Beware of the private DM

Tom Moore
2 min readJul 1, 2021

Don’t think it’s as innocent as it seems

I get private messages all the time. It never stops. Young women that want one thing and one thing only.

Your money.

Welcome to the world of the internet. It’s a place where narcissists prey on people for one thing and one thing only.

Money.

I originally joined Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook so I could monitor what my clients were doing. After all, I’m in the advertising biz and why wouldn’t I, it’s my job. Little did I know that other people have other intentions. They do all the things to reel you in and start a dialogue. Good morning is the biggest one. You have to hand it to their discipline, and how in the world can they keep track of so many people they are private messaging.

There’s a common pattern with all of these people. They were abused by a significant other, most of them have a child, and they are looking for a soulmate. Their parents or ex-husband died in a terrible car accident. They have strong religious convictions, or they say they do. They often ask “Do you go to church”. Who in the world asks that question when they first meet someone? Not many people that I know.

The biggest pattern is after starting a dialogue they want to move to a different venue. “Do you have Hangouts or Whats app? It’s comical and so predictable. They claim it’s more safe. The reality is they just want more of your information.

I’m proud to say I always say no.

I have to admit I play along with the initial messages sometimes if someone is interesting. After all, we never can have enough friends. I make note of their writing and their ability to communicate. It’s great information because I can use it in some of my seminars and stories I share with my clients when I warn them of the predators on social media. Call it ammunition if you want. Gone are the days of driving 30 minutes just to see if a girlfriend is home.

Everything you ever want is right in front of you on your phone.

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One of the early questions always is “How old are you”? The response is always the same, “ A lot older than you!”. They always reply, “It’s ok, age is just a number”. They know going in the age difference. All they have to do is look at my profile.

These people are well trained. They follow a script and never waver. They want to play on your emotions. The reality is they just want your money.

So the next time you get a “Hello” or “Good morning” do yourself a favor.

Beware of the DM.

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Tom Moore

Founder of an Ad Agency. There’s nothing more powerful than telling your story. This is my chance to share mine.