Episode 13 - Romance Scams: The First Small Yes — The Catalyst for What Comes Next

In this episode of The Anatomy of Modern Romance Scams, we break down the moment when things make an about face — the first small “yes.”

These scams don’t begin with money. They begin with a simple message… “Hello dear.  Did you miss me?" 

But they take hold when you agree to something that feels harmless.

Setting up an account. Taking a small step. Trusting someone who now feels like a guide, a confidant...a teacher.

This is where control quietly shifts.

We walk through how scammers establish authority, create the illusion of legitimacy, and use small wins to build trust and suppress doubt — all before any real loss is understood.

Transcript

Damage of the Scam

Scam Start at Hello

First Yes - Things are Getting Real

Assurances Come and all is Right With This

Yes - Shifts Dirction

$100 and it Starts

First Yes is About - Control

The Web is Shaping and you are NOT the Spider

Book - Is a Reminder NOT to Take This Path

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Good afternoon. My name is Michael B. And I'll be your host today. First of all, I want to thank you for taking the time to listen today. I truly appreciate you being here. I know there's a myriad of places where you can invest your time. I'm glad that you're investing it with me. It looks like we're getting a bit of a following, and I'll try and add as much value to our conversations as possible. This is the Anatomy of Modern Romance Scams. It's an ongoing podcast series where we're going to break down how these scams really work, how they build trust, how manipulation happens, and how they take hold in the gap between emotion and logic. These cause severe damage, not just financially, but to relationships and lives long before the loss is really truly understood. I know this because it happened to me. It's devastating. These podcasts are hard to record. My family and I will be working through the aftermath of what I've done for years to come. And my goal is simple to pull back the curtain and expose how these scams work so you can recognize them before they recognize you. I promised that I would get back to the mechanics, and today that's what we'll talk about. I want to talk about something that seems somewhat small, but it changes. Everything pivots. Hello dear, it's me. Did you miss me? Hi, it's Linda. Oh, is this Roger? Oh, it's this isn't Roger. Oh, okay. Well you seem nice. And I'm just looking for some new friends. Can we talk? Or hi, it's Linda. Oh, I really enjoyed your post. Can we talk more about it? You notice that they're all opening to questions. They all require a response. But it's not truly it's not really truly where it takes hold. In the beginning, conversations, then it becomes a connection, then it becomes trust, then it deepens, maybe even to the level of intimacy. Okay? But all of that is building quietly until one moment there's the first yes. And that's where things really start to change. At this point, your relationship with this person is probably very, very strong. You trust them. You talk every single day. In fact, if you don't talk, you're going, did they ghost me? Did I say something wrong? And you start to feel it. Oh no. This is what can happen. This is what's gonna happen. They're ghosting me. But there they are the next day, and everything is all back. Everything is wonderful. It could be the very first person you hear from in the morning, and the very last person you talk to at night. So the conversation is shifting. You may not see the danger, but you certainly see an opportunity. And it comes in simply. It's not aggressive. You know why? Because we start talking about money, even when with people that you love, the flags go up. The reservations start. It's just kind of what we've been conditioned to expect. And it happens. But all of a sudden, here they come. The assurances. Honey, this isn't risky. I want to show you how I became rich in two years. It's that simple. I I want to show you because I love you. Because you're important. Because we can build something together. The money's real. My system is real. The people that I have in place are real. So it's not risky. Let's just get you set up. You're not sending any money. You're not taking again, you're not taking a risk. You're just opening an account. We'll keep everything in your name. You can control it. The biometrics, the passwords. They're all yours. I'll never ask you for them. Everything seems legitimate. Everything feels safe. So you start to let your guard down. And something else changes. You said yes, and that yes isn't necessarily about money. It's about direction. And that's the shift. They're no longer just someone that you care about. They become your guide, your confidant, your trusted advisor. All of a sudden, they become your teacher. Because you don't know how this works, they do. So all of a sudden, you thought you were leading the conversations, but you're not. You're following. You have been. You're being scammed from the beginning. And now you're being taught. Okay? So the guard gets less, less and less. It gets let down. They walk you through everything, side by side. They invest, you invest. The money's there, you see it, you see your wallet growing. Step by step, investment by investment. They explain it to you, they reassure you. And every question you ask is answered immediately. Because doubt takes time, and they don't give you any. Everything you see reinforces the same idea. And it from the inside, everything looks real. The platform moves, the numbers move, the platform responds. Everything you check confirms with what they're telling you. So again, you start to relax. And the moment that locks it in. That small win. In my case, about a hundred dollars. Nothing major, but it was a lot. Okay? The amount a hundred bucks, not much, but the impact was substantial. Because guess what? It proved out that everything works. It transferred, it started as cryptocurrency in my account, in my wallet, it transferred to my bank, transferred to a vendor, I paid a bill with it. It was seamless, it was real, it was amazing. That wasn't luck. It was by design. And here they come. The assurances. Honey, I told you, just trust me. These things that we're working on, these businesses we want to start, these kids that we want to take care of, this charity that we want to start, the lessons that we want to take flying, the things that we're talking about, all the dreams, they are real, and they're right here. And so you do trust them. Even more than before. But again, at this point in time, you're not leading, you're following. They guide, you respond. The first yes wasn't about money, it's about control. Everything's in your name, but they're holding all the aces. And emotion is taking over. You're thinking about what this could become, what you could do for your family, for her family, for you, your friends. The dreams are crystallizing. They are becoming real because the money is real. And the emotions are leading. Logic is in the backseat. It is not driving anymore. You may still hear that voice. You know, something isn't right. Something just feels off. But the answers are always there. Immediate, confident, reassuring. So you suppress them. Be in arms. Beep, beep, beep, beep. You just reach over and shut them off. And step by step, this person guides you in deeper. And deeper. And deeper. The problem is their investments are fake. Your money is real. When you move money from your bank account to your wallet and buy cryptocurrency on that platform, it your money's real. It goes on to a flake, uh fake platform, and you're advised by your teacher not to lay your hands on it. Because we the more we invest, the faster we can buy the farm, the faster we can make our dreams come true, the faster we can get there. So your money's real. The money that they put in that you can see growing in your wallet on that fake platform, it's not. Your intentions, absolutely real. Theirs were not. The dreams that you wanted, that you built with them were real. For you, not with them. So the scam starts with hello. It really takes hold when they build that relationship when you say yes. By the time I understood what was happening, I was already so deep into it. That gap that we're talking about between emotion and logic. I couldn't even see logic by then. It was all emotional. That gap was wide open. And my operator settled down into it, made a nice little home there, and just started to thrive. And that's where the scam lives. Between emotion and logic, that's where it thrives. That's where it just everything seems right within your grasp. Everything seems real. And things are changing. Alright. Thank you for listening, for spending a few minutes with me today. This has been the anatomy of modern romance scams. If this episode helped you better understand how these scams work, please consider sharing it with someone that you care about. Awareness is one of the most powerful tools we have to prevent others from being victims. Okay. Now I have a book. It's out on Amazon. These podcasts are not to promote this book. But the reason I did this book was a reminder. It's a short read. 78 pages takes about an hour. But it has a fairly graphic cover on it. It's small enough to sit on your desk. On the person's desk that you love. In your briefcase, wherever it needs to go. It can sit there and it can be an important visual to you. Hey, you when that when you hear that computer ding or that phone ping ya, and that goes off, and you see that first message, and you look at that book cover and you go, There's no chance. And you know what? The mission is within our grasp. And that's what that book is for. It's for awareness, education, and prevention. I hope you pick up a copy. I hope you read it. I hope you keep it as one that is one of your most important books. I hope that you'll share it with your friends and your family because we have work to do to prevent these from happening. It's epidemic around the globe. Let's do our part. Let's stay aware. Okay? Let's stay protected. Join me next time when we'll continue breaking down how these scams unfold and look deeper and deeper into the mechanics of how these take place and the next steps. There's much more to discuss. Until then, stay aware. Stay protected. Re protect your family, your nest egg, your peace, your peace of mind. And always, always stay safe. This is Michael B. Have a good day.