Online
Dating SCAMS
Copyright
(C) 2006 Elena Solomon, author of 12
Simple Rules
Before
you even think about online dating, you must know about dating scams. This
is serious: if you get too deeply involved, a dating scam can significantly hurt
not only your heart, but your finances, too. Make
sure you know how to protect yourself from fraud when using dating sites! Internet
personals, online introduction agencies and matchmaking sites allow anyone to
join for free, and they usually do not screen their members. It means you never
know who is behind this pretty photo: a real beautiful woman or a con artist who
downloaded a photo of an unknown model from the Internet. There
are four types of online dating scams: 1.
Prostitute scam;
2. Phone scam;
3. Travel scam;
4. Nigerian postal
scam. Let me
tell you more about these scams.
------------
1. Prostitute scam Prostitutes
are straightforward: they place profiles on dating sites to solicit business.
Such profiles are usually easily recognized by sleazy user names and steamy self-descriptions.
They don't waste time letting you know what they are after. 2.
Phone scam This
is the variation of the old phone scam: the person asks you to call them, and
when you do, you get a bill in the mail for hundreds of dollars (1900 number). 3.
Travel scam The
person resides overseas and asks you to help them with travel expenses to visit
you. 4. Nigerian
postal scam The
person pretends to be a relative of a diseased government official who asks for
your help in a financial transaction.
------------
So, how can you protect
yourself from being taken by Internet con artists using online personals to reach
their victims? Here
is the simple guidance that will make your use of online dating sites safe and
secure. First,
when you view a profile, look out for the things like a sleazy user name, especially
if it's a woman: guys cannot stop thinking about sex 24/7 (and it's normal) -
but women normally don't do it. Sincere women don't choose user names like "the_sweetest_sin",
"ms_right_now" etc. Second,
read what the profile says: people milking others for money will say something
vague that can fit anyone. Third,
look at the photos: gorgeous professional photos in combination with vague profile
almost always mean trouble. People with beautiful photos receive LOTS of mail,
so they become VERY selective and include many requirements in their profiles
(especially women). Basically,
any woman who talks about loving sex and experimenting in bed is most likely not
for real. Any
man who talks about being a millionaire isn't for real either. It
doesn't mean there are no women who love sex and experimenting in bed or millionaires
on the site - they just DO NOT talk about that in their profiles. And
any person who does, is a liar. Simple. Another
HUGE warning is overseas profiles. Often people would list their location as being
local and when you start talking to them, they reveal they are from overseas (Niger.ia,
Russia, etc). Such
profiles should be treated as potential scams - always. If
the location in the personal profile doesn't match what the person says about
him/herself, my advice is to drop it altogether and don't waste your time. If
you decide to proceed, do it for entertainment purposes only and don't get emotionally
attached. What
will happen, sooner or later you will get a money request in some form - they
need money for a sick relative, they want to visit you and need money for tickets,
etc - whatever the reason, there WILL be a money request. When
this happens, you can play along and have some fun, asking for instructions and
promising to send them money - just don't actually SEND it. If
you do, there are two variants: they will disappear or ask for MORE money (hey,
if you were so stupid to send it once, why not try again!) - and keep asking for
more money until you stop sending it. Don't
even HOPE this is for real.
Because it's NOT. You
may want to believe it is, but better believe ME: I am a real person and you can
ring me and have a chat with me. With those people, you can't. So,
who would you choose to believe: me, who tells you this is a scam - or them, who
ask you for money (which you can NEVER recover)? I
work in online dating since 1999 - I KNOW. Trust
me on that. Long
distance + request for money = SCAM. Forget
any sweet stories you've heard in between - and any sweet pictures, too. Most
likely, the pics are downloaded from the Net and belong to some model. (Hey, there
were even scammers using MY OWN pictures! ;-)) Guys
are more vulnerable to this one than girls: I have never heard about a woman who
wired thousands of $$$ to some guy to come and visit her - but the Internet is
PLASTERED with stories of men sending money to their non-existing female admirers. How
wonderful... this perfect female specimen cannot wait to get hold of your zip
and provide you with the greatest pleasure you ever experienced!! OF COURSE she
sincerely loves you and is different from any woman you met before (and probably
a couple of generations younger than you as well). C'mon
mate: those perfect Playboy-type exemplars dying to try your new sheets exist
only in the virtual reality of your correspondence. They
are as real as Santa Claus or Niger.ian millions. You know this one: you get a
mail from a relative of a deceased top government official who begs your assistance
in transferring large sums of money (stolen from the country's people obviously)
- and easily promising to give you a few millions if you simply allow them to
use your bank account. The people may list themselves as being from Nigeria, or
any other African country. This
one is as clear as daylight, so if anyone starts talking about money transfers,
honesty and trust, simply BLOCK them. Remember
the formula: Long
distance + request for money = SCAM. I
hope this article will help you protect yourself from dating scams and you will
only meet honest, sincere and genuine singles from now on. Happy
hunting! :-))
ABOUT
THE AUTHOR: 
Elena Solomon is a dating coach.
Her
latest book "12
Simple Rules" became #1 'Love & Romance' bestseller in the leading
ebook distribution service in just ONE WEEK after the release. It shows you EXACTLY
how you can utilize the natural laws of attraction and our in-built sexual strategies
to win in the game of love. A special part in the book is devoted to online dating. Another
book by this autor.
ANTI-SCAM
GUIDE Met a Russian woman over the Internet? - Thinking about finding
a Russian wife? - Russian woman wrote to you? - Don't move any further until you
read The Complete, No-nonsense ANTI-SCAM GUIDE For Men Seeking A Russian Wife.
Too many men were caught up in a scam and lost great deal of money - want to be
one of them? Ensure your safety and peace of mind - read once and forget about
scammers forever. | 