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

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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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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