Whether you can admit it or not, a lot of us would want nothing more than to find that special someone. Yes, the idea of getting married and living happily ever after seems very appealing. And there are still some of us out here that are looking for that one true love to be in our life (whether it be a man, a woman, or both).
Online dating is no longer one of those things that’s been stigmatized. Over the years, more people have been able to find the love of their life thru online dating sites like Match.com, eHarmony, OKCupid, Tagged, and many others. However, online dating sites are also a hotbed for scammers to come in and extract as much money from you as possible. And sadly, this is done pretty much every single day.
By making yourself aware that such scams exist (after reading this article), you’ll know how to recognize a dating scammers profile in the future. Even if you’re already corresponding with someone, it’s always important to do your due diligence to see if they are the real deal. In this article, we’re going to talk about what online dating scams are, how they work, and what you need to do in order to protect yourself.
The History Of Online Dating:
If you really want to know the history of online dating, you’ll need to go back as far as the 1950s. No, that is not a typo. Some scientists began using an IBM 650 and programmed a questionnaire to match 49 men, with 49 women. Back then, no scammy love matches were even heard of. So when exactly did these online dating scams take place?
We can only date this back as far as the infancy of the Internet. In 1995, Match.com was the first ever online dating website. Over the years, more of them came along in the form of Plenty of Fish, OKCupid, eHarmony, JDate, Tagged, and many others. Even today, there are a few other niche dating sites that focus on interests, race, and even political preferences.
It’s not exactly known when online dating scams became prominent. But we can most definitely bet that dating scams have started to become more visible around the time when the Internet was reaching it’s peak.
How These Online Dating Scammers Works:
Typically, a scammer will often message you first. You receive a message and it appears to be from someone who the average person would definitely consider attractive. They may even seem to be out of your league. It may not be typical for a man/women who really isn’t average in height, weight, his/her looks, to receive a random message from some woman or man, who might seem to be a dead ringer for a supermodel.
Bear in mind, women and men do have their preferences in what they are looking for in a man/women (height being one of the biggest factors). For men, they obviously have their preferences as well. But we’ll let you be the judge of what that might be.
So, you receive a message that comes with a ton of compliments and what not. Some scammers will be straightforward and ask you for money right from the jump. However, some scammers will often “slow cook” you, before they ask you the big question. When we say “slow cook”, we mean taking the time to build a relationship with you.
So what the scammer will mainly aim to do, is contact you on the regular basis. They’ll be aiming to build as much trust, passion, and comfort in you, until they got you mentally. In other words, they’ll be trying to speak as much as what you might want to hear (knowing your looking for real love), until your convinced they really care about you, and there’s really a relationship.
Once there is enough trust and comfort established between the both of you, that’s when they’ll fabricate some kind of excuse or story, that will set off an alarm within your conscience saying “you’ve got to help this person”. But in reality, what they’re trying to do, is get you to comply with their “desperate need” for money. This could be a medical situation involving themselves, or a “close” member of their family. Something that will automatically get you to be nice enough to open your wallet.
They will continue to pull this stunt for as you let them. And unfortunately, this has landed a lot of people into deep financial trouble. And the last thing we want to happen, is for your to become the next victim. With that said, read on so you’ll know what to look out for, and how you can protect yourself from becoming the next victim to this type of scam.
How To Protect Yourself From Online Scams:
Keep in mind that these scammy profiles are usually hidden in plain sight. They’ll blend in with the ones that are real dating profiles. However, you’ll be able to know which ones are real compared to those that are not. The following details are some preventative measures that you should take in case your contacted by a potential dating scam artist:
Is It A Real Person?:
One of the more common scenarios for an average dating profile, is that there are multiple pictures included in that daters profile. Normally atleast 15 pictures. These pictures can be of themselves at home, out and about with friends, or in places that they have traveled. However, some scammers can do this as well. One of the things you should do is do a “reverse image” search. This will determine whether or not they are using stock photos of a model, or if they’re stealing photos from modeling websites (and cutting out the water marks).
Location, Location, Location:
A scammer may claim to be someone who is in another country for “working” purposes. Some may even claim to be in the military, and currently on deployment. Both of these statements should set off red flags in your mind. Usually, a real dating profile will be either in your local area, or in an area of your preferred choosing, that was already pre-chosen.
They Profess Their Love For You, A Little Too Early:
One of the biggest mistakes we make as human beings, is saying “I love you” way too early in the relationship. Of course, if it’s coming from someone you’ve known for a while, since you were a child, or all your life, would be considered normal. But if it’s from someone who has never known you, or met you in person, then this should set off another red flag in your mind. This is a tactic commonly used when being taken through the “slow cooking” process by a dating scam thief.
They Ask For Money For An “Urgent” Situation:
As we’ve stated earlier, there will come a time when something will come up when the scammer will need the money. This could be for a sick relative, or some other fabricated situation like not having enough money for a simple plane ticket. Under any circumstances should you ever send money to someone over the Internet, that you’ve just met thru a dating website.
And most definitely never give out any banking account information! This would include routing numbers, credit and debit card information. And if your potential date lives long distance, chances are they should pay for their own expenses to come see you. If they ask for money, this most likely should be a cause for concern.
My Conclusion For Online Dating Scams:
While many people have found success using online dating websites, some have found failure in the worst way. It is alway important to stay alert and be aware of potential fake profiles, if you decide to use an online dating service. Remember to protect yourself at all times, especially if you are about to meet a person for the very first time offline. As always, never under any circumstances give out any information that pertains to your identity or finances. Especially when it comes down to a stranger you’ve just met from the Internet. It’s never a such thing as being overly cautious.
Do you have any experience with being scammed by a fake online dater? Do you have any questions concerning this scam review? If you do, please leave your comments or questions below, and I will be more than happy to get back to you. Thanks again for checking out my post, and good luck with your success online..
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