Most of us grow up believing that all people are created equal, that human beings are basically good, and everybody wants to be loved. These are the messages we learn in school, in church, and in the age of political correctness, from the media. These beliefs are the lenses through which we view the world and the people in it. Our beliefs influence how we perceive and understand the behavior of those we meet. And, for about 90 percent of the population, the beliefs work just fine. Bad treatment Then we realize that someone in our life isn't treating us well. We may think this person is reacting to our behavior, that we're doing something to provoke anger or elicit criticism after …
Military Lovefraud part 2: Woman outs scammer, he wants to talk anyway
When Debby Wadsworth of Minnesota posted an online profile, she immediately received inquiries from men claiming to be military. Being former military herself, she knew "GoodSoul87" wasn't what he claimed to be. She was right. He wasn't Staff Sgt. Ricky James. He was Fofo "Nathanial" Babington, an unemployed 26-year-old from Ghana. Story and video: Behind lonely troops lurks an online con featuring fake IDs, photos, on StarTribune.com. Interestingly, it sounds like Babington was using the same photo of a Sgt. James that Lovefraud posted almost two years ago. The POW Network was able to identify the real Sgt. James, and apparently his photo is one of the most frequently stolen for …
Military Lovefraud part 2: Woman outs scammer, he wants to talk anywayRead More
Military Lovefraud part 1: Epidemic of romance scams
There is something about men in uniform — and perhaps women in uniform — that is appealing and romantic. Hundreds, or perhaps thousands, of scammers take advantage of military attraction to separate unsuspecting targets from their money. Here's how they work: Con artists working out of Internet cafes — often in Africa — troll through dating sites, Facebook and other websites, striking up acquaintances with lonely people, usually women. They talk about the dangerous but important work they do in Afghanistan, Iraq or other distant locations. They confess their feelings of love for their targets. Then they ask the targets for money to pay for "leave requests," "communication fees," "transp …
Military Lovefraud part 1: Epidemic of romance scamsRead More
Surveys quantify lies and fraud on UK websites
A survey British adults by a consumer campaigning charity found that 25% have used a dating site. Of them: 40% discovered fake profiles 20% were asked for money Another survey by 192.com of 2,000 people who created web profiles found: 10% faked their address 18% changed their age 28% lied ab out salary or debt 20% fabricated their profiles Online daters told to beware of 'romance fraud' on Telegraph.co.uk. …
How psychopaths use language to describe murder
The language of diagnosed psychopaths in prison for murder reflected their personalities: selfish, detached from their crimes and emotionally flat, according to research by Jeff Hancock of Cornell University and colleagues. The investigators used sophisticated computerized text analysis to measure word usage as psychopathic and non-psychopathic murderers described their crimes. Psychopathic killers: Computerized text analysis uncovers the word patterns of a predator, on ScienceDaily.com. If you want to know more, the highly readable study is also available online. It contains a lot of great information. Hungry like the wolf: A word-pattern analysis of the language of psychopaths, on …
Twitter moves to fight abuse
After rape threats and bomb scares against well-known women in the UK, Twitter is making it easier to report abuse. Twitter cracks down on abuse, threats, on USAToday.com. …
New research on psychopaths and empathy
Psychopaths are typically described as lacking in empathy. New research from the Netherlands, however, suggests that psychopaths have the capacity for empathy, but it's usually turned off. The study was just published in Brain: A journal of neurology. I heard the first author, Dr. Harma Meffert, present the research when I attended the conference sponsored by the Society for the Scientific Study of Psychopathy in June. The researchers asked convicted criminals, who had been diagnosed as psychopaths, to view short video clips while hooked up to fMRI machines, so that the activity in their brains could be observed. The videos showed two hands interacting in ways that were painful, …
Open letter to Huma Abedin: You’re married to a sociopath
Dear Ms. Abedin, People are perplexed. Your husband, Anthony Weiner, has humiliated you again. Yet at a press conference last week, you continued to support him, and his candidacy for mayor of New York City. "I love him. I have forgiven him. I believe in him," you said. Why would you do this? Speculation by media pundits, New York City voters and average citizens usually follows three themes: You want to keep your family together at all costs. You believe you can help your husband overcome his problems. You are a political animal and will do anything to get your husband elected. Read: Why does Huma Abedin put up with Weiner?, on CNN.com. I don't know you personally, and what I know …
Open letter to Huma Abedin: You’re married to a sociopathRead More
Sexual predators for mayor: Anthony Weiner and Bob Filner
My husband and I live in New Jersey, close enough to New York City that when Terry goes to the local convenience store for coffee, he can also buy the New York Post. He loves the paper's clever, double entendre headlines and pull-no-punches stories. So when he heard Anthony Weiner was going to run for mayor of New York, he was thrilled. "I can't wait to get the paper," he chortled. "It will be full of Weiner jokes!" Yesterday the news broke—Anthony Weiner was at it again, sexting women he never met. He held a press conference declaring that his behavior was wrong, it was behind him, and he was still a candidate for New York City mayor. His wife Huma Abedin was by his side. She read a s …
Sexual predators for mayor: Anthony Weiner and Bob FilnerRead More
Daily Beast sympathizes with the sociopath
A couple of months ago I was contacted by Caitlin Dickson, a reporter for the Daily Beast blog (the online presence of Newsweek magazine). She was writing an article about the book Confessions of a Sociopath, by M.E. Thomas. She asked me what I thought of the book. I explained that I refused to buy it so I hadn't read it, although I did read Thomas' article in Psychology Today (which was online). Here's my previous post about the book: Confessions of a Sociopath: a book I don't want to buy or read I talked to Dickson about the millions of sociopaths who live among us, and how destructive they are. I explained Lovefraud's work in helping people recognize, avoid or escape them. I …