Wide Range of Online Dating Site Scams Are Increasing

Millions of people all around the globe use online dating apps hoping to meet a special person. In today’s society, without technology, being single and finding someone to share your life with is harder than it ever was before. Plenty have succeeded meeting their long term partner through these dating apps and websites like https://lovenet-jp.com, but unfortunately, not everybody creates a profile because they are looking for love. 

Sometimes, people think they have found the partner of their dreams only to find out down the line they have been talking with a scammer. These scammers create multiple profiles on several dating apps with fake information and fake pictures, in the hope that some naive, lonely soul will come along and take the bait. They are often very convincing, and in many cases they talk people into sending them money. 

Unfortunately, this happens everyday all around the world, and it seems that the problem is getting much worse in recent years. In 2020 there was $304 million reported in losses through romance scams in America alone. However, it is believed this figure is not that accurate because so many victims are embarrassed to contact authorities after they have been scammed. Either way, this figure is 50% higher than what it was the previous year. 

How Do Scammers Scam People?

You don’t have to be a trained rocket scientist to create a fake email address and a fake dating profile on a dating app. They are designed like this to encourage non-tech people to create accounts. However, the downside is that scammers can easily create multiple profiles in a matter of minutes. Plus, unlike other cybercriminals, romance scammers don’t need any powerful technology to get what they want. All they need is a basic smart device or computer that allows them to connect to the web. 

Most scammers aim to build up a relationship with their victim before they ask them to wire money into their account. This is a great opportunity for the scammer to build trust between them and their victim. Some scammers can spend the majority of the day chatting with their victim to show how much they care for them. Most of these scammers have been scamming people for a number of years, so they know exactly what their victim wants to hear. 

What Do Scammers Say to Extract Money From Their Victim?

Romance scammers don’t tend to have the same morals as most other human beings. They will say whatever it takes to get their victim to send their hard-earned money to their account. If you are in the online dating scene, keep an eye out for these lines:

• I need cash to pay for my mothers hospital bills

• My child is ill and needs to go to the hospital immediately

• I have problems with my bank cards and can’t access them at the moment, can you send over money and I’ll pay you back in a few days

• I am a recovered gambler and I need money to pay my old debts

• To get a visa to come and see you I need to have a lot of money in my bank account to show I can pay for myself when i arrive in your country

These are just a few of the many tales a scammer will tell their victim to try and squeeze cash out of them. Although not everybody you meet on a dating app is looking to scam people, you should be extra cautious if a person who you have never met in person asks you for money.

They rarely give their victim their personal bank details. Instead, they ask them to wire money to them, or tell them to pay for gift cards from Amazon, Steam, Google Play or iTunes. By using these payment methods, it’s much harder for authorities to find the scammer. Plus, lots of scammers manage to scam the same victim on many occasions. It can take some victims years until they have realized they have been scammed. Some people have had to remortgage their homes to pay back the money they have sent to these crooks. 

How to Avoid Getting Scammed 

Whatever anyone says to you on a dating app, don’t, under any circumstances send them money if you haven’t met them face to face, even if they have told you a thousand times how much they love you. If you think your being scammed, consider doing the following:

• Report them to the dating service: There is a chance that they are scamming others online too, so reporting them to the people behind the scenes can help stop them taking money from others.

• Stop communication immediately: These people have a way with words and most of them can easily convince their victims that they are not scammers. Once you have spotted a red flag it’s time to delete and block them from contacting them again. 

• Talk to others: Loved ones who are close to you won’t be afraid to give their honest opinion. If you tell your best friend you are about to wire money to a person you have met online, see if they think it’s a good idea first.

• Search the image that they are using: Some major search engines allow you to do a reverse image search. Scammers are known to use the same profile picture, so you might be able to catch them out this way. 

Because some scammers scam multiple people at once, keep an eye out to see if they repeat themselves or if they tell you very different stories about their past. Lying over a long period is difficult, and if you spot holes in their stories it could be a major warning sign. 

Avoid Giving too Much Personal Information Online

Unfortunately, identity theft is extremely common nowadays. It can take a person years to get their lives back after somebody gained access to their personal information. Although it might be tempting, avoid giving people you know online your personal telephone number, home address and other private information. 

Although a lot of people share intimate photographs with their lovers online, if a scammer gets his or her hands on one of these images they can use it to extort money from you. This is one of the easiest scams out there, and once they have your image they will tell you they will share it online until you have transferred money to them. The worst thing about this scam is they can keep on asking you for money until you have lost everything.

On other hand, try and find out a lot about the person you are dating online. Understand if they are reluctant to give private information, especially at the start of the relationship, but if there are a lot of inconsistencies in their stories, there is a good chance they are an imposter. 

Summary

Authorities worldwide are finding it extremely difficult to catch scammers online. Most of the time the scammers are based in different countries all around the world, and because most of them use fake information when creating an account, finding the right person is often impossible.

Scammers are often very pushy people, so if they put pressure on you to send them money immediately, it’s probably best you delete them. At the end of the day, would you tell someone you love to send money straight away to you?