Online dating is becoming more and more common as a form of dating. Many successful relationships are being started through online dating sites, as people in this fast-paced world prefer to meet people in a similar way. Although there are many success stories, more and more stories are coming to light where one party has been manipulated or deceived. These so-called “romantic scams” are on the rise, so it makes sense to be aware when meeting people. In this article, we’ll look at the biggest dangers of online dating, how to spot scammers and what you can do to stay safe.
The Most Common Online Dating Scams
Although with the advent of new technology, scammers can always come up with new ways to scam you, there are some common tricks that, at least at their base, are usually the same. These are worth keeping an eye out for:
1. Catfishing (Fake profiles)
This is one of the most common scams, where a person uses other people’s photos and details to ‘make a connection’. This is usually done by stealing pictures of models or likeable people. They try to gain the trust of their victims and use various tricks. They are usually very nice and humorous, but not always as intrusive as you might think – so it’s always worth being vigilant when meeting people. For example, if you’re already in the dating phase and have moved from online dating to another social media platform, ask for their phone number and check it out – ClarityCheck review will give you the phone number owner’s details so you can find out who might be behind the profile picture.
2. Romance Scam
These scammers build trust over the long term, able to communicate for weeks, even months. They make it seem as if everything is fine, the victim thinks they have found someone who really understands – while often these scammers even investigate the victim’s private life to pretend to be a better match. And when they feel that the victim trusts them completely, they come up with a financial question. For example, the fraudster is working abroad and asks for a small amount of money because of an emergency, such as a stolen wallet. When the first small loan is made, they ask for larger amounts over time and drag it out as long as the victim is lenient.
3. Phishing
Some scammers do not ask for money directly but try to obtain sensitive information such as bank details, personal information or passwords. This can be just as damaging as any other scammer, and in fact – we should learn once and for all that we do not share personal information with anyone that can be used against us.
4. Investment scams
There are scammers who masquerade as successful investors. They try to get you in the game, for example by offering you to invest a certain amount in crypto and they will double it for you.
Red Flags: How to spot the scammers
There are some general things that distinguish scammers from real people. Of course, this is just a generalisation, whatever information you come across, always try to check it with several sources.
These signs are usually typical of scammers:
- Too perfect a profile with a social media profile with few followers: if someone already looks almost unbelievably good and has a perfect life, but at the same time has few followers or has followers who have fake profiles (i.e. just bought followers), you are probably dealing with a scammer.
- If after a few you’re professing your love and planning a future together, it could be a warning sign that something of interest is coming from your relationship. Always be careful!
- Scammers often find excuses for why you shouldn’t meet in person – for example, they often claim to be on a military mission, working abroad or caring for a sick family member, so they can’t find time to meet. And if they do, you’ll have to travel from A to B.
- If the person you’re talking to asks for money when you’ve never met, they’re probably a scammer. Why not ask your family, friends, business partners for money if you are as successful as you tried to present yourself at the beginning? Don’t send anyone money, even if it’s the price of a cup of coffee.
- If you have repeatedly noticed that your stories are contradictory and that you change some details in your stories, this could be a tell-tale sign. You don’t know how many more people he is trying to deceive, and these scammers often can’t even remember what they lied about 2 hours ago.
