Scammers take advantage of people looking for romantic partners, often via dating websites, apps or social media by pretending to be prospective companions. They play on emotional triggers to get you to provide money, gifts or personal details.

How this scam works

Dating and romance scams often take place through online dating websites, but scammers may also use social media or email how to recognize and online dating scammer make contact. They have even been known to telephone their victims as a first introduction. These scams are also known as ‘catfishing’.

Scammers typically create fake online profiles designed to  lure you in. They may use a fictional name, or falsely take on the identities of real, trusted people such as military personnel, aid workers or professionals working abroad.

Dating and romance scammers will express strong emotions for you in a relatively short period of time, and will suggest you move the relationship away from how to recognize and online dating scammer website to a more private channel, such as phone, email or instant messaging. They often claim to be from Australia or another western country, but travelling or working overseas.

Scammers will go to great lengths to gain your interest and trust, such as showering you with loving words, sharing ‘personal information’ and even sending you gifts. They may take months to build what may feel like the romance of a lifetime and may even pretend to book flights to visit you, but never actually come.

Once they have gained your trust and your defences are down, they will ask you (either subtly or directly) for money, gifts or your banking/credit card details. They may also ask you to send pictures or videos of yourself, possibly of an intimate nature.

Often the scammer will pretend to need the money for some sort of personal emergency. For example, they may claim to have a severely ill family member who requires immediate medical attention such as an expensive operation, or they may claim financial hardship due to an unfortunate run of bad luck such as a failed business or mugging in the street.  The scammer may also claim they want to travel to visit you, but cannot afford it unless you are able to lend them money to cover flights or other travel expenses.

Sometimes the scammer will send you valuable items such as laptop computers and mobile phones, and ask you to resend them somewhere. They will invent some reason why they need you to send the goods but this is just a way for them to cover up their criminal activity.  Alternatively they may ask you to buy the goods yourself and send them somewhere. You might even be asked to accept money into your bank account and then transfer it to someone else.

Sometimes the scammer will tell you about a large amount of money or gold they need to transfer out of their country, and offer you a share of it. They will tell you they need your money to cover administrative fees or taxes.

Dating and romance scammers can also pose a risk to your personal safety as straight guy dating a lesbian are often part of international criminal networks. Scammers may attempt to lure their victims overseas, putting you in dangerous situations that can have tragic consequences.

Regardless of how you are scammed, how to recognize and online dating scammer, you could end up losing a lot of money. Online dating and romance scams cheat Australians out of millions every year. The money you send to scammers is almost always impossible to recover and, in addition, you may feel long-lasting emotional betrayal at the hands of someone you thought loved you.

Warning signs

• You meet someone online and after just free usa online dating sites few contacts they profess strong feelings for you, and ask to chat with you privately. If you met on a dating site they will try and move you away from the site and communicate via chat or email.
• Their profile on the internet dating website or their Facebook page is not consistent with what they tell you. For example, their profile picture looks different to their description of themselves, how to recognize and online dating scammer, or they say they are university educated but their English is poor.
• After gaining your trust – often waiting weeks, months or even years – they tell you an elaborate story and ask for money, gifts or your bank account/credit card details.

• Their messages are often poorly written, vague and escalate quickly from introduction to love.

• If you don’t send money straight away, their messages and calls become more desperate, persistent or direct. If you do send money, they  continue to ask you to send more.
• They don’t keep their promises and always have an excuse for why they can't travel to meet you and why they always need more money.

Protect yourself

• Never send money to someone you haven’t met in person.

• Always consider the possibility that the approach may be a scam, particularly if the warning signs listed above appear. Try to remove the emotion from your decision making no matter how caring or persistent the ‘prospective partner’ is.
• Do an image search of your admirer to help determine if they really are who they say they are. You can use image search services such as Google or TinEye.
• Be alert to things like spelling and grammar mistakes, inconsistencies in their stories and others signs that it’s a scam like their camera never working if you want to Skype each other.
• Be cautious when sharing how to recognize and online dating scammer pictures or videos with prospective partners, how to recognize and online dating scammer, especially if you’ve never met them before, how to recognize and online dating scammer. Scammers are known to blackmail their targets using compromising material.
• If you agree to meet a prospective partner in person, tell family and friends where you are going. Scamwatch strongly recommends you do not travel overseas to meet someone you have never met before. Consider carefully the advice on www.smarttraveller.gov.au before making any plans.
• Be wary of requests for money. Never send money or give credit card details, online account details, or copies of important personal documents to anyone you don’t know or trust.
• Avoid any arrangement with a stranger that asks for up-front payment via money order, wire transfer, international funds transfer, pre-loaded card or electronic currency, like Bitcoin. It is rare to recover money sent this way.
• Do not agree to transfer money for someone else: money laundering is a criminal offence.
• Be very careful about how much personal information you share on social network sites. Scammers can use your information how to recognize and online dating scammer pictures to create a fake identity or to target you with a scam.

Have you been scammed?

If you think you have been scammed, report it to the website, app, or social media site where the scammer first approached you. Let them know the scammer’s profile name and any other details that may help them to free dating sites browse others being scammed.

If you think you have provided your account details to a scammer, contact your bank or financial institution immediately.

We encourage you to report scams to the ACCC via the report a scam page. This helps us to warn people about current scams, monitor trends and disrupt scams where possible. Please include details of the scam contact you received, for example, email or screenshot.

We also provide guidance on protecting yourself from scams and where to get help.

Spread dating chat lines free trials word to your friends and family to protect them.

More information

Millions of people around the world use online dating sites and apps. And there are many success stories of people finding love and companionship online. But as well as the successes, there are also online dating scams – and these are on the rise.

Online dating scams – also known as romance scams or romance fraud – take place when someone believes they have made a connection or match through an online dating site or app – but the person they are talking to is, in fact, a scammer using a fake profile. The scammer manipulates or grooms the other person why dating doesnt work for women gain their trust over time – ultimately so they can either ask them for money or obtain enough personal information about them to steal their identity.

This type of crime is how to recognize and online dating scammer the rise. In 2016, the US Federal Trade Commission received 11,235 complaints about dating and romance scams. By 2020, that figure had risen to 52,593. Losses to online dating scams in the US topped $300 million in 2020. In the UK, the equivalent figure was £68 million. The coronavirus pandemic – which prevented in-person meetings and led to people spending more time online – provided conditions that romance scammers could exploit.

While anyone can fall victim to romance scams, older people often suffer a heavier financial loss. Scammers target older people because they are more likely to have assets such as retirement funds or homes, which they can steal. It is believed that around two-thirds of romance fraud victims are women, with an average age of 50.

Online dating fraud is especially cruel since it plays on people’s emotions. This overview explains common online dating scams, the signs of a romance scammer, how to report a dating scammer, and how to protect yourself from online dating fraudsters.

What are the most common online dating scams?

Most dating scams start innocently enough. Scammers may create fake profiles which look as appealing as possible and wait for victims to reach out and begin the conversation. Or they may contact victims themselves, perhaps claiming common interests or a distant, mutual connection. Once a scammer has you hooked, the possibilities are limitless, but here are some of the most well-known variations:

Military romance scams

With military romance scams, fraudsters may use the name and likeness of an actual soldier or create an entirely fake profile. They send out legitimate-seeming messages, perhaps introducing themselves as near the end of their careers, often with older children and typically widowed under tragic circumstances. The messages are riddled with military jargon, titles, and base locations, which sound impressive. They start to build a strong emotional connection, but before physical introductions can occur, the "soldier" is deployed.

Then come requests for money – perhaps to set up a reliable internet connection, pay for flights home or supplement supposed limitations on military medical coverage or retirement planning. In many cases, these scammers work with one or more accomplices who pose as doctors or lawyers to extract a steady stream of money. Military romance scams can drag on for months or even years before victims finally get suspicious.

Military romance scams are so common that the US Army has produced a detailed fact sheet on spotting romance scammers posing as American soldiers posted abroad, which you can read here.

Intimate activity scams

Here, victims are contacted by potential suitors living abroad and “friended” on multiple social media sites. After an intense courtship period, the scammer asks the victim to connect with them via webcam so they can chat. The fraudster’s webcam is mysteriously broken, but they heap praise on their victim and, through a combination of flattery and persistence, convince their "partner" to partially undress or perform other intimate acts. The scammer then reveals their true identity. They claim to have made a video recording and threaten to share the video with mutual social media friends or post the recording online unless the victim sends money. Once the victim complies, the cycle begins – demands increase until the victim finally refuses.

Fake dating sites

A slightly different proposition to regular scam websites, scam dating sites are dating services that claim to offer legitimate meetups but are either severely underpopulated or awash with scammers. A popular scam involves sites that ask you to create a profile specifically to mine your information. Look out for sign-up questionnaires that are light on dating details but heavy on questions about finances or ask for information like your mother’s maiden name or your first school (i.e. answers to common security questions).

Some free online how to recognize and online dating scammer sites may seem legitimate at first but will reveal their true colors once you’ve been a member for a while. You may receive an offer for a free premium membership or some other exclusive perk in exchange for completing a survey that contains similar questions to those used for banking. You should never reveal any information that can be used to access private or financial details, no matter what incentives you are being offered.

Also, watch out for an influx of attention soon after you’ve created your profile. If all your profile contains is a few lines of text, no photo, and no set preferences, but you start getting message after message from potential suitors, the chances are you’ve stumbled across dating site fraud.

Code verification scams

This is one of the common Tinder scams. It involves an email or text asking you to verify your Tinder account. The message may claim that Tinder is updating its records and asking you to verify your account. In other iterations of the scam, an online Tinder match may ask you to verify before engaging in any future communication.

In these examples, the scammer encourages you to click on a third-party link to verify your account. Once you click through, you'll be asked for personal data like your name, address, phone number, email, Social Security number, birth date, and even your bank account or credit card details.

Tinder does include verified accounts, europe free dating free site this is done in-house at Tinder. To get the blue check-mark next to their profile name, users are directed by the app to take a series of selfies, which are then compared to the photos on their profile to check they match. So be very wary of any other means of “verifying”.

Malware scams

Malware is a common threat online, including on dating sites. On Tinder, for example, a match may have several exchanges with you and then offer you further information on their personal web page or even fake Facebook or Instagram profiles.

These pages aren't legitimate, however. Instead, you're being directed to a web page that contains malware and spam that can allow scammers to steal your personal data, leading to identity theft and financial fraud. Generally, whenever anyone on an online dating site is keen to direct you to another site, how to recognize and online dating scammer, it should be considered a potential red flag.

Photo scams

This is where the scammer encourages the victim to send their contact details in exchange for intimate photos of the scammer. In reality, the scammer is fishing for personal data, or it could even be a fraudulent bot operation that plays on emotion and excitement (through the offer of revealing photos) to gain access to the victim’s data – which can then be used for financial fraud.

Inheritance scams

This is when the scammer claims they need how to recognize and online dating scammer marry to inherit millions of dollars’ worth of gold left by a father, uncle, or grandfather. Marriage is, supposedly, a pre-requisite of the male relative’s will. A young woman contacts the victim to say she cannot remove the gold from her country since she cannot pay the duty or marriage taxes.

Once the scammer has built up enough of a rapport with their victim, they ask for money to help them bring the gold into the victim’s country. The scammer offers to fly to the victim’s country to prove they are genuine – so the how to recognize and online dating scammer sends money for the flight. Needless to say, the scammer never arrives.

Online dating scam variations

While some of these stories may seem improbable, it’s important to remember that those who fall victim are often lonely or vulnerable. Scammers are skilled at playing on emotions and grooming their victims over time. Narratives that often appear in online dating scams include:

• The scammer says they need the victim to send them money to pay for flights (or sometimes a passport) to visit the victim’s country.
• The scammer needs the victim to pay their phone bills or buy a new laptop so they can keep communicating with the victim.
• The scammer needs money to pay for medical treatment, either for themselves or a close family member.
• The scammer says they have valuables that have been seized by Customs, and they need to pay taxes before they can recover their items and join the victim in their country.
• The scammer says their boss has paid them in postal money orders and asks the victim to cash the forged money orders and then wire the money to the scammer. The bank eventually reverts the money cash order but not the wire transfer.
• The scammer needs money to complete their education before they can visit the victim.

You often hear the terms catfishing or catfish scams in relation to romance fraud. Catfishing refers to someone creating a fictional persona or identity on a social media or dating site to target a specific victim. Besides financial gain, catfishing motivations can sometimes be simply to cause distress or harm or possibly enable the perpetrator to carry out a fantasy or wish fulfilment. The term derives from a 2010 MTV documentary called Catfish.

Romance scam warnings signs: What to look out for

Regardless of platform or app – Facebook catfish scams, Instagram dating scams, Plenty of Fish scams, Snapchat meetup scams, and so on – warning signs of online dating scams include:

They try to move you off the dating app or site quickly:

This is because online dating apps often have customer care teams who monitor strange behavior. If they notice a user sending the same message to numerous users, or other unusual activity, they may flag it as suspicious. To avoid this, scammers try to move you to another platform such as WhatsApp or similar. They may use excuses like "My membership is about to expire", "I don't like logging in here every day", or "It's easier to chat on WhatsApp than here”.

The discussion turns romantic very quickly.

A common trend in catfish scams is for the imposter to get very serious very quickly. They may bombard you with extravagant compliments and claim to be falling in love with you. Perhaps they claim to have a special bond with you or tell you that you’re their soulmate and that they’ve never felt this way about anyone before. Victims usually report that this shift occurs early on.

The scammer asks you a lot of questions about yourself.

This is because the more they know about you, the easier you will be to manipulate. The scammer will spin a tale about him or herself as well and may invite you to start talking over the phone, how to recognize and online dating scammer. This stage can last for weeks, even months.

Their story is inconsistent.

If someone is telling untruths, it can be easy to forget what they have said before. Also, scammers sometimes operate in teams, with different people how to recognize and online dating scammer behind one identity. So, if the person you’re talking to seems inconsistent, be suspicious. If parts of their story don’t match what they previously said, that could indicate they are lying.

Their profile photo looks like a model.

Catfish scams use attractive profile pictures to keep the victim hooked. Often, these are pictures of actors or models or perhaps even a stock image. If a profile picture looks too good to be true, it’s simple to check if the image is real. A reverse image search will show if their profile picture has been used anywhere else on the internet.

They don’t have a digital footprint.

Whilst some people don’t use social media and try to minimize the amount of personal information about them on the internet, it can be suspicious if you can’t find any trace of a person online.

They use borrowed text.

Scammers often don’t bother writing their profile text or messages but instead copy them from other websites or dating profiles. To check, you can run suspicious text through an online search to see if any matches come up. If they do, don’t message back or respond.

They won’t Skype or video call you or meet in person.

They always find a reason why they can’t do this. People who are scammed generally report that the other person made constant excuses to avoid going on camera. The obvious reason is that they don't look like the person in their profile picture. They also want to avoid being identified to prevent being tracked down afterwards.

Their life sounds like a soap opera.

A common theme in catfish scams is for the imposters to create elaborate stories involving illness, family tragedies, or major accidents that generate sympathy and help to postpone a face-to-face meeting. If your potential date has a life story that seems unbelievable, it could be a scam.

They live far away.

Fraudsters try to cultivate long-distance relationships because it means they have an excuse not to meet their target. This gives them time to groom their victim and obtain their trust. The stories they tell will include a reason that makes it challenging to meet in person. Or else they arrange to meet up with their target, only to cancel at the last moment.

They ask you for money.

And, of course, the ultimate sign that you’re talking to a dating scammer is when they ask you for money. All the grooming and manipulation – which may take weeks or months – is leading up to a request for money. They may give various reasons but, needless to say, your answer should be no.

How to report a dating scammer

If you have fallen victim to an online dating scam, don’t be afraid to talk about it. Romance fraud is often under-reported since victims can be too ashamed or embarrassed to tell people once they realize they've been fooled.

Different jurisdictions around the world will have different agencies to which you can report a romance scam – for top 100 dating apps also worth reporting the scam to the relevant online dating site or app. Send the scammer’s username and as many relevant details as you can, including conversations and transactions, so the site moderators can take steps to protect anyone else from being targeted.

If you have lost money, you should also contact your bank as soon as possible to explain what has happened.

Online dating safety tips: How to stay safe from online dating fraudsters

Here are 12 tips to avoid the dangers of online dating:

1. When using social media sites, don’t accept friend requests from people you don’t know.
2. Avoid revealing too much personal information in a dating profile or to someone you've chatted with only online. Scammers can exploit details like your last name or place of work to manipulate you or commit identity theft.
3. Use reputable dating sites and keep communicating through their messaging service. Fraudsters will want you to switch to text, social media or phone quickly, so there is no evidence on the dating site of them asking how to recognize and online dating scammer for money.
4. Take things slowly. Ask your potential partner questions and watch out for inconsistencies that might reveal an impostor.
5. Be wary of overly complimentary messages. Paste the text into a search engine and see whether the same words show up on websites devoted to exposing romance scams.
6. Don’t feel a false sense of safety because you’re the one who made first contact. Scammers flood dating apps and websites with fake profiles and wait for victims to come to them.
7. Avoid sending compromising photos to online strangers that could later be used for extortion.
8. Cut off contact immediately if you begin to suspect that the individual may be a swindler. Notify the dating site or app on which you met the scammer.
9. Avoid clicking on links or downloads in user bios or messages sent to you which seem unconnected to the conversation you're having.
10. If you do agree to meet a prospective partner in person, tell family and friends where you are going and meet in a public place. It is not advisable to travel overseas to meet someone you have never met before.
11. Never send money or gift cards or disclose your bank details to someone you’ve only met online.

In general, an important way to stay safe online is by using a comprehensive antivirus solution, such as Kaspersky Total Security, which protects you against hackers, viruses, and malware.

Online dating scams often prey on vulnerable users. However, by understanding common catfishing scams and how to avoid fraudsters, you can bypass romance fraud and forge genuine connections instead.

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Online dating scams and how to avoid them

First of all, let’s stay positive. Online dating works. There are millions of singles online in the UK, seeking how to recognize and online dating scammer we all look for: love, companionship and a long-term future. I met my gorgeous husband through online dating, and during the ten years I worked for Match.com, we successfully paired-up over 160 singles every day.

But now, let’s get wise: there are also thousands of scam artists online too, and that number is growing every year—as is the amount of money innocent daters are losing. Figures published by the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau show a scary upward swing:

2013: There were 2,824 reports of dating scams, with reported losses of £27,344,814.
2014: There were 3,295 reports, and losses of £32,259,381.
2015: There were 3,363 reports, but the reported losses fell to £25,882,339.
2016: There were 3,889 reports, and losses of a record £39m.

It was thought that women were the main targets for online-dating scammers. But men are increasingly duped. Action Fraud, the UK's cyber-crime reporting centre, recently reported that almost 40 per cent of online-daters targeted in 2016 were men, most aged over 50.

The losses can be huge—financially, and emotionally. The average scam victim loses local speed dating events but the mental scars can last a lifetime. As “Nancy”, a 47-year-old single Mum from Yorkshire, who lost over £300,000 to an online-dating scam, told the BBC: “Somebody's got The Science of Online Dating your head, and they've just brutalised you emotionally. In some ways, I'm not sure I'll ever recover from that."

Most online-dating scammers live and operate abroad, so they are hard to prosecute, how to recognize and online dating scammer. Plus, many victims are embarrassed to seek help from friends or the authorities until things have spiralled completely out of control.

To protect your heart, your pride and your bank balance, here are my definitive tips for spotting an online-dating scammer.

1. Check their photograph

Scammers usually steal good-looking people’s photos from social media, and use them as their own. If you’re suddenly approached by a model-esque hunk online, check their photo—preferably BEFORE you go booking the church. Copy the photo, then paste it into Google’s Reverse Image Search. If you see the image used in social media under a completely different name, you know it’s false.

2. Check their preferences

Online-dating scammers are the least picky people on the planet. Working in online-dating for over a decade, I’ve found most men search for women at LEAST 5 years younger than themselves, and usually closer to 10. Women usually search for partners around 2 years younger, to 12 years older. But with scammers, the sky’s the limit. Be suspicious of men and women whose profile says they’re open to contact from people 20 years or more away from their own age. They’re not a refreshing change—they’re liars, trying to cast their net as wide as possible. Also, try to date people who live close to you. Most scammers live abroad, so they invent a cover story for that: they claim to be in the Armed Forces, or working overseas, or even engaged in secretive missions they can’t discuss. If you receive a message from someone in another country, say you’ll look forward to hearing from them when they’re back here for good.

3. Check their grammar

English isn’t always the first language of scammers—it’s usually about the third or fourth. So their spelling and grammar won’t be great, and they SOMETIMES GET TOO HEAVY WITH THEIR CAPITALS. Also, scammers often work in teams, with several different people all hiding behind one identity. So if your online correspondent’s writing style seems to be strangely inconsistent, be suspicious.

The FBI is advising consumers to be wary when using online dating sites after the agency saw a 70 percent annual increase in reported romance scams. Cybercriminals are reportedly using online dating sites to trick victims into sending money, how to recognize and online dating scammer, providing personal and financial information, or even unknowingly acting as a money mule by relaying stolen funds. Learn these tips for keeping yourself—and your financial accounts—better protected when meeting people online.

$143 Million Lost to Romance Scams in 2018

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) says how to recognize and online dating scammer logged more than 21,000 reports of romance scams in 2018 with losses totaling $143 million—more than any other consumer fraud type identified.

Romance scams, also called confidence scams, are when a bad actor deceives a victim into believing they have a trusted relationship and then uses the relationship to persuade the victim to give money, personal and financial information, or items of value to the perpetrator. The initial how to recognize and online dating scammer phase can last for days, weeks, or even months, and by that time, the victim may be extremely vulnerable to the scam.

Techniques of romance scammers are varied and may include:

• Claims to be from the US but currently living, working, or traveling abroad
• Claims to be a US service member deployed overseas
• Reports a sudden personal crisis that requires financial help
• Asks for assistance with a personal transaction, like opening a bank account or shipping merchandise
• Claims to be stuck in another country
• Pushes for intimate photos
• Offers to send money, which could be a way to get the victim’s bank details or other financial information

The FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) reports that victims of romance scams come from all age, education, and income brackets. However, elderly people, women, and those who have lost a spouse are often targeted.

A New Twist: Dating Sites Used to Recruit Money Mules

Fraudsters have used dating sites to find and target victims for some time, but there is a new twist on romance scams that involves international criminal networks using dating sites to recruit money mules.

In one example provided by the FBI’s IC3, a bad actor may claim to be a European or American citizen living abroad. After months of developing the victim’s trust, the scammer may ask the victim to open a bank account, possibly under the guise of a business opportunity. The victim is then asked to receive and send money from that account.

These bank accounts, the FBI says, may be used to facilitate criminal activities. Even if the account is flagged and closed by the financial institution, the scammer may continue to scam the same victim by asking them to open a new how to recognize and online dating scammer or may begin grooming a new victim.

Steps to Better Protect Yourself from Romance Scams

Fortunately, there are steps you can take to keep yourself—and your financial accounts—better protected when meeting new people online.

• Keep your profile anonymous - Experts recommend choosing a dating site username thoughtfully, so that it doesn’t reveal too much personal information. Specifically, it’s best not to include a last name, place of work, or any other identifying information either in your profile or when first making contact with another user.
• Research potential connections - Consider conducting a Google search on new contacts to make sure they are who they say they are, how to recognize and online dating scammer. Experts recommend doing an internet search using the person’s first name, last name, and location. It’s also a good idea to do a reverse Google image search on the contact’s photo, as romance scammers often use stolen images in order to avoid being caught.
• Pay attention to social media profiles - A contact’s social media profiles may reveal signs that they are a scammer. For example, it could be a sign of fraud if the individual has no social media presence, or if they have multiple social media accounts, such as two Instagram accounts. Also consider—do they have very few friends or connections on social media, do they have few photos or only professional-looking headshots, or have they made no posts or updates? These could be potential red flags.
• Be wary about sharing contact details - It’s best to keep contact details private both on your profile and during initial conversations. This includes your email address, home address, and phone number. If and when you decide to share your email, consider creating a separate and anonymous email address. In general, experts advise individuals not to give out too much personal information to another person before meeting them face-to-face. Of course, always follow best practices for staying safe when meeting an online connection face-to-face for the first time.
• Never send money or share financial information - The FBI advises that individuals should never send money to someone they met online, especially via wire transfer. The agency goes further to advise consumers to never share credit card numbers or bank account information with another person without verifying their identity and to never share a Social Security number or other personally identifiable information with someone who doesn’t need that information, as it could be used to access financial accounts.
• Set up a phone or video chat early on - Make it a point to have a phone conversation or video chat with new contacts early in the relationship. If the person refuses or gives elaborate excuses, it could be a scam. Experts say it’s best never to meet someone in person unless you have how to recognize and online dating scammer been able to video chat.
• Be wary of anyone claiming to be a deployed soldier - The US Department of Defense has warned about romance scams in which online predators claim to be deployed active-duty soldiers. Victims have reported being scammed on legitimate dating apps and social media sites by imposters requesting money for fake service-related needs like transportation, communications fees, processing, and medical fees.
• Talk to a trusted friend or family member - Talk to someone you trust about new online connections, and pay attention if they express concern.

What to Do If You Think You Have Been a Victim

If you believe you have been a victim of a confidence or romance scam, the FBI recommends the following actions:

Additional Resources

They come on strong

If someone starts declaring their undying love for you after a couple of weeks, it could be a sign that they may be trying to catfish you. They may also try and get you off a dating site and into the realm of texts, instant messages or email as soon as possible.

That’s not to say that you can’t develop a deep connection how to recognize and online dating scammer someone in a short time. However, it’s a bit suspect if they’re talking marriage after a third online conversation.

A common trend in catfishing is for the imposter to rush things and try to get very serious very quickly. This doesn’t allow the person being targeted to think about what’s happening as they get swept up in a whirlwind romance. It’s also a way to play with people’s emotions and keep them invested in this growing “relationship.”

They’re afraid of Skype

If you take nothing else from this article, this is probably the one lesson to learn, how to recognize and online dating scammer. The one thing that everyone asks after they’re told a catfish story is “Have they not heard about Skype!?”

One of the consistent things about fraudsters involved in dating scams is that they refuse to have conversations by Skype moroccan men dating to use a webcam for video chats. This should be the signal to sound the “probably not real” klaxon. Texts, messages or even phone calls are all very well but a video conversation seems to be a pretty simple thing to arrange. Unless you’re a 50-year-old posing as a 20-year-old.

People who are scammed generally report that the other person made constant excuses to avoid going on camera. The obvious reason is because that they don’t look like the person in their profile picture. They’ll also want to avoid being identified because that’s a good way to end up in an awkward conversation with the authorities.

They live far, far away

Obviously, the chances of getting into a long distance relationship is higher if you’re using an online service and chatting to people from all over the world. That’s not to say that anyone who isn’t from your street is a crazy fraudster.

However, fraudsters will naturally try and cultivate long distance relationships because it means they have an excuse not to meet with their target. This gives them the space and time to cultivate a “relationship” and get their mark to trust them.
Catfishers often claim to be a soldier who has been posted overseas, someone whose work sees them travel a lot or any other number of professions that make it difficult to meet in person. Another typical example is for a fraudster to arrange to meet up with their target on several occasions and then to cancel at the last moment.

The ask for money

Some cases of catfishing involve people leading a victim on for personal reasons, with no attempt to extort money from them. While this can still be a devastating experience, being manipulated by a stranger can only be exasperated when they also take money from you. Online dating can be an obvious target for fraud, with criminals exploiting the combination of emotion, trust and wishful thinking in the worst possible way.

Common dating men with no friends involve asking for money to visit the target of the scam, giving victims a tale of woe about a medical emergency or serious illness, or some other convoluted financial difficulties that require a sudden injection of cash.

Their life sounds like a soap opera

A common theme that reoccurs with catfishing cases is for imposters to create fantastical stories that involve illness, family tragedies or major accidents that conveniently help to postpone a face-to-face meeting. So if your online sweetheart’s daily life sounds like something from a soap opera, it may be time to start asking questions.

While online dating is a perfectly legitimate way to meet people, make sure the object of your affection checks out! If you’ve become entangled with a fraudster, you could end up with a broken heart or an empty bank account – so be very careful!

Online dating scams continue to rise, dating men in fraternities reddit unsuspecting victims millions of dollars each year. Rather than simply sending phishing emails, cybercriminals are playing the long game to cheat people out of their money.

If you are using an online dating platform, make sure to look for signs that the person you're talking to is actually a scammer. Keep reading to learn how to avoid online dating scams.

Who Do Dating Site Scams Target?

Scammers target people across different demographics on every dating platform possible. This means that regardless of gender, sexual orientation, age, or preferred platform, no one is off-bounds to a scammer.

However, they tend to target older people more often. Meanwhile, the biggest targets for long-term catfishing scams are people who are vulnerable or isolated.

Plenty of Fish (POF) scams are particularly prevalent due to the large nature of the network. However, scams exist on sites like Ashley Madison, Match.com, and the majority of other dating sites.

With the rise of dating apps, scammers cast an even wider net for potential targets and automate much of the process, using bots to lure victims into scams. It's one of the reasons that online dating sucks.

how to recognize and online dating scammer How to Spot a Dating Scammer

If you suspect that you've encountered an online dating scammer, these are some surefire red flags.

1, how to recognize and online dating scammer. Profile Warning Signs

There are a few signs you should look out for when looking at a potential match's online dating profile. A few typical traits of a scammer's profile include:

• Their profiles have very few images or images that seem to be model or glamour stock photos.
• Despite looking for singles in your area, they work or too old to start dating in another country.
• Many scammers claim to be on military deployment in another country.

On dating apps, scammers and bots will have very limited profile information, how to recognize and online dating scammer. They also tend to only have one or two photos and do not link their profile to their Instagram or other accounts.

Read more: How to Spot a Fake Profile on Online Dating Apps

2. They Try to Take the Conversation Elsewhere

Online dating scammers, especially those that catfish victims, will quickly ask you to move to another form of messaging outside the platform where you met.

Often, scammers will want to communicate via written messages on social media apps like Facebook or Instagram. However, they may also choose to message you via SMS or an app like WhatsApp. Be wary of anyone you haven't met that wants to move the conversation to another platform.

3. Your Match Professes Love Early On

Online dating scammers tend to move very quickly in terms of professing an emotional connection. Within a short period, they may say they love you and that they feel a very deep connection to you.

This is all part of the emotional manipulation involved in catfishing while using online dating sites. It's also why people who are vulnerable and isolated are such desirable targets—since they're yearning for a connection. You should look out for any matches that are overly flattering and overly devoted early on in your communication when you haven't even met.

Related: Dating App Privacy Disasters and How to Protect Yourself

4. They Want To Meet You, But Something Always Comes Up

A common line among online dating scammers is that they want to meet you, but when the time comes, there is always some unexpected issue. Since the scammer is not the person they claim to be, they don't want to meet in person.

This is also the reason why so many scammers claim to work in another country or be on military deployment; it provides them with an excuse for not being able to meet up. In fact, many scammers use photos of military personnel and soldiers on their profiles.

The inability to meet you may even be the supposed reason they first try to solicit money from a victim. They may claim to need money to buy a how to recognize and online dating scammer to travel to meet you. Sometimes, they'll say that border officials detained them and they need money for their release.

5. They Avoid Video Chat Completely

Scammers might avoid phone calls or voice and video chats. However, many can fake their accents. No matter what, though, a catfish will not appear in video chat since they use fake profile images. Be wary if your match is never willing to appear in video chat or always makes excuses about their camera being broken.

Most smartphones now have built-in selfie cameras, which makes video chatting relatively easy. Some people may initially hesitate to appear on video chat out of shyness. But it's a red flag if someone how to recognize and online dating scammer love, yet won't let you talk to them over video after weeks of communication.

Related: Tinder Helps You Stay Safe While Dating

6. They Request Money From You

Inevitably, a catfish will request money from you, as this is the ultimate goal of most scammers. There are a variety of scenarios that they may invent—from family emergencies, health issues, or travel problems.

Particularly inventive scammers may even trick you into sending them money by purportedly sending you a package that requires customs fees. Scammers don't necessarily work alone, so you may receive a phone call or documents from someone posing as a third party to request fees.

Some scammers even request financial help or financial investment related to their fictional business. If any kind of financial request comes from your suitor or from something related to them (such as a package or business), this is the biggest sign that you are the target of a scam.

7. They Ask for Your Help With Financial Transactions

One of the newer online dating scams doesn't request money from victims, but turns them into "money mules." Rather than trying to get money from the victim, these scammers make you an accomplice in money laundering.

One example includes the scammer sending money to the victim, who then sends them an Amazon card or another kind of gift card. Other times they might send you money and ask you to send it to another account for them.

Sometimes, scammers may ask a victim to open a bank account for them. If your online suitor asks you to get involved in these types of financial transactions and exchanges, it's likely that they're a scammer trying to lure you into illegal activities.

8. They Send You a Link to Another Service or Website

Some scammers don't bother with catfishing, rather using more efficient ways to exploit victims. This is especially true on online dating apps where bot profiles are prevalent.

If a match sends you a link to an app, game, service, or website they say they want you to try out, this is often a ploy to get you to supply financial information or download malware. It is essentially the online dating version of phishing and is a very popular tactic for scammers on dating apps like Tinder.

How to Outsmart a Romance Scammer

Besides spotting a potential scammer, there are a few precautions you can take to avoid online dating scams. Firstly, use reverse image searches and tools like Social Catfish to verify a person's online identity. You should check that the same image isn't appearing across a variety of profiles under different names.

REVERSE LOOKUP:

SOCIAL CATFISH

You should also keep up-to-date on the different types of dating scams emerging, especially those related to the platform you're using. Not all dating scams involve prolonged catfishing, and certain mobile dating app scams differ from dating website scams.

Related: Tinder Will Let You Run Background Checks on Your Dates

Finally, never reveal too much information about yourself to someone you've never met. A catfish will use your financial situation and whether you're vulnerable to determine whether you're an ideal target.

If you receive overly flattering introduction emails or messages on an online dating site, simply don't respond. On mobile dating apps, don't match with profiles that seem suspicious.

Furthermore, never send intimate images of yourself to an online acquaintance—scammers are now using these types of pictures for blackmail and extortion schemes. Finally, if warning signs pop up and you are unable to verify the person's identity, cut off communication immediately.

Protect Yourself While Dating Online

One of the most important measures to be mindful of when dating online is to protect your privacy, how to recognize and online dating scammer. This not only helps you avoid scams but can also protect you from creeps and cyberstalkers. Ensure you don't share too much, and always avoid linking between social media apps to stay safe online.

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About The Author

Megan Ellis (124 Articles Published)

Megan is a Junior Editor at MUO. In 2016, she decided to unite her qualification in New Media and lifetime of geekiness to pursue a career in tech and gaming journalism. You can usually find her writing about a variety of topics and drooling over new gadgets, how to recognize and online dating scammer. She has a BA Honours in Linguistics and Applied Language Studies in addition to her Bachelor of Journalism.

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