Some online dating scams use the guise of finding a partner for a romantic relationship. The scammers may promise to help you find someone to share your life with, but in reality they will try to take advantage of you. They may also try to convince you that their relationship is better than what you have currently. If you are not sure whether or not someone is a scammer, be careful and do not give out personal information such as your social security number or bank account number.

Online dating scams are a common problem, and they can be very costly. Here we’re going to look at how they work, what the warning signs are, and how you can deal with each one.

How Online Dating Scammers Work

The second type of online dating scammer is motivated by revenge. They hope to find someone who has wronged them in the past and use that person’s love to hurt them. ..

This type of scam is more insidious, because it usually doesn’t involve any money. The goal is to humiliate or otherwise emotionally harm you as a cruel prank.

  1. They may try to start a conversation by asking for your contact information or asking you to send them pictures.
  2. They may try to get you to invest money in their schemes, such as offering you a high-yield investment or promising to help you win a contest.
  3. They may try to get you to share personal information, such as your social security number or bank account number, with other people online.

Things Move WAY Too Fast

The scammer is trying to get you to give them money so they can make a profit. They are on the clock and want your money now.

This means that the other person is definitely not as hesitant as they seem. Their online “date” wants to go from 0-60 in no time flat. So if things are getting hot and heavy at an insincere speed, you should definitely take a step back without those rose-tinted love glasses.

What To Do About It

You need to take control of the pace of commitment. Ask them detailed questions about their lives. Let them know you’re interested in getting to know them before getting serious.

Online dating scams are becoming more common, but there are ways to avoid them. ..

Things Don’t Add Up

Online dating scammers have to create multiple fake online personas in order to scam people. Yes, even the scammer has to play the field. They might tell you that there are no other victims, but the truth is being an online dating scammer is a bit like being a battery farm chicken. You’re stuffed into a box and expected to produce, produce, produce. ..

This means that if you’re looking for a fake online profile to follow, it’s likely that you won’t find one.

What To Do About It

When you’re meeting someone online, do your research to see if they’re a reputable person. It’s hard to keep your life off the internet these days, so be sure to check out their websites and social media accounts before you meet them.

Do a reverse image search on their profile picture. See if they interact with family members. Do they have a LinkedIn page? Do the details about their lives add up? Are they the same between profiles? ..

They Ask For Money

The scammer will likely start by asking for your personal information, such as your name, address, and phone number. They will also ask for money to be sent to them in order to help you find a potential partner. If you decline the request, the scammer may try to convince you that they are not a scam and that they just need some money for something important. However, if you give in and send money, then the scammer can use that money to get your personal information from you or even try to take advantage of your situation in some way.

What To Do About It

It is important that you refuse any form of monetary payments. If you have already given money, it’s still not too late to stop. Even if the person isn’t a scammer, it’s still predatory and highly inappropriate to ask someone you’ve only known for a few days or weeks for money.

Would you be comfortable giving someone you know nothing about money - even your best friend - money? Even if they had a genuine emergency, it’s important to remember that crowdfunding is a new way of doing things. If someone has a campaign on Kickstarter, they’re better off starting it from scratch.

Poor English Or Overall Language Use

If you’re feeling like you’re being scammed, it’s important to be skeptical of any online dating site that doesn’t offer a user-friendly interface and plenty of features to make finding someone you want to date as easy as possible.

When someone is pretending to be someone they’re not, it’s a major red flag if their English is poor and broken. ..

If you are communicating in a language other than English, you should use the same principle as when communicating in English.

What To Do About It

If you’re concerned about someone’s language use, it’s best to just be cautious. If you have a concern about someone, it might not be the best idea to bring it up with them directly - especially if their language use is inconsistent or questionable. ..

Can you tell me more about your language skills?

Elaborate Sob Stories

Online dating scammers often use elaborate sob stories to reel in potential victims. They may claim that their dog is sick, their mother needs cancer treatment, or they are about to be evicted. ..

This is a story about people who are in love and the lengths they go to to try and save each other. They are desperate and have begged for help multiple times, but so far no one has been willing to listen. They really do love each other and want to help, but they just don’t know how.

The request for ever-escalating amounts of money is soon to follow.

What To Do About It

Most people with a healthy sense of humor will smell something fishy when the stories of dramatic tragedy start rolling in. Whether the story is true or not, it’s not your responsibility to fix it.

You can offer advice, but never offer money. It’s especially nasty if there’s an implication of quid pro quo, but that’s a matter for your own moral compass.

Excuses, Excuses, Excuses

But what about the people who fall for these scams? What do they do when they’re scammed? Well, some people might try to report the scam to the police or financial institutions. Others might just delete their dating account or stop using online dating altogether. And a few might even choose to fight back, using whatever resources they have at their disposal - like social media or legal representation - in order to protect themselves from further harm.

Since they are not a real person, anything you ask for that would be trivial for a real person to do is something they have to avoid. Want to have a video call? They’ll find a reason why they can’t. Want to fly out to meet them to call their bluff? They probably won’t agree unless they’ve already fleeced enough from you for the scam to end. ..

The scammer will try to keep you at a distance by trying to use deceptive tactics. This will make it difficult for you to identify them and report the scam.

What To Do About It

If you’re not getting the response you’re hoping for from your requests for a meeting or a Skype call, it might be best to end things. Even if it was never a scam.

A relationship that is only open to the camera is a major red flag.

Escalating Desperation

The online dating scammer will use any means possible to get your money. They may try to convince you that they are a friend or family member, or that they can help you find a new partner. If you don’t want to give them money, they may try to convince you that they can help you find someone who will.

Eventually, you’ll have the other person begging you for help, questioning your self-image as a good person. They will not shy away from hurting you emotionally for a few bucks. In fact, the more distraught they can make you through your empathy the less likely you’ll be to stop and think.

What To Do About It

If you have been scammed, the best thing to do is put time and distance between yourself and the scammer. ..

Take a break from the news and go for a walk to clear your head. When you’re under pressure, people tend to make decisions without thinking. So take some time for yourself and relax, then come back and make an informed decision based on facts. ..

Forcing You To a Different Service

They are trying to get you to give them access to your personal information, like your social media passwords or contact information. If you don’t give them this information, they can’t scam you and you won’t be at risk of being scammed in the future.

It’s important that they control as many of the variables in your conversation as possible. If the person is strangely insistent that you move away from the platform where you met, be suspicious.

What To Do About It

Don’t give up control of the conversation to the other person. If they won’t meet you halfway, then you don’t have any reason to keep talking. ..

Some online dating scammers may try to get you to click on a scam link in order to make money. This could include trying to sell you something, or asking for your personal information. If you do not want to be scammed, be careful about clicking on any links that look like they might lead to a scam.

If you’re dating someone online, be very careful about what links they send you. It’s possible that they’re sending you a phishing link or a malware download, and you’ll end up losing money or your computer. If your date really wants you to click on a link, ask them to send it to you in a text message instead. ..

What To Do About It

The standard cybersecurity rules are to not click on links you don’t know and trust, not to download and run files you don’t know the provenance of, and not to type sensitive or personal information into any forms found through these links.

Supermodel Photos

If you’re going out with someone you’ve never met, it’s important to be honest about your online dating history. If you have a history of being online with people who are not your type, it could be a red flag.

Some scammers might even create a fake profile using the stolen photos of another person. This way, they can start sending messages to people without getting caught. ..

What To Do About It

If you’re looking for a photo of a person, the easiest thing to do is simply run a reverse image search on the photo in question and see if it comes up somewhere else.

Thinking With Your Head, Not Your Heart

Advertisers know that humans are emotional creatures and they use this to their advantage in order to sell products or donate to causes. They focus on making you feel something, whether it’s hot under the collar or sad and sympathetic. This is why adverts are so effective at getting people to buy products or donate to causes.

When it comes to online relationships, it’s important to maintain some degree of distance between yourself and your feelings. This is because scammers are using the same playbook, but don’t even offer something in return for your cash, time and emotional investment. ..

Don’t let your relationship with someone you’ve met online become a criminal act. Until you’re physically present together, the relationship isn’t concrete. Plenty of people are finding love online, but you need to be the one hooking a good catch, not the one getting hooked by a criminal. ..