The Scam Alert Blog

Internet Dating Fraud
By Fabiola Castillo

If you fall for one of these internet dating scams, you could end up with a broken heart and pocketbook.

Searching for a soul mate on the internet has become very popular these last few years. Services such as eHarmony.com, Yahoo! Personals, and many others like them have millions of users who post personals advertisements in the hopes of meeting their spouse to be. There are dozens of success stories, and we all know of somebody who has married their significant other whom they met online. Such success stories like these have encouraged many others to turn to online dating which used to be something people scoffed at during the early days of the internet. It is unfortunate that online dating also has its dark side. Somebody placing their personals advertisement on the web can be an easy victim for both professional con artists and internet predators. Both use similar techniques if not the same to entice unsuspecting hearts into a web of deception.

A good scam artist will take his or her time to sway you to complacency. In reality, they are talking with numerous other people at the same time, and they are very skilled at what they do since they improve their methods regularly. At first glance, it may be very hard to discern a scam artist from somebody showing genuine affection but eventually the perpetrators play the scam card. That is when you should start thinking with your brain and not with your heart.

I would love to meet but I can’t right now

It is logical meeting face to face somebody with whom you fell in love on the internet if they have not raised any of your suspicions. A relationship can not be taken to the next level without some human interaction. This is also a perfect opportunity to play his scam card. A scam artist will tell you that they would love to meet face to face but does not have enough money for the trip. This is when they request that you send them the money to buy their plane ticket if you have not suggested it yourself. This happens all the time. A better plan might be for you to visit them instead to gauge their reaction. Sending money especially to somebody overseas is a very bad idea. Not doing so may force your significant other to turn elsewhere but it is more likely to cost you every dime you sent to this person.

I’ve been hospitalized and can’t afford a day’s stay

Another trick used to part internet lovers from their money is the old “I’ve been hospitalized” scam. Your significant other may suddenly give you some bad news by telling you they have been hospitalized. Hearing that your soul mate needs medical care but can not afford it can be very emotionally draining. An expert scammer is well aware of this. Be cautious of anybody you have met on the internet telling you that they need money from you to pay their medical bills. It may be difficult to deny this request but doing so may quickly disclose your lover’s ulterior motives.

Mail Order Bride Scams

Mail order bride scams usually begin with an unsolicited e-mail saying that somebody has read your online profile and has shown interest. At first glance, these e-mails seem genuine. Everybody and their grandmother have online profiles and guess what? They are all interesting. What is surprising is that we get very few of these responses to our profiles. In reality, the e-mail is generic and can be used toward just about anybody. There are crooked people out there sending these e-mails to thousands of recipients. Spam is what this is called. Reply to one, and you will get them same old story. The young lady will sound very nice and sincere. She may be a cashier or teacher, and she will always be leading a difficult life. If you continue to correspond, there will be some sudden outpouring declaration of love and affection. Shortly thereafter, there will be requests for money to either help support her since jobs opportunities are very small in her country, or she will want funds for a travel VISA so that she can visit you. If that does not work, she will need money for continuing use of the internet, food, or even a small operation you can help finance. The moment you send her money, she will have won her con game against you. She will continue to ask for more money until you are tapped out. Think of her as a trash can into where you keep dumping your hard earned money, and you may never even meet her. In fact, she may already be married to somebody else and is only using you to help support her spouse and family. It is your money and NOT your heart that she is after.

Prisoner Personals Scam

It is a fact that convicted felons can now post their profiles on websites. Some of these perps are sex offenders or rapists. How are they allowed to do this? There are agencies with their own websites that allow convicts to send their profiles to them via U.S. Postal Service, and they post their profiles online for them. Agencies that post these profiles on behalf of the prisoners do not have to disclose what the nature of their crime is. Such agencies will only tell you that these prisoners are in for some non-violent crime. If you answer an online prisoner personal, you should seriously consider delving into the perpetrator’s criminal past rather than just believing what is posted on the agencies’ websites.

There are many forms of internet fraud going on nowadays. It is up to you to educate yourself on what is or is not legitimate. Hopefully, our advice will minimize your chances of becoming a victim of the crime of internet fraud.

Fabiola Castillo is an online marketer for the website NinjaCOPS.com This webstore specializes in selling pepper spray, Taser guns, nunchaku, kubatons, stun guns, and many other personal defense products.

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