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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.

Online Dating Scams Now Going Local?

Dawg — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 19:28:12 +0000

Online dating is global. But in most cases the real date happens locally. In fact, some people are of the view that the term "online dating" is a misnomer. Well, that is subject of another article. The same goes for online dating scams. They are typically perpetrated internationally but the victim is, of course, a local of some place. In a recent story, one Stacey Payne, Lee County (FL) Sheriff's Office community relations manager appears to be of the view that residents of that county are disproportionately falling victim or internet romance scams.

The article is a good read as it provides great information about dating scams in general. Knowledge coupled with commonsense is your best defense against these scams. And contrary to what you might have heard, Nigerian dating scams are not the only ones to worry about. Scams can be perpetrated locally too.

Thousands of Lee County residents are being victimized by what police call "The Sweetheart Scam."
The relatively new phenomenon of online dating is at the heart of this scam and it's costing significant embarrassment and financial pain, said Stacey Payne, Lee County Sheriff's Office community relations manager. She said as many as 30 percent of all online relationships are artificial emotionally and a potential scam.
"Thousands are harmed every year but I can't give you a more accurate number than that," Payne said.
"Nine times out of 10 the victims will not call us. They are very embarrassed. In their mind, they feel this is more embarrassing a scam to fall prey to than the lottery or grandparents' scam. When talking about romance or relationship of any sort you're putting yourself on the line and it hits them hard."
Charlotte County hasn't seen the scam, said Robert Carpenter of the Charlotte County Sheriff's Office.
"I talked with the head of our Economic Crimes Unit and he said what problem?" Carpenter said. "We have not had a complaint from anyone about being scammed for money from a dating service website. Hope it stays in Lee County."
Lee County's aging population and the economics of places such as Gasparilla Island makes these areas a prime target for the online scammers, Payne said.
"Because Gasparilla Island is a wealthy island it would be a target for these scammers," Payne said. "They know to target the more affluent communities."
Scammers target individuals over the age of 40 who may be emotionally vulnerable due to a recent divorce or death of a spouse, though all age groups are at-risk, she said. Any online contact could be a criminal sitting in a cyber cafe with a well-rehearsed script that's being used on thousands of other innocent victims.
"These heartless scammers play on the victim's vulnerability by declaring their undying love, sending flowers or gifts and promising a fairy tale life together," Payne said. "They will also use stories of severe life circumstances, family tragedies, injuries to themselves while serving overseas in the military, or other hardships to keep their victims concerned and involved in their schemes." See original story

As mentioned previously, knowledge and commonsense is your best defense against online dating scams. Speaking of which, some people keep falling for the scam in which the scammer asks the victim to cash a check, claiming that he/she is unable to do so from their locale (in most cases somewhere in Africa) due to "lack" of technology. To some people, Africa is just this vast jungle/desert with mud-hut villages scattered here and there. And so they believe the scammer and become the latest victim of internet romance scams. They get scammed due to their own ignorance. Little knowledge is dangerous.

Online Dating Scams Target Victims In Dating And Social Networking Sites

Dawg — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 00:09:02 +0000

Man, 48, Falls For Online Dating Scam

We have posted several articles about online dating scams on this blog. These scams – also known as romance scams or love fraud - typically follow the same pattern, and the tricks are rarely new. Most are fairly easy to detect if you know what to look for. Recently, a 48 year old man was ripped off of his life’s savings in a textbook (if one were ever written) pattern of internet romance scams. This one happened on one of the popular social networking sites but it also happens on dating sites especially the free ones. I don’t like the term “divorcee” as used in the article as I hate labels, but it is a story worth reading. Below the story are common patterns of online dating scams that were at play in this case.

It started with a flirtatious Myspace message from a dark-haired beauty with smoldering eyes and olive skin; it ended with him $14,000 poorer and nearly losing the roof over his head.
Rob, a 48-year-old divorcee, responded to the woman's overtures by kindly explaining that the social networking site was not an online dating service -- but, no matter, a response was all this Internet stranger was looking for. The woman eventually revealed her tragic story: She had moved to Ghana to marry, but within a couple months her husband died of malaria. "His family was trying to force her out of the apartment that she was living in with him, and they had even cut off her power," he tells me by phone from his home in Nova Scotia. "That was the first of the money sent -- just enough to supposedly get her power turned back on."
Then there were requests for more -- first for food and then to escape the country. Her ticket out was to marry him, she said, and she knew a travel agent who could arrange for a local ceremony -- with someone else standing in as him -- a Canadian visa and her airplane flight. Each of these things cost yet more money, all of which he provided. "I've always been a rescuer type," Rob says. He waited at the airport for her, but she never showed. Then he got a request for yet more money, an unexpected declaration fee. "Like a fool, I went and sent my last 2,3000 dollars," he said. In total, he sent more than $14,000 to a woman in Ghana who did not really exist.
He's a victim of what's called "love fraud." The looker in the photos was actually porn star Raven Riley. The woman he developed a 10-month relationship with was the fictional creation of a team of professional scammers in Ghana. Rob tells me with a laugh, "I've written a song, 'I married a porn star and only got screwed, never got laid.'" It's certainly one of those laugh-or-you-cry situations: He's never getting that money back -- and Rob is just one of thousands who have fallen prey to this online racket. Now he's a peer counselor at RomanceScams.org, a six-year-old support group that has over 17,000 current active members and claims to have counseled some 50,000 people who believed themselves to be victims. See the original story.

Some Common Online Dating Scam Patterns

Know how these scams work can help you avoid becoming a victim. Here are some common patterns at play in this case, which can serve as red flags:

The victim is a middle-aged person and divorced (perhaps recently). Con artists like to target older persons as they are deemed vulnerable and are typically more financially stable. A recently divorced person is especially vulnerable (he is at a low point in his life, perhaps even desperate).
The scammers find the soft spot which most if not all of us have. In this case, the con artist exploited the poor victim’s sympathetic (and giving) side. Usually, they will pretend to fall madly in love with the older guy or gal, knowing that he/she will be flattered and excited and start thinking with something other than the brain.
They almost always claim to be stranded overseas or suddenly fall into problems, fall sick etc.
If you fall for it and send money, they will probably come for more. Their objective is to milk as much out of you as they possibly can before you wise up.
They use stolen photographs from modeling sites or similar sites. In this case, a porn star’s image was used.

It is fairly easy to avoid common dating scams such as the above. Your first line of defense is, if someone asks you for money, cut the communication right away. If the dating profile picture is magazine quality, something might not be right. Ask to see several pictures of your online date. Don’t flatter yourself. If some model-gorgeous person suddenly claims to be in love with you, something might not be right. Any other tips out there?

Woman Scammed In Online Dating – Don’t Let This Happen To You

Dawg — Wed, 12 Jan 2011 20:05:13 +0000

Recently, a woman was scammed by what she thought was her prince charming that she met online. Getting scammed this way is doubly hurting and disheartening, as you not only lose money but your heart.

We have posted several articles about how to detect and avoid this very kind of thing. While it is more rampant on free sites, it also does happen on paid dating sites as this one did. I will say it again, nothing can replace your own due diligence.

If an online “love” begins to ask for money, or your home address before you’ve actually met face to face several times, this should automatically raise a red flag. It doesn’t matter how long you’ve been “together” online. Some scammers are very patient, as this one was. They can afford to be, as it creates trust and there are other victims ripening for the pick all the time (you’re just one of many).

Watch the full story on video

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.

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.