As much as we are loathe to admit it, there are a number of dishonest people out there that seemingly like to take advantage of people through internet dating scams. Why do they do this? Basically, they are looking to separate people from their money and setting up a dating scam is a way to do this.

Since online dating has increased significantly in popularity over the years, there is an audience of people out there that some feel can be easily manipulated. Some of these scams are not only dishonest, they are downright cruel.

One of the more repugnant scams involves masquerading on the internet as a soldier deployed in Iraq (or elsewhere overseas) who is looking for love. Once a person has been found that responds positively to the “soldier’s” advances, the “soldier” will convince the person that the best way to communicate with him/her is through signing up to a telecommunication system that comes with a high monthly fee.

Many have fallen for this terrible scam and it is a shame. Not only do internet dating scams such as this outright fleece innocent people of their money and their affections, the reputation of many honorable people in uniform is besmirched as a result. Sadly, such internet dating scams have grown common and that is why it is so necessary to do what one is able to do to avoid them.

Romance scams are nothing new as they have been occurring since the dawn of time. However, the internet has allowed some scammers a new forum in which they can peddle their wares. What type of scams do they commit? Here are a few common examples:

• Someone will seek to develop a “relationship” online through instant messaging and then claiming to need money for an emergency situation.

• Procuring personal information from a potential boyfriend or girlfriend and then using the personal information to commit identity fraud.

• Gaining private and confidential information from an individual and then using it for extortion purposes.

There are many more myriads of internet dating scams out there. That is why you need to be keenly and acutely aware of them. More importantly, you will need to keep your wits about you and try to avoid them. How do you avoid them? Here are a few steps:

Stick with reliable matching making sites online when looking for romance on the internet. Reliable sites will do their best to weed out phony profiles or ISP addresses from known scammers. They also have certain terms of services in place that prevent suspicious activity. When such activity starts to appear, the profile of the scammer will be deleted.

There are no guarantees, but paid sites are safer than free ones. Why? Because they often require the use of a credit card, which leaves a paper trail.

Don’t even think about starting a romance that is the result of a spam email in your inbox. Many people fall for such scams and this is a shame.

Since most scammers use a stolen photograph on the internet, you can try asking for different photographs taken during day to day activities. If the person can’t produce this, be very suspicious.

You should instant message a person once or twice and then talk to them on the phone while avoiding long term IM sessions. You want to speak to the person on the phone at some point to determine whether or not they are legit.

Of course, an American soldier with an American-sounding name but with a Nigerian accent should light a red light in your mind. If the person insists on calling you at a specific time, be very suspicious. They may be looking to “hire” the right accent.

May I be quick to add that it is not just Nigerians who perpetrate internet dating scams, and that not all Nigerians are fraudsters.

Related posts:

1. Internet Romance Scams – Don’t Let Yourself Get Scammed
2. Spotting and Avoiding Internet Dating Scams
3. Detecting and Avoiding Russian Dating Scams
4. Internet Dating Scams: Don’t Be a Victim
5. About Russian Dating Scams