Words with Friends is a popular online game that combines the way you used to play “Scrabble” with fun and innovative new rules, in a crossword-style game! You can play Words with Friends on your computer or smart device. As the name suggests, you can challenge your friends and online contacts to see who is the best wordsmith!
Unfortunately, the app has also become a hotspot for scammers and spammers. Users frequently challenge their family or Facebook contacts but also get matched against strangers. This gives scammers the ‘in’ that they need to contact potential victims.
While regular users might make occasional comments to someone they play against (something along the lines of “Oh no, I have all vowels!”), it is rare for most who use the app to message frequently. If someone is very chatty, use caution.
Consider looking up the username the player is using on Social Catfish and see if it’s linked to an actual person. Although users do sometimes make online friends through the app, it’s more often an exception than the rule.
Use particular caution if the user you are matched with (or who starts a conversation and game with you) has model quality photographs, gives you immediate praise, treats the app like a dating site, or says they usually live locally but are working overseas. Each of those actions follows the blueprint for being romance scammed and innocent users fall for it all the time. If someone is interested in a love match, don’t be caught off-guard.
First, verify their identity through Social Catfish or if you suspect they are a scammer, block them and alert the app. If a user directs you to message them elsewhere, such as through social media platforms or Google Hangouts, beware. This may be a way to get to know more about you or because they may soon be caught and kicked off Words with Friends.
If someone falls “in love” with you, without ever meeting, they are more often than not a scammer who stole someone else’s pictures. Dating and romance scammers know what to say to encourage trust and strong emotions from you. This is because they do it all the time and leave many heartbroken victims in their wake.
Do not ever give money to anyone you meet through Words with Friends. Online reports show users out as much as $60,000 from overseas scammers impersonating an online date or friend they grew to trust.
Bots love dating apps and apps in general. This is because they can match with multiple users and send messages with links you might be tempted to click. If a “user” made small talk and then attempted to direct you away from the app or to a paid service, you are dealing with a bot.
If you’re single, you might need an online date or use a dating app. If you’re unhappily married, you probably won’t post your name and photograph on Tinder or Bumble, but you might play Words with Friends and look for someone to pursue. If you suspect someone on the app is lying about not being married, search for their name and other details online.
You use caution and filter the people you add or follow on Instagram or Facebook. On Words with Friends, you can be matched up with users you know nothing about.
While you might not know them, if you use the same username on Words with Friends that you do for your other accounts, someone with evil intentions or who is following you online without your consent, might try and find you. Don’t share information that could let someone know your habits, location, work or home address.
Judy Crawford is a Words With Friends fan from Oregon, who met a man and quickly formed a romantic relationship with him. He claimed that his name was David Age, that he was from Milan, Italy but was in America working on an oil rig in Texas. He always sent her photos of what Judy thought was him and the crew by the oil rig.
One month after their relationship formed, he started asking for small amounts of money in the form of iTunes cards so that he could supposedly talk to his kids. He then asked for more and more money and asked her to sell her house so that she could keep giving him money. This is when she realized it was all a scam and reported it to the Sheriff’s Office.
This is why you should only contact your friends when playing Words With Friends so that you don’t run into a scammer. If you do have to play with a stranger, keep your guard up because all scammers care about is your money, not your feelings. If they have to travel overseas for anything, that is also a red flag to keep in mind too. Play safely, and remember to reverse search using Social Catfish if something doesn’t seem right.
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An opponent who calls me dear and wants me to go on whats app or hangout. Is he a scammer/
His name here is Patrick Smith and says he’s from North Carolina.
A man who calls me dear at round 50 years seems very strange or old fashioned, but he is very persistent. I have given my email only and he has sent 2 emails with just hello in subject.
Is this dangerous and can he get any info just from myemail. I said I am not interested and wont use hang out and what’s app.
It’s no different to sending a message on WWfriends. Afterall we are in different countries.
I used the catfish engine to search BUT nothing is coming up as a scammer.
Are Americans desperate or something. I have had so many American men badgering me with messages after starting a game. I am wiping them left, right and centre.
Is there a conspiracy or something with American men on word?
I have had deleted so many and thing surely they all couldn’t be scammers. I am here to merely play, I had no idea it apparently is a dating site. I am shocked. Seems full Of Americans here.
Jill
I have played against over 100 scammers. It is like they have a play book. Almost all of them say they are widowers. They usually have 1 child and almost all of them say they are from a foreign land and live in the US. A few say they are from the US and say that they are in a foreign land for work. They all insist on knowing where you live almost right away. they are looking for people from wealthy nations. I told one scammer I was from Liberia and he lost interest immediately. Almost every time I have questioned a scammer about where they live they block me. One “gentleman” said he lived in Texas. I asked where and he responded “Austin”. I told him I know Austin well and I asked him which part and he said “inland city”. A quick internet showed one site referring to Austin as an “inland city”. It was obvious that he found that on line and knew nothing of Austin. I insisted that inland city did not tell me which part of Austin he lived in and suddenly he was gone and so was his game. I am pretty sure he blocked me. Almost all of them know how to ask a few things in English, but after a few lines of basic conversation their English starts to fail and it becomes obvious that English is not their first language. If they start ending their statements with “OK” it is another sign that they are not from North America. They almost all ask to communicate outside of the game. NEVER DO THAT. These men are trying to take advantage of you and are seldom interested in playing the game. They purposely drag it out so they can have a longer conversation with you. When I confront them about their scams they get quite angry and tell me that I have no right to talk to them that way as if as a woman I don’t have the right to confront a man. These men are the scums of the earth. Don’t be taken.
Social Catfish is an online dating investigation service based in California, USA. We verify information to confirm if the person that you've met online is really who they say they are.
We do in depth checks using our own proprietary online tools to verify things like images, social profiles, phone numbers, emails, jobs and a lot more to make sure that you have the most information about the person that you've met online. We are the only company doing verification of public information such as jobs, phone numbers criminal checks as well as social profiles and images.
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An opponent who calls me dear and wants me to go on whats app or hangout. Is he a scammer/
His name here is Patrick Smith and says he’s from North Carolina.
A man who calls me dear at round 50 years seems very strange or old fashioned, but he is very persistent. I have given my email only and he has sent 2 emails with just hello in subject.
Is this dangerous and can he get any info just from myemail. I said I am not interested and wont use hang out and what’s app.
It’s no different to sending a message on WWfriends. Afterall we are in different countries.
I used the catfish engine to search BUT nothing is coming up as a scammer.
Are Americans desperate or something. I have had so many American men badgering me with messages after starting a game. I am wiping them left, right and centre.
Is there a conspiracy or something with American men on word?
I have had deleted so many and thing surely they all couldn’t be scammers. I am here to merely play, I had no idea it apparently is a dating site. I am shocked. Seems full Of Americans here.
Jill
I have played against over 100 scammers. It is like they have a play book. Almost all of them say they are widowers. They usually have 1 child and almost all of them say they are from a foreign land and live in the US. A few say they are from the US and say that they are in a foreign land for work. They all insist on knowing where you live almost right away. they are looking for people from wealthy nations. I told one scammer I was from Liberia and he lost interest immediately. Almost every time I have questioned a scammer about where they live they block me. One “gentleman” said he lived in Texas. I asked where and he responded “Austin”. I told him I know Austin well and I asked him which part and he said “inland city”. A quick internet showed one site referring to Austin as an “inland city”. It was obvious that he found that on line and knew nothing of Austin. I insisted that inland city did not tell me which part of Austin he lived in and suddenly he was gone and so was his game. I am pretty sure he blocked me. Almost all of them know how to ask a few things in English, but after a few lines of basic conversation their English starts to fail and it becomes obvious that English is not their first language. If they start ending their statements with “OK” it is another sign that they are not from North America. They almost all ask to communicate outside of the game. NEVER DO THAT. These men are trying to take advantage of you and are seldom interested in playing the game. They purposely drag it out so they can have a longer conversation with you. When I confront them about their scams they get quite angry and tell me that I have no right to talk to them that way as if as a woman I don’t have the right to confront a man. These men are the scums of the earth. Don’t be taken.