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Online Dating Scams: Don't Lose Your Shirt In Your Search For Love

Dawg — Sun, 25 Sep 2011 21:30:01 +0000

According to the Match.com, 1 in 5 relationships begin online. Okay, they probably meant 1 in five relationships in technologically advanced countries, but it's still a huge number. This makes it very attractive to scammers. Not surprisingly, online dating scams are on the rise. Don't lose your heart and your money.

The reason scam artists seem to have a love affair with online with online dating is because:

A of multitude of people (call it the numbers game, the more the merrier etc.).
Emotions are part and parcel of the game. There is no person as emotional as one looking for love, and scam artists appeal to human emotions.

Unfortunately it is extremely difficult to apprehend an online fraudster as they typically operate from overseas, Nigeria being among the countries as usual, and thus under different laws. And, of course, they use fake names. Your best defense is prevention. Here then are some tips to recognize and avoid online dating scams:

How to Recognize a Scam Artist
The relationship may not be what you think, especially if your sweetheart:
wants to leave the dating site immediately and use personal email or IM
claims love in a heartbeat
claims to be from the U.S., but is traveling or working overseas
plans to visit, but is prevented by a traumatic event or a business deal gone sour
Scammers also like to say they’re out of the country for business or military service.
What You Can Do About It
You may lose your heart, but you don’t have to lose your shirt, too. Don’t wire money to cover:
travel
medical emergencies
hotel bills
hospital bills for a child or other relative
visas or other official documents
or losses from a temporary financial setback
Don’t send money to tide someone over after a mugging or robbery, and don’t do anyone a favor by making an online purchase or forwarding a package to another country. One request leads to another, and delays and disappointments will follow. In the end, the money will be gone along with the person you thought you knew.
Report relationship scams to:
The Federal Trade Commission
The FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center
Your state Attorney General
Original post at: On Guard Online

Be sure to enroll with a reputable dating site too. Some sites are made by organized con artists and may not even have real members. But the rule of thumb is, if someone asks for money end that communication immediately. This is why you should never share your primary email, phone number or mailing address with someone you have met online until you have met him or her and feel comfortable.

Woman Scammed Out Of $100K In Online Dating Scam

Dawg — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 23:17:39 +0000

Why Do People Still Fall For The Same Old Online Dating Scams?

That online dating scams are on the increase can hardly be disputed. What really galls me is when some people appear to have more money than sense. When are they gonna get that age-old grandma-sense-cum-commonsense principle that you don't give money to a stranger? Don't get me wrong, I empathize with the victims. But I'm still angry that some people can be so… let's just say easy.
Granted, con artists are masters of persuasion, manipulation and mind control. If they would put those skills into more positive activities, they could actually change the world for better. But some tricks are so old, it is surprising they still work.

What's worse about falling victim of dating scams (aka romance scams, aka love scams) is that not only does the victim lose money, but his/her heart. It can take long to recover and once again trust even someone they truly love and loves them back. Some blame internet dating. In fact, internet-dating-bashing appears to be the norm in some forums. But enough ranting.

Below is a story of one guy who scammed several women that he met on different dating sites out of thousands of dollars a piece. Interestingly, the alleged online dating scammer's last name is Lovering.

Authorities say the thefts go back to November 2006, when Lovering met his first victim on personal ads from Yahoo.com. Lovering convinced this first victim to initially lend him $1,000 for an eBay transaction and then later to lend more money and to co-sign a loan, from which he would repay her all the money he owed her.
However, authorities say, Lovering simply took the money and gave her nothing.
Lovering met the second victim in January 2008 via Craigslist and again convinced this victim that he needed a loan for an eBay item totaling $1,645. Over time, authorities say, Lovering convinced the second victim to lend him more than $28,000 in total, wooing her with romantic dinners and "professions of warmth, affection and physical attraction," according to a statement from the DA's office.
After these transactions, Lovering never saw the victim again but continued to communicate with her electronically, say authorities, telling her he had to be hospitalized in New Hampshire for a serious medical condition. While he made it clear he did not want her to visit, he mentioned he would not be able to pay his bills and that the hospital would not release him without payment.
That's when, authorities say, the woman sent a series of paychecks to him via a post office box he maintained in Weston. In total, this led to the second victim sending more than $70,000 to Lovering, with no repayment from him.

How much money, beg, can one be making to lend someone who is for all intents and purposes really just a stranger as much as $70,000? This is more than some middle-class American families make in a year! But it gets even "better".

This (the) fourth victim sent Lovering two checks totaling $1,500, thinking she would be repaid, say authorities. In addition, Lovering continued to use the Doug Spencer persona to con this victim, saying again he was hospitalized in New Hampshire.
In total, authorities say, Lovering stole more than $100,000 from this fourth victim. See original story

I stumbled a little on the fourth one as it is not clear (at least to me) how this women sent two checks totaling $1,500 but ended up losing more than $100,000. But these are victims who would not have been victims had they simply followed tips for avoiding online dating scams. The tricks used here are not new but are also pretty common.

How To Avoid Online Dating Scams

Dawg — Wed, 06 Oct 2010 18:12:41 +0000

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.

Online daters are particularly prone to this kind of abuse. The typical online dater will not only puts faith in the site that they sign up to, they also trust that the members of that site have honorable intentions, that they too are looking for love and therefore would never do anything to abuse that trust.

There are a couple of warning signs to look out and these should be borne in mind, when you start communicating with people through an online dating site. Check your emails for the following signs:

Communication is vague, difficult to understand or is repeated.
Immediate (within 15 minutes) responses are received every time you send a message, with no discussion beforehand as to when you'll be online.
Email messages change in tone, language, style or grammar throughout the communication. This could evolve over time, or it could be apparent in just one email.
A sob story is shared early on that changes quickly from an annoyance into an emergency - and only you can help.

Also bear in mind that all safe online dating sites have secure payment methods. They will use recognized payment systems like VISA or Paypal. If you’re in any doubt, don’t send your money. And never send money directly to a person, no matter how moving their sob story.

To be sure to avoid scams, use an online dating comparison site. Using a site like this serves two purposes. Firstly, the comparison site acts as a third party that is effectively endorsing the online dating site. Therefore you know, this online dating site hasn’t just appeared out of the blue. It is recognized and endorsed.

Also a dating comparison site will give you a direct link to the sites listed on their page. By using this link, you know that you are entering the site through a secure network and increasing your chances of staying safe and avoiding any scams.

New Dating Scam Busted

Dawg — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 17:07:23 +0000

Ohio Couple Dating Service Scam Busted

By: Rob Adams
Staff Writer
Published: Aug 6, 2010

Ohio couple could face two years prison if found guilty for dating service scam.

Ohio couple dating service scam busted. An Ohio couple has been arrested for conducting an online dating service to scam singles. The dating service was able to scam seven people by the Ohio couple.

Read the full story

Internet Romance Scams – Don't Let Yourself Get Scammed

Dawg — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 20:16:01 +0000

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.

Most perpetrators appear to be located outside the United States, although this is not always the case. They will do everything in their power to get close to those they wish to scam.

They will chat frequently, and will usually try to talk you into taking the communication through a more private method, such as the phone. When the "date" is supposed to be of foreign origin (such as a Russian mail-order bride), this may not trigger suspicion as they will be presumed to have an accent.

But if someone claims to be an "American solder" deployed overseas (or some other type of worker or volunteer) but has a heavy foreign accent, that's a red flag right away. Scam artists usually get around this through hiring a "voice".

Once they have you wrapped in the relationship, those involved in internet romance scams will then become in need of financial assistance. They may try to scam their victim by asking for money so they can purchase a plane ticket to come visit the other person.

Sometimes, they prefer to use a story of despair, such as they need money for medical bills, or to leave the country because they are in danger. No matter the story, many will want to help them due to the bond they have created with the person.

Those who fall for these internet romance scams will likely not hear from their "partner" once they send them money. Some scammers will place a call just to let you know you were scammed, but the majority will just no longer communicate with you. But there are scam artists really have… well, balls. These will keep asking for more using different reasons.

These scams not only harm someone financially, but also emotionally, especially when you felt attached to this person and all they wanted was some cash. For this reason, many people give up on internet dating after being scammed.

To prevent yourself from falling into one of those internet romance scams, you may want to consider staying away from online dating. At the very least, you should use a paid dating site if your budget allows, as this leaves a paper trail.

The notion that people from the US are less likely to scam you is largely false. Yes, unsophisticated crooks can be caught due to IP addresses, but the more sophisticated ones know how to hide this. So, just because someone is from your country does not mean you should let down your guard.

Often internet scam artists use stolen photos in their dating profile. Simply asking for more pictures in different day to day activities such as in the kitchen cooking, for example, will spook the scammer, who will simply disappear.

Always be very cautious and suspicious when someone starts hinting about needed financial help, and decline to offer assistance.

Avoiding Internet Dating Scams

Dawg — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 23:29:05 +0000

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.

Spotting and Avoiding Internet Dating Scams

Dawg — Mon, 25 Jun 2007 23:12:07 +0000

Internet dating scams are real. Anonymity in internet dating is a double-edged sword. It is meant to protect you from people of ill intentions. It can also be used by the same people to pull a fast one on you.

The people in internet dating sites are the same are the same people trying to meet you in the real world. There are good people, bad people, as well as some nut jobs out there.

Unfortunately, the bad ones and the nut jobs of the world can and do hide behind that screen, using it as a means of scamming those who just want to find a romantic partner. Flushing them out isn't easy or fool-proof, but there are several techniques you can use to up your odds against being scammed or worse.

Among the common and mild Internet dating scams is misrepresentation of facts. Some people will misreport their age, gender or other personal information. But an alert reader can often ferret out those falsehoods. The perpetrators often slip-up on simple and obvious things, such as reporting experiences they couldn't possibly have had if they are who they say they are.

There are also the infamous international mail order rackets. These are often but not always carried out by Russians and – you guessed it – Nigerians.

The Russian dating scam targets mainly older men, using an attractive young woman as bait. Once contact is established, the woman feigns love and an interest to join the man in his country (often the US). She asks for money for visa and travel. Once the money has been sent out, she either disappears or runs into other “problems” and needs more money.

Nigerian dating scams are more complicated. A common one is getting contacted by a single whose photo is model quality. Once contact is established, your “date” claims to be some kind of expert working in Africa. You’ll soon be requested to cash checks or money orders for him/her and wire the money back. Of course, the checks or money orders turn out fraudulent, leaving you to pay your bank.

The first protection against internet dating scams is not revealing too much too soon. Certain personal information should never be revealed to anyone online, unless you've met and know them fairly well. Your phone number, address and credit card information top the list.

Also, ask for more than one photograph. Since the photographs used by internet dating scammers are almost always stolen, it is difficult to fake more than one of the same individual.

If someone from another country says that he/she wants to meet you, insist on meeting them in their country first.

Look for inconsistencies and vagueness in their emails. If you send emails with specific details but continue to receive general responses, you are not the sole recipient. Also, if your name only appears on the opening and nowhere else, something is quite not right.

While not a guarantee, joining a reputable dating site offers some protection, as these dating sites do screen their members.

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Internet Dating Scams: Don't Be a Victim

Dawg — Fri, 16 Mar 2007 18:20:44 +0000

The growing popularity of online dating coupled by the anonymity has led to an increase in Internet dating scams. It is terrible enough to rip an already lonely heart - but to rip the heart as well as owner's bank account? Talk of extreme brutality, and yes, heartlessness.

Internet dating scams come in various forms and the perpetrators are always creating new ones. An obvious one is the scam dating site. This is simply a fly-by-night operation, out to sell as many memberships as possible and then disappear without offering service.

Such a scam site will almost certainly cost far less than a typical dating site, while promising to deliver similar offer better service. Well, if it seems too good to be true, it usually is.

A variation of scam dating sites is...

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