Footy great posts hilarious video showing how he turned the tables on a scammer who tried to fleece him for $1000

Daily Mail​

a day ago

A former footy great has revealed how he has turned the tables an online scammer.
Parramatta great Eric Grothe Jnr shared a hilarious interaction he had with an online fraudster on his Instagram, revealing how he had been approached by the scammer, who tried to dupe him for a large sum of cash.
Grothe posted three videos on his Instagram showcasing the interaction with the scammer who had asked him to send him money as well as buy him gift cards from Amazon.
Gift card scams have become a prevalent way for con artists to obtain money from individuals as they are often hard to trace and give victims little protection to recover their funds.
The interaction between Grothe and the scammer began with the individual asking the former rugby league star to send him $200 US before he began toying with the scammer.
The fraudster had appeared to drop into the 45-year-old's direct messages on Instagram, with Grothe replying: 'What do you need the money for?'
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A post shared by Eric Grothe Jr (@ericgrothejr)
'Medicine,' the individual replied.
Appearing cautious at the start, Grothe responded: 'If you really need the money and you're legitimate I'm sure you'd understand that there are so many scams out there that I can't give money without proof.
'Can you please send me a photo of yourself holding a piece of paper with my name on it? If so, I can help you out.'
The scammer appeared to have created a false identity by taking pictures of another individual and falsely using them for their display picture.
The scammer later replied by sending back a heavily photoshopped image of a woman, holding a piece of paper. The person appeared to have scribbled the name 'Eric Grothe' in poor handwriting that looked like it had been written digitally on a program like Photoshop.
'I will be so happy if you really help me out Eric,' the fraudster added.
Grothe replied: 'OK and last one and I will give you the money straight away. With that exact same piece of paper, also hold up four fingers and make sure your face is showing as well.
'Once this is done I will forward the money to you immediately. Thank you.'
Grothe enjoyed a distinguished career in rugby league's top flight, making 142 appearances cumulatively for the Eels and the Roosters, while also being capped for the Kangaroos once.
The trickster then questioned how they might complete his request before attempting to give the former Eels star a guilt trip.
'I'm feeling really weak I just tried my best to do that so if you're really gonna help me just do it now,' they wrote adding two 'crying face emojis'.
The conversation continued, with the fraudster asking Grothe where he lived and whether he used PayPal.
According to ScamWatch, the Australian government has reported 72,230 scams in the past six months with losses from fishing, romance and investment frauds costing Australians approximately $118,993,148.20.
'Scams work because they look like the real thing and scammers contact you when you're not expecting it or are busy trying to do many things at once,' ScamWatch wrote.
It adds that scammers attempt to 'create believable stories that convince you to give them your money, financial or personal details.'
'Scammers try to use your good nature against you. They tell heartbreaking or tragic stories to convince you to help them and give them money.
'Always be wary of any appeal for money and never give more money than you are willing to lose if you can't independently confirm that the story is true.'
Grothe then began to joke with the fraudster, writing: 'A rich grandparent passed away and left my brother and I almost $4.5million each. I really want to share it with trustworthy people.'
The scammer pressed him again: 'If you're really going to help me, just do it dear am not feeling so good.'
Grothe questioned whether the individual was sick, to which they replied: 'Yes I am having hot temperatures and headaches. So I wanna visit a hospital but am so broke now to do anything cause my work has not been good lately.'
Grothe responded: 'OK that's not a good sign. I'm going to have to help you. Tell me, does it also feel like somebody slammed your body down and wound it all around?'
'Yes, my bones feel so weak now,' the scammer said, before asking again whether to send their PayPal details.
Grothe hilariously then joked that he was starting to fall 'completely in love' with the scammer.
'Aahh man I can't believe I'm saying this. Do you feel what I feel? You do. I know it,' he wrote, before adding that he was going to send the scammer 'so much money today' before asking how.
'OK darling you might be the right man for me so am not gonna say no,' the scammer replied.
But Grothe pushed the joke further: 'My whole family are helping me write this because I'm so emotional.'
He hilariously told the fraudster he loved them before adding: 'Whatever is mine is yours.'
The fraudster again asked him if he could send the money over so that they could visit the hospital.
Grothe, instead, deflected the question again confessing his love for the fraudster adding that he was going to send them half of his inheritance.
'I know we are supposed to be together,' he joked. 'I know I'm coming on a little strong but when you know, you understand and when you understand you finally come to get it and then you work it out and once you've worked it out, it's there for all to see!'
The scammer simply replied: 'OK' before again asking him to send them the money on multiple occasions, adding that they would accept $2,000 instead of $2m.
The conversation continued as Grothe continued to play the scammer at their own game, joking: 'I'm so lucky to be your man.'
Appearing more frustrated as the back and forth continued, the scammer wrote: 'My man must care about my health, it seems you just lie to me about helping me with some money.'
Grothe kept up the running joke, replying: 'Baby! We can work it out!'
'Life is very short and there's no time for fussing and fighting my friend. I have always thought that it was a crime. So I will ask you once again.
'Won't you try to see it my way? Do I have to keep on talking till I can't go on?
'If you need this money, help me send it to you right now. I'm sick of all this back and forth. I'm an action-taker. If I see action I will take it. A taker of action, if you will.'
The exchange continued on in the same fashion, with Grothe seeing through the fraudster's scheme, as they repeatedly asked him if he used PayPal.
'Don't call me Pal,' Grothe hilariously quipped back.
In a later video, the former NRL star revealed that the scammer had then asked him to buy them multiple Steam vouchers on Amazon, totalling around $1,000.
The conversation even went as far as seeing the scammer explain to the former Eels star how to redeem the vouchers, with Grothe hilariously playing dumb, purposefully wasting the scammer's time. He even went as far as sending them back a video of the fuel dial on his car, when the scammer asked him to click on a link to buy the vouchers.
The scammer continued to press him, but Grothe continued to mislead the individual by hilariously joking that his ex had come back.
The scammer appeared furious replying: 'You don't seem to have respect for me.'
They added: 'You sound so annoying, you talk about your ex every minute I don't want to share my man if you're for me you should be only for me and no one else.'
The long exchange culminated in a rather humerous ending with Grothe saying: 'I think I'm done.' The scammer replied: 'OK'.
ScamWatch urges caution to individuals before giving money or personal information to those they don't know or are unsure of.
They urge members of the public to 'stop' and 'check'.
'Ask yourself: "Could the message or call be fake?"'
They urge members of the public to 'act quickly and contact a bank if a scammer gets your money and report scams to ScamWatch.'