good to be true, it almost always is.

 

[doesntlookthetype]

Hello Lit Family!

<rant>

This thread is targeted mostly towards the guys, but it’s really applicable for everyone in the forums. In recent days I have been apparently targeted by some very sketchy accounts on here purportedly being women “new to the platform” looking to start a conversation. The accounts are brand new and have either no posts or just a couple posts in the forums.

I try to be an open minded, and friendly person, so I usually give everyone the benefit of the doubt.
Because I’m this way, and because I figured that as a guy, I wouldn’t generally be a target for bad actors (sad situation I know. I’m sorry to our members identifying as women) so I leave my PMs open. However I am seeing an uptick in sketchy PMs.

I wanted to warn my fellow Lit members to be careful when you respond to unsolicited messages. Avoid disclosing any personal or financial details without first putting on your detective hat, and looking deeper into who that PM is coming from. Have fun, but protect yourself!

</rant>

DeadBed1968

thanks for this.

 

[rickinco]

Amen! I just received another unsolicited message from someone with no posts and no other activity.

 

[Hornymwtxn]

I feel most want to get your telegram id and thus gain access to your phone number since with telegram the option to hide your # isn't the default and the option to hide your # is buried in the settings.

Shouldn't the hide your # option be the default?

 

[UsuallyPresent]

Security’s a set of tradeoffs, and they, in their infinite desire for money, settled there for their offering. Given that there *IS* a simple, free way to hide the number puts them several steps ahead of several of their alternates. On the other hand unless you’re competent at the modern take on phone phreaking it’s hard-ish to set up fake phone numbers, so having third-party verified ways to reach people is not worthless, either.

 

[Hornymwtxn]

Telegram is buggy.
Sometimes giving notifications sometimes not giving notifications.

Secret chats getting canceled.
Only secret chats are end to end encrypted.
And secret chats are limited to 2 parties. Doesn't work for group chats.

Signal is WAY better

 

[UsuallyPresent]

Telegram is buggy.
Sometimes giving notifications sometimes not giving notifications.

Secret chats getting canceled.
Only secret chats are end to end encrypted.
And secret chats are limited to 2 parties. Doesn't work for group chats.

Signal is WAY better

For your use case, clearly you find it so. However there are lots of other use cases both apps support (to varying degrees), and it's a whole lot easier to delve into all the nitnoid details of a single app, rather than all of 'em that might do what you want.

Plus, if there's one use case you have to use that app for, it's often easier to reuse that app than a different one, if it comes 'close enough' to meeting the need. Infrastructure lockin is a real thing.

 

[Hornymwtxn]

For your use case, clearly you find it so. However there are lots of other use cases both apps support (to varying degrees), and it's a whole lot easier to delve into all the nitnoid details of a single app, rather than all of 'em that might do what you want.

Plus, if there's one use case you have to use that app for, it's often easier to reuse that app than a different one, if it comes 'close enough' to meeting the need. Infrastructure lockin is a real thing.

Well if you think not receiving ALL new message notifications isn't a big deal then sure telegram fits the bill.

 

[wisguy281]

Unbelievable. I had someone ask for my full name in a PM. WTF

She’s a new member <1 week), no activity or posts, but does have a profile.

 

[fullservice65]

I do all my war planning on Lit.

 

[AnnieLit]

Security’s a set of tradeoffs, and they, in their infinite desire for money, settled there for their offering. Given that there *IS* a simple, free way to hide the number puts them several steps ahead of several of their alternates. On the other hand unless you’re competent at the modern take on phone phreaking it’s hard-ish to set up fake phone numbers, so having third-party verified ways to reach people is not worthless, either.

One doesn't need to be a seasoned hacker to set up a google voice number. And then stick to the apps that permit registration with that number

 

[UsuallyPresent]

One doesn't need to be a seasoned hacker to set up a google voice number. And then stick to the apps that permit registration with that number

Yep! And for MANY folks, that's black-magic hacking right there. *shrug*

 

[Splendidjane]

Virtually all of the little/no posting history 'females' on here are males... especially ones who approach you and even more especially ones whose usernames are overtly female. Sad but true.

Interesting…I feel like such a

 

[SteelPoint]

Interesting…I feel like such a

It's an unfortunate fact of life for the males on here. Genuine females are outnumbered 9 to 1 (or probably worse) and no-one can count on anything from print on a screen, especially user names. This place is a playground for Johns-in-Frocks. They swarm everywhere over the site.

 

[Newreality]

It's always been this way, but it seems worse now.

 

[Splendidjane]

It's an unfortunate fact of life for the males on here. Genuine females are outnumbered 9 to 1 (or probably worse) and no-one can count on anything from print on a screen, especially user names. This place is a playground for Johns-in-Frocks. They swarm everywhere over the site.

Johns-in-frocks-gotcha-that I would not have understood. And agree it’s a legitimate cause for wariness. The overly skewed M:F ratio feels more predictable.

Would also like to clarify my unicorn comment was made in jest-as in not meant to be indicative of anything beyond my gender. I am female but totally cool with no one believing me

 

[SteelPoint]

One wonders if the "'lady" could just be protesting too much...

 

[Splendidjane]

One has the latitude to wonder across a myriad of topics, methinks.