AVOID Online Dating Scams – 9 Clever Tips

USE GOOGLE OR ANOTHER SEARCH ENGINES TO CHECK THEM OUT. If you meet someone online who seems a bit cagey about their life or seems too good to be true they generally are. Check out who they say they are online, or cut and paste one of their e-mails into google. One prospective victim found that the exact same words the scammer used popped up on several websites devoted to romance scams. (Many scammers operate from a ‘how to’ training guide).

TALK ON THE TELEPHONE ASAP.  Someone who sounds plausible online may turn out to be an obvious fraud on the phone.  Scammers claiming to be from the military and on some kind of special operational duties may tell you that they’re not allowed to make or take phone calls.  (PS that’s not true!). 

DON’T PURSUE A LONG DISTANCE RELATIONSHIP WITH A STRANGER ONLINE. Looking for a local partner drastically reduces your odds of being scammed. Most scammers target victims outside their areas or own countries to avoid being tracked down, confronted or caught.

GUARD YOUR PRIVACY, NEVER REVEAL PERSONAL INFORMATION TO ANYONE until at least you meet face-to-face and over time develop a level of trust. Although it’s tempting to share every detail of your life with a person you think you could be in love with, that’s exactly what the scammer is counting on.

PAY ATTENTION TO LANGUAGE. Many online dating scammers committing these crimes are based in West Africa, (Nigeria & Ghana seem common) and the former Soviet Republics. If it seems that their use of English is a bit odd and some things they refer to don’t stack up, that’s a big warning sign. Use your instinct and check them out before going any further.

CHECK OUT THEIR PHOTO.  If the new love of your life seems to look like a supermodel or amazingly handsome in the pictures they send you, (and even if they don’t), check them out. If you’re at all suspicious do a quick reverse image search; upload their photo on google or any other search engine image search which will quickly identify where their photo has appeared. Takes less than 30 secs.
(As we all know already, many online dating scammers and other con artists use a photo they’ve taken from a social media page like Facebook. Using photos and profiles of military personnel is another popular scam).

STICK TO PAID ONLINE DATING SITES. If  they’ve joined a fee paying dating site their credit cards numbers and details will be on file, so they’ll be a bit easier to catch.  Still stay alert though, don’t assume paid sites are free of scammers, they may just have fewer of them or the members who have been targeted have realised what they’re up too,  but haven’t reported them yet.

BE SUSPICIOUS, trust your instinct. If someone wants to switch from contacting you though the dating site and wants your e mail address straight away, they may be trying to access your phone, tablet or laptop and so all your personal information.

DON’T FALL FOR THEIR HARD LUCK STORY. Online dating scammers are incredibly inventive and will work hard to sound very plausible. Many scammers claim to have lost a spouse, child, or parent in an accident or say they have a relative who is very ill, or that they’ve lost their ticket, or claim they’re on their way to visit you, have lost their ticket, having problems with their credit card etc. They can be very inventive and very persuasive. Whatever their story, NEVER EVER send money.