Recently staying safe online is completely about knowing what to look for. Although online dating can be a lot of fun and excitement, while you’re putting yourself out there and meeting new people it’s important to keep in mind that everyone isn’t always what they seem. You may come across some scam Facebook profiles without even suspecting this account is simply forged.
The sad truth is that online scammers purposefully choose people on the dating sites because they know that lonely people are more likely to make instant decisions and throw caution to the wind when feelings and emotions overpower the common sense. So how can we stay safe online?
Though most dating sites take measures to protect their clients, in any case, your online safety is primarily in your hands. While meeting people via the dating websites or social networks, keep an eye out for the following 10 common scammer behaviors and report them right away. Once you’re in the know, the power is in your hands.
A great deal of online scammers come from other countries or claim to be residing in a foreign country. Be sure if the story someone tells doesn’t match the location or information in his profile, it is probably one of those rascals.
First of all, we don't recommend calling a person you’ve met online without having met him personally first. But if you feel okay about it, if your phone identifies the caller’s number and you return the calls but the number is pretty rarely answered or often readdress to voicemail, you’re probably dealing with a scammer. There are a number of services where you can get a phone number deciphered within seconds. Furthermore, if he is supposedly overseas on a business trip and he gives you his foreign number and tells to call any time, it is more likely his real number.
While some scammers compose long sophisticated stories with dozens of details to gain your trust, other swindlers prefer to keep the conversation blurred. Instead of answering questions about his life, the scammer will try to make you talk about yourself or just speak about abstract emotions.
He sends messages full of love and touching words, as if the citations were copy-pasted out of a romantic novel. You may be unaware of how frequently fake flattery is applied. He has just met you (basically, seen your profile), so how can he make sincere compliments? Sometimes it can be exciting to feel close to someone so quickly, especially when you’ve been searching for a serious relationship for a while, but be attentive if your online friend starts opening his heart to you too fast. Scammers will push for a serious relationship without getting to know you or meeting in person first.
“I love you” is a statement that each and every one desires to hear, but how can you know if it is for real? Online fraudsters tell you they love you before they have ever met you in person. Just think about it: how do you know if there is real charisma involved there? Some people can sound sweet in the chat, but when you meet them there is nothing inside or, physically they just don't match your standards. How can someone honestly love you before having met you in person?
Remember to never reveal your financial situation to someone you’ve just met on an online dating site or app. Sounds simple and obvious, right? Well, it may seem like common sense to keep your information to yourself, but scammers are almost always quite convincing. If someone asks you to help pay for flight transfer so he can come meet you, it may be alluring to hand your information over. Never do it. Asking for money to visit you is a standard story used by many online scammers.
Maybe you’ve noticed the person you are chatting with has a hard time following the flow of the conversation? He may be forgetting about things you’ve said a few minutes ago or only speak about general topics? Many scammers work from a script and are texting to many people at once so their messages are disjointed and weird at times. If responds to your messages seem off-topic you could be dealing with a potential scammer.
When you’re online dating, photos are basically as important as textual sense, so if you’re talking with a person who only posted a few or just one pics, your inner alarm system should be going off. Talking of the Facebook profile scams, perhaps you’ve heard of some West African scammers using the photos of the US Army general William Caldwell while texting to lonely women from all around the world. A perfect dating scam profile example, don’t you think so? If it is just one photo, usually it’s of a handsome young man. This isn’t to say every photo of a handsome young man is lime, but online dating scammers tend to target divorced women, often older women.
You can always try to bring that person down in a manner of a game. Send a selfie and ask for an exchange right at the moment. You may also upload a photo into Google’s image search and see if it shows up somewhere else (a stock photo storage, for instance).
The end goal of online dating is to select someone you like, text him/her and get offline ASAP. When the person you’re chatting with constantly has an excuse for why he can’t meet up personally, you should already be suspicious. He is either not really into you or he isn’t who he pretends to be and is trying to fool you.
The vast majority of online dating scams involve someone who claims to be on a different continent, so it makes sense that it would take a while to meet up on a real-life date, right? However, this is their main reason for why you should send them money. Another point to consider is why would they be searching for someone outside of their own country as well as why would they do so if they can’t afford to get there in the first place?Let’s be honest, we all can miss commas and make a typo here and there, but if a dating profile or letter consists of 90% mistakes, that is a solid cause for an eyebrow raise. A great number of dating scammers are from distant countries, so keep an eye out for a lot of broken English and weird word choices. It’s also worth copying and pasting a few of their sentences into Google to see if they are actually stolen from someone else or another site.
Another side of the "I love you" dating scam is when he says something like "I heard my inner voice tell me that you’ll be my wife" or "I think I’ve found my true soul mate". Again, you haven’t even spoken to that person face-to-face and there hasn't been enough time to know you well enough to truly love you in the way you wish to be loved. How can someone wish to devote the rest of his life to you when he's known you for less than an hour?
To crown it all, always be smart and cautious about finding a life partner on the Web. If a person you’ve found can’t meet you due to some cloudy reasons within the first two - three weeks of online chatting, then he isn't the person you expect him to be. If he's rushing things insistently demonstrating his love, he's not the right match for you. If he falls for you before actually seeing you, he's not for you. Sometimes ask yourself how desperate you are. The more desperate you are to find someone, the easier it is for you to become a prey in the swindler's paws.
The facts given above may appear pretty depressing, but don’t let them drive you down. If you assume that someone you’re talking to may be a scammer, break up all your communications immediately and report that person. When you’re excited about somebody and about to start developing feelings, it can be easy and natural to want to do anything you’re asked to do. Yet, it’s important to stay safe. Keep an eye out for these signs, try to learn more about someone before getting close and protect yourself and your confidential information.
In addition, try to choose some verified dating services. For example, you can never find the results neither like “romancompass scam”, nor “romance compass scam” on Google (romancecompass is not a scam, believe it). You can also search for match com scam profiles and you’ll see it’s a pretty decent dating resource too.