Don’t Get Hooked in: Online Dating Scams
by William Smith
Looking for Love? Sure. But where? Online Dating sites have been so popular for so long. It makes sense to meet hundreds of people in a short time in the coziness of your own home instead of meeting guys in various venues . It can save time and money. So where does the online dating scams fall into this ?
There are some scammers out there on the other side waiting just for you. They are looking at the profiles of women that are the ages of 40 and up . Most Internet scammers operate and are concentrated in countries like Australia, Russia, the Ukraine, Malaysia, the Philippines, Nigeria, Ghana, the UK and South Africa. Not all men from these countries are guilty of scamming but a majority of incidences have been reported from these locations to make one pause before getting involved . Their objective is to hook you in and get cash and more.
These are the immediate signs of a scammer:
- They focus on 40+ females. They figure they are lonely and lack confidence in themselves in finding someone.
- There is usually a 20 year difference in age.
- They may say they are living in the USA originally on their profile but all of a sudden have to go to the UK or Africa, etc. due to a problem like a job transfer, parents sick, etc.
- He says he is looking for a woman who is trustworthy in his profile.
- He wants to immediately know about your life especially what you do for a living, and do you live alone. He wants your phone number and your personal email address and your maybe your home address.
- He wants you to leave the secured dating site and chat by emails and even texting by phone. He will ask you for your email address within an hour of chatting with him on the dating website. He wants to avoid getting deleted or blocked. The more he can find out about you, the better. Do not give him your phone number. If you feel compelled to get to know him, then ask for his number. Google the area code. Most likely it is in a foreign land.
The relationship will build really fast. He will call you his love and his boyfriend in just days.
You may get an email from him and it will be missing your name or contain someone elses. It feels and sounds like a form letter. In the letter, he may even say he is looking for the perfect girl.
- There will be a very limited amount of pictures of him. He looks like a model . If it is too good to be true, it usually is . Most pictures are never in casual environments but done in a studio or photo shopped.
- He will come up with excuses of why he cannot use webcam. Web cam is available in all countries especially at internet cafes.
The scammer talks a lot about honesty and trust.
An actual real example demonstrates this:
“I am looking for someone honest and truthful to chat and see how it goes. I am not into games. I am very honest and truthful and I want someone the same.”
The hook of getting the money goes like this:
- He may need money in order to purchase a web cam to finally see his love.
or
- The mother and father died years ago. He is taking care of his sister. The sister and him are in near poverty. His sister becomes sick. He needs help for her medicine.
or
- He has been robbed. He is staying with friends. They are mean to him. They are treating him like dirt. He needs to be with his love (you).
or
- He wants to visit you but he needs money for a visa and travel. He will pay you once he gets a job in the states. You send him money. When he is planning to leave go and see you, there will be a problem at the port with customs. He needs more money. The custom agent may actually call you and talk to you. The scammer ( your lover) will be in the distance begging you to send him money.
The money will be wired transferred from western union or money gram by you to him. He may even be brazen to ask for your checking account and that he can get the money out of convenience for you because he knows a way how. The scammer keeps asking for money until you can’t afford or the fraud is perceived.
If you do not send the money or more money, he will get angry and say all women are alike. He will say he is heart-broken and that he trusted you. Why, he exclaims, don’t you trust him? ( There is that word “Trust “again) Do not feel sorry for him because he is trying to hook you back in.
If you tell him, your friends that he is scamming you, he will say they are just jealous of you .
He will attempt to contact you maybe two more times and then he will go away and find his next victim.
If you tell him, you lost your job. Don’t find anything sympathy from him. You will never hear from him again . It is nearly guaranteed.
I hope this article helps you. The dating sites are fun to go on. Utilize dating sites as one source of meeting good men.
Just beware of the scammers. If you have seen some of these guys try to target you on the dating sites, do not get down on yourself or feel you are a loser ….they are targeting anyone that is 40 +. Just block the person and report it. Don’t take it personal! Again, not every guy in these countries is guilty of scamming but you must pause and concentrate on what he is saying to you. Focus on the words and does it make sense for someone you just met on the internet to call you his girlfriend?
Don’t get hooked in and keep on aging forward with resiliency!
UPDATE
People using dating sites to scam women are saying they are military men stationed in Afghanistan or else where in the middle east. The scammers are using stolen photos of a real American soldier he has never met. His entire goal is to form a fake relationship in order to steal your money.
The scammer approaches you on a dating site and says he lives in California but he is stationed over there with the military. He says the only way he can talk on the phone is if I write to his commander and he will give you an email address such as a.usarmy@consultant.com . He says he needs you to write to them and ask them if you can have him contact you on your cell phone. He will tell you there might be a fee. You would have to pay before you could talk to him.
0r
He will be back in November of this year and he has a daughter he got a Nanny for her while hes overseas fighting for our country. He is divorced because she cheated on him and he doesn’t have enough money to pay for the nanny.
Realize
- It is also an offence for troops to publicize details of the deployment of their units over the internet. It would also be rather bizarre to put a Combat unit in the field on a peace keeping mission.
- Single dads who are soldiers cannot just leave their child with a nanny or babysitter–they have written care plans that are reviewed by their superiors
