Creating a persona on the internet is easy; that's why finding new connections is a piece of cake. Anyone can act like whomever they want to be online, especially when they want to impress others. It's also convenient to talk to new people through online messaging platforms. You can pop up and say hi — send in greetings and compliments to start socializing with a person you're interested in. Social media platforms have helped people build connections, even those who find it hard to talk to others in person.

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The online community might have provided people with convenience and beautiful friendships, but these things have a downside. Although people have information on their profiles, fake accounts could still be created. Some social media users take advantage of the trouble-free way of messaging a person. As a result, a person's Facebook Messenger, Instagram, and Twitter direct messages are vulnerable to online scams. Only fully trust an account if the information on its profile is legit and you have already talked to them for a long time.

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Money is usually involved in cybercrimes — it's actually the first sign you have to look out for when making friends on the internet. Nobody accepts or asks for a large sum of money from anyone they haven't known for years. A Redditor has warned her sister about such cases, only to be painted as the villain. People can easily lie online. That's why you have to weigh each piece of information you acquire. You might have shared wonderful conversations, but they're still a stranger when you haven't met them in person. It's also one of the considerations before you involve yourself in online dating. However, throwaway6738th's sister was already attached to the guy she was seeing online.

According to her sister's story, the guy's parents were going to kick him out, and he had nowhere to go. OP was alarmed at the fact that her sister was prepared to use the college fund their mother saved to help someone she hadn't met in real life. It was obviously a scam, but OP couldn't convince her, so she volunteered to accompany her to the bank. The situation became more distressing when her sister requested to withdraw $6,000. OP couldn't believe her sister had put herself in that situation — she tried to stop her multiple times. It's challenging to change someone's mind when they can't see reason anymore.

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"I ended up going into the taxi with her. On the way there, I called my bro and mom and told them what was going on. My bro said he was coming, and I shared our live location with him," throwaway6738th wrote. "My sister was absolutely mad and said I was horrible for doing this to her when I know how much she hates both mom and bro and doesn't trust them. She also said I had no right to interfere even if she was scammed or harmed." It was all a chaotic and stressful taxi ride until her sister asked the driver to stop. She wanted OP to leave her alone, but her brother was ready to follow her until the guy showed up.

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After hours of preventing the online scam, the family convinced the sister to go home. She ignored everyone, especially throwaway6738th, and locked herself in her bedroom. Her sister's response only worried OP, which made her feel bad, but Redditors supported her claim. "NTA. You are right, this was 110% a scam. Hopefully, she will realize someday that you did her a favor. It might take a while, though," PingPongProfessor wrote. OP's sister probably needs some time to absorb what happened before she can fully reflect on her relationship with her online friend. Others also pointed out that a scam might not be the worst-case scenario if the sister went there alone.

"NTA. I am sure your parents set that money up to be used for college, not to give to a guy. I am up for learning mistakes on your own. But that's a big mistake. I think you made the right choice," Enamoure commented. Hopefully, opinions like Enamoure's comment can be part of the sister's reflection. Their mother worked hard to secure their future, and it's not alright to quickly give it away. There are a lot of eye-opening opinions in the comment section, which serves as a reminder that online crime is a current issue. You can also share your thoughts to help spread awareness. It's an excellent way to prevent other cybercrimes that might happen in the future.