By John Bird (Guest Blogger)

The online dating industry, like any other, is not immune to scams. More frequently, online dating sites are being contacted by members who say that they gave money to a contact in a foreign country and since sending the money, they have heard nothing from their potential date.

More on How To Avoid Online Dating Scams

Many people commend the use of online dating for various reasons, convenience being among the top of the list. However, it is possible to be taken by one of the many different internet romance scams if you participate in these websites. If you choose to take part in online dating, it is important that you exercise caution in order to not be scammed.

The typical internet romance scams are perpetrated by people who join online dating sites in a false attempt for find a companion. These peoples' objective is one; to find a lonely vulnerable soul and take advantage of her/him and use this vulnerability to rip them off. More on Internet Romance Scams – Don't Let Yourself Get Scammed

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. More on Avoiding Internet Dating Scams