How to Protect Yourself From Online Dating Scams
What could be worse than being trapped ? You were tricked out of the money by someone you think you liked. Romantic scams are on the rise and, according to the FBI , these shameless scams are costing consumers more than other types of internet scams. This is what you should look out for if you are looking for love.
Most common online dating scam
Nothing sells like a sad story , especially if the sad story is about someone who seems perfect to you. This is why most online dating scams involve some kind of problem that the scammer has recently overcome or is trying to solve. Some say they are recently widowed, divorced, have an afflicted family member, or grieve over loss. But more often than not, scammers say that they are stuck in another country and need financial support from a wonderful person like you so that they can buy supplies or a ticket home.
Nowadays, one of the most popular types of fraud involves someone pretending to be a military man. They tell you they are in the process of being deployed, they earn your trust, then they ask for money to finally get home. According to online dating site Zoosk.com, 25% of the scammers registered on their platform were associated with people posing as military personnel. Zoosk gives an example of what these attempts look like:
“I am currently in military service in Liberia, my last mission is to return in a year before I move to the US and also buy a house there soon, and this will be the place where the woman I get along with here, will gladly spend the rest of her life with me happily “
Fraud is so widespread that the US Army’s Criminal Investigation Department has even begun warning people about it . In fact, if someone on the network claims that he is a military man and asks you for money, do not give them.
What to look for when dating online
Of course, this is easier said than done to avoid getting caught by scammers. Scammers can play with your weaknesses and play with their minds. According to the Better Business Bureau , this all happens in three steps.
Phase one: contact
Through dating websites, apps, and other social media, scammers contact their victims through fake profiles paid with stolen credit cards. Once they make contact, they quickly try to move the conversation to another platform, such as text messaging or email. Sometimes they state that they are leaving the site or that their subscription is about to expire. They do this to earn your trust away from the prying eyes of dating sites hoping to spot scammers.
During the contact phase, look out for poor grammar, incorrect spelling, odd word choices, and other anomalies that suggest the person is not fluent in English. It is even more important to keep track of if their profile suggests they went to college. And watch out for excessive flattery, especially if they look ridiculously good in their photos and there is a significant age gap between you and the other person. For example, if you’re a 50 or 60 year old man, this 20 year old model telling you how beautiful you are is probably not the real one. Also, be wary of those who only have one photo and are then prompted to send you more photos in exchange for your personal information.
Phase 2: Leaving
At this stage, scammers try to win the trust of their victims by telling their life story and collecting information about you. At this stage, they will ask for a small service to test the water and see how much the victim is willing to help. Worst of all, they may try to isolate the victim from their friends and family so as not to prevent them from making a bad decision.
Watch out for long, overly detailed messages, especially at the beginning of a conversation. And don’t let a stranger convince you that your friends and family have questionable motives. Receiving sweet daily messages or gifts from someone you’ve never met face to face is also a red flag. Other red flags include their location in a different geographic location, so it’s impossible to meet, as well as photos and messages showing how rich they are (so you can lower your guard when they finally ask for money).
Phase three: sting
This is the moment of truth. Contacts have been established, trust has been established, the fruit is ripe for collection. In this final stage, the scammer finally asks the victim for money, usually to help in some kind of emergency. Examples include anything from emergency medical care to ransom kidnapping, plane tickets for a quick getaway, and unconscious involvement in money laundering schemes. If the victim does send them money, the fraudster will find a way to ask them for more and more.
Even if you’ve fallen into the charades of scammers long enough to get to this point, it’s not too late to realize that something is strange. If someone you have never met asks for money, say no to them and stop communicating with them. There is simply no good reason why a stranger you meet online should ever ask you for money.
When in doubt, observe the following FBI precautions :
- Search the person’s photo and profile using an online search to see if the content has been used elsewhere.
- Take your time and ask a lot of questions.
- Beware if a person seems too perfect or quickly asks you to leave dating or Facebook to go offline.
- Beware if the person tries to isolate you from friends, family, or requests. inappropriate photographs or financial information that could later be used for extortion.
- Beware if the person promises to meet in person, but then always comes up with an excuse why they can’t. If, for whatever reason, you haven’t met this person after a few months, you have good reason to be suspicious.
- Never send money to anyone you don’t know personally.
And remember, if something seems too good to be true, doubt it. There is nothing wrong with protecting yourself.