7 Tips on How to Not Fall Victim to an Online Dating Scammer

Not only do they steal our hearts but also our money. Dating scams are big business, victims are chosen carefully and a plethora of psychological tricks are used. They cloud your mind by showing “love and adoration” every second. Besides, your phone number or even age can turn into a manipulation tool.

No matter how your story develops, it always has only one ending — asking for money. The consequences of this bad romance can indeed be horrifying.

Bright Side is here to help you spot a scammer and protect your love life from regret.

1. Check their age.

As a rule, dating scammers target older people. It’s not uncommon to see a middle-aged man or woman looking for an elderly partner. This age group is believed to be not only wealthier but also more vulnerable to fraud. If you got a message from a much younger person, get ready to be asked for money or, worst-case scenario, even bullied into giving it.

2. Beware of sudden proclamations of love.

If your partner claims great love for you, although you’ve only known each other for a week, that’s a big red flag. This behavior is typical of dating scammers. First, they instantly fall in love with you and as soon as your senses are dulled (especially your common sense) they ask you for your personal information. Later they will use it to blackmail you or even your family.

3. Don’t give in to their plea for financial help.

Dating scammers hide their true intentions so skillfully it’s hard to refuse to help them, especially if you’re sensitive. They might plan to come to your country to marry you but all of a sudden some kind of tragedy happens and now it’s your turn to “prove your love” by sending them some money. There are also other complicated tricks scammers use. For example, they ask you to set up a new bank account to wire money out of the country.

4. Check their profile picture.

Scammers steal photos from innocent people from social media or even modeling websites. Pretty often they use high-quality pictures. Luckily, it’s easy to check the photo for duplicates. Just upload their profile picture to Google Images and see whether it’s been used before.

5. Pay attention to their grammar.

It’s common for dating scammers to have bad grammar. Especially if they pretend to have, say, the highest doctoral degree. It’s suspicious if the only words your partner seems to know are “baby” and “ok.” If your partner pretends to be a native speaker, yet, makes lots of mistakes — you’d better run.

6. Don’t get off dating sites.

Scammers will try to get you off the dating website by any means possible. They often ask for your phone number and as soon as you give it, they add you to their database. Later you get unwanted spam or even advertisement calls. They often go for Skype or WhatsApp.

Do not give them your email address or any other information that can identify you.

7. Ask them out on a date.

Take the initiative and ask them out. This is where you’ll be able to identify a scammer. As a rule, they either ask you for money to buy tickets or find excuses. In any case, your date will never happen.

Have you ever met a dating scammer? Do you believe it’s possible to find true love on dating sites?

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