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rpannier

(24,345 posts)
Sat Mar 2, 2024, 07:58 AM Mar 2

Made In Macedonia: Americans Lose Millions Buying Fake Donald Trump Debit Cards

BELGRADE -- Last September, 86-year-old Ann Bratton thought she'd stumbled onto the investment of a lifetime.

An ad on one of the encrypted Telegram app channels the Nashville-area retiree had joined was offering debit-like "Trump cards" featuring the billionaire U.S. ex-president's image, each supposedly preloaded with $200,000. After years of forking out tens of thousands of dollars on souvenir banknotes, coins, and other Trump memorabilia, she calculated that she could quickly and easily turn a $6,000 investment into a $4 million nest egg.

What she didn't know was that behind the offer of "Trump Collection" cards was an opaque group of web-based vendors from a faded industrial city 8,500 kilometers away. And that city, in the Balkan country of North Macedonia, was already notorious for being home to legions of scammers who had fraudulently monetized Donald Trump's popularity in the United States and around the world.

snip

But it's an open secret in this corner of the Balkans that a startlingly successful digital disinformation and fake news industry that emerged in the Macedonian city of Veles alongside the political rise of Donald Trump helped lay the groundwork for a thriving new business in fraudulent goods marketed through encrypted channels to Trump-style conservatives and "patriots" an ocean away.

https://www.rferl.org/a/macedonia-trump-debit-cards-scam/32836128.html

**** as a note: If you read the article, you will see just how big a fool Bratton is (when she describes Trump in paragraph 7)

68 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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Made In Macedonia: Americans Lose Millions Buying Fake Donald Trump Debit Cards (Original Post) rpannier Mar 2 OP
An 86-year-old trying to build a "nest-egg" with this junk is just sad. Croney Mar 2 #1
she thinks Trump is honest Skittles Mar 2 #3
She's a Republican from TN kwijybo Mar 2 #36
+1. A real cultist dalton99a Mar 2 #38
Milwaukee Irish julmur Mar 2 #46
the world knows how easily-manipulated Trump's fans are Skittles Mar 2 #2
Surprised that TFG isn't going after Macedonia to get "his" money back. no_hypocrisy Mar 2 #4
They're probably wiring his cut to an overseas bank BlueKota Mar 2 #5
I doubt he could find Macedonia on a map. nt Gore1FL Mar 2 #16
I doubt he could spell Macedonia. . or map. niyad Mar 2 #19
Melania could, she can speak five languages! Shermann Mar 2 #24
Ah, yes, thank you for the reminder. niyad Mar 2 #28
Yeah, but the only phrase she knows in five languages is "Leave the money on the dresser". Midnight Writer Mar 2 #56
Oh snap! nt Shermann Mar 2 #57
I dont he could pronounce it. SammyWinstonJack Mar 2 #31
That, too. niyad Mar 2 #41
I Was Gonna Say The Same Thing... GB_RN Mar 2 #43
He thinks Macedonia is a big hairy elephant! Floyd R. Turbo Mar 2 #33
Or may think it is his wife's name. Norbert Mar 3 #67
😁 Floyd R. Turbo Mar 3 #68
Or pronounce it correctly as they do. GreenWave Mar 2 #50
BOOM! MorbidButterflyTat Mar 2 #64
I doubt he could find his asshole with both hands. Meadowoak Mar 2 #27
His hands are not large enough to reach, anyway. niyad Mar 2 #30
Mackedoneeya and Cheese. nt tazkcmo Mar 3 #65
Trump always gets his cut from these scams up-front. sop Mar 2 #45
This would only work on conservative voters. mwb970 Mar 2 #6
and in the final sentence, she still thinks it might be legit . . . . SarcasticSatyr Mar 2 #7
I love how the article lists the fake images they use to help sell these things rpannier Mar 2 #9
More like even idiots think he's an idiot. bluesbassman Mar 2 #58
"It's easier to fool people than to convince them that they have been fooled." sop Mar 2 #47
I read the scheme and thought "that is so obviously AllyCat Mar 2 #8
Nigerian Prince Scam rpannier Mar 2 #12
Actually, a friend many years ago, NOT a reichwinger, fell for several niyad Mar 2 #26
OMG these were people she knew? AllyCat Mar 2 #29
Yes, one a supposedly trusted friend. It is awful when a supposed friend niyad Mar 2 #32
Glad you stepped in to save her. AllyCat Mar 2 #34
Sadly enough, for quite some time, she was angry with me for exposing niyad Mar 2 #44
The root of it all right there. Bristlecone Mar 2 #48
Synonym for a Trump supporter Old Crank Mar 2 #10
they are bilking traitors who would give their money to trump anyway samsingh Mar 2 #11
You are right on that! 70sEraVet Mar 2 #42
And this charlatan gets Supreme Court protection Blue Owl Mar 2 #13
Republicans are suckers. Emile Mar 2 #14
Gullible idiots. n/t ms liberty Mar 2 #15
Reminds me of this story from almost a year ago: Gore1FL Mar 2 #17
Wow, I completely missed this story. Geez, the level of credulity required niyad Mar 2 #22
TrumpTurd Paperweights (tm) don't seem like such a crazy idea anymore. Buns_of_Fire Mar 2 #18
We are all born ignorant. Maggots will all die stupid. MAGAtsmaggots. Wonder Why Mar 2 #20
Ha ha ha...not sorry. This is what he'll do to the country. 617Blue Mar 2 #21
Everything Trump touches, turns to shit. But in this case, 3Hotdogs Mar 2 #23
First, read the article - long, detailed and fascinating. hatrack Mar 2 #25
P.T. Barnum knew whereof he spoke. Ocelot II Mar 2 #35
People who fall for Trump Gruenemann Mar 2 #37
That is their business model... crud Mar 2 #54
What a maroon oswaldactedalone Mar 2 #39
Gullible Trumpers with zero judgement. Fools make easy marks, eh? Oopsie Daisy Mar 2 #40
Most anyone can be scammed Farmer-Rick Mar 2 #49
I should feel sad for these people. No on is immune from all scams. paleotn Mar 2 #51
Scammers/con men love the elderly, especially church goers. They are more trusting. keithbvadu2 Mar 2 #52
Damn, if I could scam people I'd jump on the magat train. Lunabell Mar 2 #53
It's the perfect scam Turbineguy Mar 2 #55
I'm not surprised. Birds of a feather flock together--Well, if one thinks two titans of pathology might Backseat Driver Mar 2 #59
They believe in falsehoods if it makes them feel good DBoon Mar 2 #60
One born every minute. republianmushroom Mar 2 #61
There was a similar scam a few years ago involving Trump and the Iraqi dinar. keep_left Mar 2 #62
I totally believe this (sarcasm): MorbidButterflyTat Mar 2 #63
There are clever scams that many people might get sucked into. This ain't one of them. Silent3 Mar 3 #66

dalton99a

(81,648 posts)
38. +1. A real cultist
Sat Mar 2, 2024, 10:14 AM
Mar 2
"I believe in President Trump, and I think he is honest. I believed that I was investing in the future," Bratton said of her seven-year splurge on quasi-banknotes, tokens, coins, and more recently the bogus debit cards. "I can't even remember where it was all advertised."

GB_RN

(2,391 posts)
43. I Was Gonna Say The Same Thing...
Sat Mar 2, 2024, 10:19 AM
Mar 2

He’d probably look at it and then say it like it was a Scottish last name: Mack-a-DOE-nee-ya.😂

mwb970

(11,368 posts)
6. This would only work on conservative voters.
Sat Mar 2, 2024, 08:30 AM
Mar 2

They will believe anything! No critical thinking ability at all. This "startlingly successful digital disinformation and fake news industry" is actually an obvious source of endless scams.

This makes it clear why trump ran for office as a republican after being a Democrat all his life. He knew that his lies and bluster would never work on liberals. We're just too smart for that!

rpannier

(24,345 posts)
9. I love how the article lists the fake images they use to help sell these things
Sat Mar 2, 2024, 08:54 AM
Mar 2

Donald Jr and Ivanka are used, but not Eric
My guess is, nobody knows who he is

sop

(10,274 posts)
47. "It's easier to fool people than to convince them that they have been fooled."
Sat Mar 2, 2024, 10:29 AM
Mar 2

(Quote often attributed to Mark Twain.)

AllyCat

(16,239 posts)
8. I read the scheme and thought "that is so obviously
Sat Mar 2, 2024, 08:49 AM
Mar 2

Last edited Sat Mar 2, 2024, 09:56 AM - Edit history (1)

A Scam”. No one would be dumb enough to fall for that.

Except the cult. They will.

rpannier

(24,345 posts)
12. Nigerian Prince Scam
Sat Mar 2, 2024, 09:01 AM
Mar 2

Now the Donald Trump scam

He'll send you 20000 Trump bucks and you wire him 10000 U.S. dollars

niyad

(113,638 posts)
26. Actually, a friend many years ago, NOT a reichwinger, fell for several
Sat Mar 2, 2024, 09:54 AM
Mar 2

scams, perpetrated by supposed "friends", before I found out and ended it. The last attempted one was trying to get her to invest $25,000, for a guaranteed return of 2 million. These "friends" had already taken her for over 10,000. Their little con artist careers came to a very abrupt end, even after they threatened me.

AllyCat

(16,239 posts)
29. OMG these were people she knew?
Sat Mar 2, 2024, 09:58 AM
Mar 2

Terrible. Can see it more probable when it’s someone a person knows.

But stranger on the internet?

niyad

(113,638 posts)
32. Yes, one a supposedly trusted friend. It is awful when a supposed friend
Sat Mar 2, 2024, 10:03 AM
Mar 2

does something like that. Needless to say, I was not amused.

AllyCat

(16,239 posts)
34. Glad you stepped in to save her.
Sat Mar 2, 2024, 10:05 AM
Mar 2

How awful to think the others were friends but were among the worst kind of people.

niyad

(113,638 posts)
44. Sadly enough, for quite some time, she was angry with me for exposing
Sat Mar 2, 2024, 10:20 AM
Mar 2

them, thereby making her look gullible and foolish. Her ego couldn't take the hit.

Bristlecone

(10,136 posts)
48. The root of it all right there.
Sat Mar 2, 2024, 10:42 AM
Mar 2

For your friend and millions like her. Their ego won’t allow them to back down. So they dig in and become more entrenched; and dare I say angry/aggressive with anyone who may challenge their decision(s). Even if in an effort to help them.

70sEraVet

(3,527 posts)
42. You are right on that!
Sat Mar 2, 2024, 10:18 AM
Mar 2

If they didnt spend their dollars on fake Trump junk, they'd have spent it on REAL Trump junk!
In this case, every dollar stolen from them is GOOD for America!

Gore1FL

(21,159 posts)
17. Reminds me of this story from almost a year ago:
Sat Mar 2, 2024, 09:33 AM
Mar 2
Colorado-based companies Patriots Dynasty, Patriots Future and USA Patriots have been advertising products with Trump's likeness, including black $10,000 “Trump Bucks”—sold for $99.99—they said could be redeemed as legal tender at most banks, including JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America and Wells Fargo, though none responded to inquiries from NBC News.


https://www.forbes.com/sites/tylerroush/2023/05/27/trump-supporters-scammed-by-novelty-items-trump-bucks-advertised-as-legal-tender/

niyad

(113,638 posts)
22. Wow, I completely missed this story. Geez, the level of credulity required
Sat Mar 2, 2024, 09:46 AM
Mar 2

to believe something that obviously nuts.

Buns_of_Fire

(17,202 posts)
18. TrumpTurd Paperweights (tm) don't seem like such a crazy idea anymore.
Sat Mar 2, 2024, 09:37 AM
Mar 2

(I've got to see if I can find Ann Bratton's address for my mailing list. I'll check with our local Nigerian prince.)

3Hotdogs

(12,440 posts)
23. Everything Trump touches, turns to shit. But in this case,
Sat Mar 2, 2024, 09:47 AM
Mar 2

he didn't have to put any of his own effort into turning it into shit.

hatrack

(59,594 posts)
25. First, read the article - long, detailed and fascinating.
Sat Mar 2, 2024, 09:50 AM
Mar 2

Second, WOMP FUCKING WOMP.

After Bratton received 20 "Trump Collection" cards in October 2023, eager for her payout, she tried to use them to withdraw some of the promised cash from a local ATM. "The point I saw [advertised by the vendor] was that I can go to any ATM and withdraw cash, so I did that," she said. The ATM "just shot [the card] right back out, you know." She tried several other ATMs, including one operated by Bank Of America.

Bank Of America, the United States' second-largest bank, was among the institutions most frequently mentioned in the false ads as locations where purchasers could use their "Trump" cards to withdraw money.

"Bank of America has nothing to do with those products. These are souvenirs," William Halldin, a senior bank media representative, told RFE/RL. He said there were no figures to suggest how many people had tried to cash in on such products. Asked whether there was any way the cards could be turned into cash from his institution, Halldin was brief: "No."

https://www.msnbc.com/inside-with-jen-psaki/watch/trump-rnc-donors-begging-to-be-stolen-from-james-carville-says-press-on-the-gop-chaos-204987461657

"These people want to be stolen from, and Trump is going to accomodate them."

crud

(629 posts)
54. That is their business model...
Sat Mar 2, 2024, 11:07 AM
Mar 2

The easiest marks in the world. I think the conspiracy spreaders are really just looking for the most gullible people so they can take their money.

oswaldactedalone

(3,491 posts)
39. What a maroon
Sat Mar 2, 2024, 10:14 AM
Mar 2

Think about how stupid the average person is, then realize that 50% of people are stupider than that… and we live amongst them. How can it be?

Oopsie Daisy

(2,721 posts)
40. Gullible Trumpers with zero judgement. Fools make easy marks, eh?
Sat Mar 2, 2024, 10:15 AM
Mar 2

I'm having a hard time finding pity for these folks.

Farmer-Rick

(10,217 posts)
49. Most anyone can be scammed
Sat Mar 2, 2024, 10:47 AM
Mar 2

But come on these Trump supporters are just asking for it.

First they buy into crazy right wing conspiracy theories (which is why they click on these ads.), then they waste their money on Trump memorabilia (proving they like to buy junk if it's related to Trump), then someone cons them into Trump conspiracy financial investments.

Some of them bought US dollars with Trump's face on the fake money. They believe that when Trump is the US dictator in chief again, this money will be the new US currency. All the crap you have to believe to just hope this scenario will play out is mind boggling.

paleotn

(17,989 posts)
51. I should feel sad for these people. No on is immune from all scams.
Sat Mar 2, 2024, 10:48 AM
Mar 2

But I'm finding it very, very difficult.

keithbvadu2

(36,970 posts)
52. Scammers/con men love the elderly, especially church goers. They are more trusting.
Sat Mar 2, 2024, 11:01 AM
Mar 2

Why else would Trump and the evangelists team up.

Lunabell

(6,128 posts)
53. Damn, if I could scam people I'd jump on the magat train.
Sat Mar 2, 2024, 11:02 AM
Mar 2

Those idiots are gullible and stupid. A fool and his mobey are soon parted.

I'm too ethical to defraud even trump thumpers. It's also one of the reasons I don't have a mega church cult.

Backseat Driver

(4,400 posts)
59. I'm not surprised. Birds of a feather flock together--Well, if one thinks two titans of pathology might
Sat Mar 2, 2024, 12:29 PM
Mar 2

constitute a flock. There's at least another mighty psychopath/NPD individual living and grifting in North Macedonia. Like the one we all know and despise, the other claims he came to know self-awareness,, instead in an Israeli jail after getting caught in a business fraud, but as another "stable genius," decided to make the best of it post-incarceration. Can it be there's some sort of competition quantumly playing out? Ever hear of Sam Vaknin?

https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/north-macedonia/#people-and-society

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sam_Vaknin

There's still another kooky Israeli mathematician living here, but nobody in everyday life likely has ever heard of this one: Ilan Sadeh is roughly in the same age range as the first two. Perhaps he's content to just work out his problems in a world apart?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ilan_Sadeh

DBoon

(22,404 posts)
60. They believe in falsehoods if it makes them feel good
Sat Mar 2, 2024, 12:44 PM
Mar 2

They were raised to believe whatever an authority figure says. Questioning authority goes completely against their nature.

They were taught to obey and not to reason.

keep_left

(1,793 posts)
62. There was a similar scam a few years ago involving Trump and the Iraqi dinar.
Sat Mar 2, 2024, 01:07 PM
Mar 2

The scam itself apparently goes back to the GW Bush era, but it was updated for the Trump regime due in part to some astonishingly ignorant remarks Trump made about international currency devaluations (in particular, the Chinese yuan)--once again proving that Trump can never be trusted to utter a single word of sense when it comes to business and commerce. Trump's dumbass followers somehow distorted his comments into a fantasy scenario whereby Trump would "revalue the dinar", making any small holder of the currency into a millionaire overnight.

The Chapo Trap House podcast satirized the fools who fell for the scam, and they did not hold back their customary venom in doing so.

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100217949403#post20 (see also post #2)

MorbidButterflyTat

(1,872 posts)
63. I totally believe this (sarcasm):
Sat Mar 2, 2024, 04:19 PM
Mar 2

"Neither the Republican presidential hopeful Trump nor any of his organizations appear to have any connection to the manufacturers, platforms, or sellers."

No fucking way the king of grift isn't getting his cut. NO WAY.

MAGAts are stupid gullible marks, recognized by criminals around the world. No sympathy here.

Silent3

(15,404 posts)
66. There are clever scams that many people might get sucked into. This ain't one of them.
Sun Mar 3, 2024, 02:02 AM
Mar 3

"I believe in President Trump, and I think he is honest."

If anything screams "I'm a sucker!", this would be it.

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