Waiter wishing loan from me

I find this hard to write and was wondering what your views are. In 2011 we got friendly with a couple of waiters (as you do) and one asked to be a facebook friend. Occasionally we comment and exchange brief messages. However I received this plea for help just yesterday.

"Hi i would like to ask you some help to pay my required USVISA and medical examination to join again the vessel..I need £250 to pay my USVISA together all other documents and a little allowance for my two sons in college.. as soon as i get onboard i will pay your money back.. whatever assistance you may give we greatly appreciate it. My warmest regards. Love and care. "

and this one arrived this morning

"this is borrowed money from you and my obligation to return it back to you, as soon as i got onboard.thru western union.

Please help me sir...."

He is hoping to take up a new contract on a new shipping line. I think we should ignore this request. I am now wondering if this is why we were asked to be a fb friend

.It is a shame but it does leave a sour taste in the mouth. Have you ever come across this before.

I'd block him.

Block him Immediately and use the report button.

As an honest, kind person you accepted a friend request from someone you viewed as bringing back nice memories from your holiday.

His view is that of a way to get some money.

what an evil person he is.

I am at a loss for words to be honest.

he might have been hacked?.... sounds like a classic hack/scam to me... starts with small amounts? then they bring out the big guns.....I would block

Thank you. I should have said I received a similar plea from him last year but I said nothing to my husband. He was the one who got these recent messages. Last year, it was £100 to pay for a health check before returning to the ship. We have had him as our waiter on 4 cruises and to be honest he is a lovely likeable, genuine person. He has been mentioned here and on fb as being a true gentleman. But no, I didnt like this plea.

You are too nice.

This sounds like a scam, I would delete it and dump the link to FB, it may well not even come from the waiter you met.

All the best

You're obviously not a "Canny Scot".

As other have said, this would appear to be a scam. The crew on Thomson ships are well paid in comparison to other cruise lines and also receive extra tips from passengers.

I can never understand why people think the crew are their "best friends" when they are making new "friends" every week.

They are employed to do a job and, yes, they're friendly but what goes on on holiday should stay on holiday.

Ignore the plea and dump facebook.

The crew on Thomson ships are well paid in comparison to other cruise lines and also receive extra tips from passengers

i agree... most cruise ship waiters are very highly trained, have been to college or worked in top establishments

they may appear low paid compared to our economy but provide well for their families back home in their economy

waiters and other crew with lots of passenger contact have the benefit of good tips to supplement their incomes, it may be a hard life with long hard hours away at sea for months... but they are not impoverished

This is not a scam. I wish I had kept the messages from last year to show you. We were just talking about general things like his family and I mentioned my holidays. He also HAS got 2 sons at college. Then he said something like "I dont know how I am going to afford to get my medical certificate. I ignored this comment, mentioned something else then in the next exchange he siad that he needed £100. At this I decided to ignore that remark and that was that. So now this happens again but to my husband. Its DEFINITELY from him. This was one who got the day before asking for the money.

Hi Sir Bruce and Mam Karen how you doing both.. Im still here in the Philippines my 7 months now.XXXX is joining NCL ship this coming month of December.. for me Im still waiting for principal interview both NCL and Princess Cruises. Hoping you both well. My warm regards to both of you. Take Care. Miss you.. Always,

Now no one knows thats what he called us. Scammers would not mention both my husband and me by our names. How would anyone know we are together. This is 100% from him . The messages last year would prove it.

This sounds like a scam, I would delete it and dump the link to FB, it may well not even come from the waiter you met.

All the best

Why not ask him something only he knows about you also ask him what cruise line he is joining and can he send you proof if it is him he should not be offended other than that tell him to get in touch with George Osborne as he seems to give overseas aid to anybody ie India we gave them money then they wanted to do a space programme skint eh?

He said in the previous text it was NCL or the Princess LInes.

I knew he was about to rejoin the ships and just last week I was wondering if he would again ask for money. So yes he again came back this week. NO its not a scam. My husband has now replied. I didnt think he should justify reason but this is what he says. We like the guy so dont want to be rude or horrible.

"Sorry XXX we cannot help you. I've just had to pay a big bill to fix a major problem on my car. Our only income is my pension plus a small amount that Karen earns which goes towards our holidays. Also our elder daughter has recently moved away from home and we have given her money to get set up in her new flat. With Christmas coming up we just have no spare cash. Is there no other way that you can get the money, colleagues or friends, or a crew welfare fund perhaps? Sorry."

Chat conversation end

He said in the previous text it was NCL or the Princess LInes.

 

I knew he was about to rejoin the ships and just last week I was wondering if he would again ask for money. So yes he again came back this week. NO its not a scam. My husband has now replied. I didnt think he should justify reason but this is what he says. We like the guy so dont want to be rude or horrible.

 

 

"Sorry XXX we cannot help you. I've just had to pay a big bill to fix a major problem on my car. Our only income is my pension plus a small amount that Karen earns which goes towards our holidays. Also our elder daughter has recently moved away from home and we have given her money to get set up in her new flat. With Christmas coming up we just have no spare cash. Is there no other way that you can get the money, colleagues or friends, or a crew welfare fund perhaps? Sorry."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chat conversation end

Put it to the back of your minds you can not help everybody that asks and hopefully he will understand

I can understand why this has upset you. Something similar once happened to me with a guide in Gambia

I did ignore it but it left a bitter taste.

We must seem like zillionares but they fail to see that we have worked or are working hard for out money.

Another poster pointed out that in relative terms they are well paid and the families are kept well from their work.

you were right to put it on here as it may have happened to others and they haven't said.

This is not a scam. I wish I had kept the messages from last year to show you. We were just talking about general things like his family and I mentioned my holidays. He also HAS got 2 sons at college. Then he said something like "I dont know how I am going to afford to get my medical certificate. I ignored this comment, mentioned something else then in the next exchange he siad that he needed £100. At this I decided to ignore that remark and that was that. So now this happens again but to my husband. Its DEFINITELY from him. This was one who got the day before asking for the money.

 

Hi Sir Bruce and Mam Karen how you doing both.. Im still here in the Philippines my 7 months now.XXXX is joining NCL ship this coming month of December.. for me Im still waiting for principal interview both NCL and Princess Cruises. Hoping you both well. My warm regards to both of you. Take Care. Miss you.. Always,

 

 

Now no one knows thats what he called us. Scammers would not mention both my husband and me by our names. How would anyone know we are together. This is 100% from him . The messages last year would prove it.

Dear Sir or Madam

I can totally understand your concern, but if your friends e mail or Facebook has been hacked, the hacker would know about his children and previous e mails between you.

It is horrible to think that some scum would stoop so low as to do this, but as a Data Controller, sadly it happens.

I would delete and forget the messages, and don't blame the friend you made, as it might have absolutely nothing to do with them if they have been hacked.

You just have to get off any ship, and you will find a crowd of staff taking use of free wifi at the local McDonalds, this could allow an un scrupulous person with even a limited knowledge to easily hack into your friends account.

Regardless of how concerned or convinced your Husband is, do not do any such transaction over the Internet.

Mike

Makes you wonder why he has left Thomson - was it by choice or was he pushed???

It may well not be the same person who the people befriended,that is making the request.

It may well not be the same person who the people befriended,that is making the request.

How would a hacker know the special names this person calls the OP???

Makes you wonder why he has left Thomson - was it by choice or was he pushed???

They mostly work through an agency.

And although work on Thomson is ok and income is fine, for them, there is always the "Better prospect" of working on the major cruise lines, with better working conditions, better tips and shorter working hours per day.

However, this is not a scam, and as pointed out the names and "Pet" names used by the waiter on the cruise, are being used in the FB message.

Ignore and block this person.

He has left a scar on your holiday memories, and you have learned a valuable lesson for future cruises.

We must seem like zillionares but they fail to see that we have worked or are working hard for out money.

some of them do perceive that we are all rich?... they hear stories of how we are all given free houses/free money from the government/health care/education

they fail to understand that we are actually very highly taxed, vat/income tax/national insurance/tuition fees/fuel duty/stamp duty/road tax/pasty tax.............

90% of cruisers are retired folk who have worked hard and saved hard all their lives

How would a hacker know the special names this person calls the OP???

sir/lady/mam (first name?) is not a pet name, they are almost universal (anglicised) forms of address used in asian countries when younger people address older people

in all asian cultures it is considered very rude not to use an honorific suffix before addressing someone (other than family) by their first name (as in the japanese san or kun)

90% of cruisers are retired folk who have worked hard and saved hard all their lives

A little off topic, but this may be the case with Thomson but most main cruise lines target their product to the younger customer who spends more money.

A little off topic, but this may be the case with Thomson but most main cruise lines target their product to the younger customer who spends more money.

yeah! i guess they have to ... those chandeliers dont come cheap:p

Sounds like the classic scam scenario - do not get involved.

Facebook can be a dangerous place - that's why I very rarely use mine.

Thank you all. I am sorry to go on and on about this but its definitley NOT a scam. As I said I had been having a little fb message with him last year on general things and he casually stated that he was running out of money. I ignored this then he wondered how he was going to get money for his medical certificate. He never actually asked but hinted. Again I didnt answer him but did not mention this to my husband.

Last week he did message me saying that his contract at Thomsons had ended and he as others have left and are applying for a new contract. His is for NCL or Princess Lines.

Then this week its my husband who gets the pleas. The reason I put this on here was to find out if anyone else has experienced this before.

I do not want to mention this on the Thomsons FB page because I know Thomsons may read these comments.