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

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... And if you're still game to support us, please leave a review here — even one sentence helps! Sign up for Six-Minute Networking — our free networking and relationship development mini course — at jordanharbinger.com/course ! Subscribe to our once-a-week Wee Bit Wiser newsletter today and start filling your Wednesdays with wisdom! Do you even Reddit, bro? Join us at r/JordanHarbinger ! This Episode Is Brought To You By Our Fine Sponsors : The Cybersecurity Tapes: thecybersecuritytapes.com Caldera + Lab: 20% off: calderalab.com/jordan, code JORDAN CookUnity: 50% off first week: cookunity.com/jordan or code JORDAN Progressive: Free online quote: progressive.com Homes.com: Find your home: homes.com See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .