Avoid Relationship Scams Online: Modern Dating Done Right
Learn to spot relationship scams online to protect yourself while looking for love in the modern age.
Technology makes a lot of things easier in everybody’s lives, but it has also introduced new challenges.
When it comes to dating, you can now use the internet to meet people and even fall in love. You don’t always have to sacrifice a lot of time and resources just to make meaningful connections.
However, the internet can also be used to take advantage of others. There are operators of illegal activities that run relationship scams online, making it important for you to be smart about how you use modern technology in dating.
About Dating Fraud
Dating fraud or online dating scams refer to illegal schemes that target people who use the internet to meet potential romantic partners.
Some pose as a fellow single person looking for love only to extort money from their victims. There are also those who use malware to steal personal information and access financial data.
In a paper about online dating fraud that was presented at the 2022 International Conference on Recent Trends in Microelectronics, Automation, Computing and Communications Systems (ICMACC), it was highlighted that online dating platforms serve as some of the most convenient ways for fraudsters to hide their identities and prey on victims.
Using the internet, they can hide who they are by lying about their age and appearance. They also have the freedom to project a completely different persona that’s tailored to their targets. Because there are millions of users online, it’s difficult to track these scam operators or even regulate the platforms they use.
Is Scamming a Crime?
Any kind of online fraudulent activity typically falls under the term online scamming.
In the United States, online scams are usually prosecuted as wire fraud, which is a federal crime that involves tricking people into sharing sensitive information or sending money through the use of electronic communication.
Wire fraud has serious penalties, with 20 years in prison as the maximum sentence.
When someone is convicted of operating relationship scams online, the court looks into several factors, including the amount of money defrauded and the suspect’s criminal history.
What Does a Romance Scammer Look Like?
Since the internet makes it easy to maintain anonymity, it’s often difficult to prevent and identify dating scams.
For most people who go online to meet and get to know someone they like, verifying the identity of the person they’re talking to can be challenging.
A common assumption is that images depicting conventionally attractive individuals are “too good to be true” and therefore must be a red flag. If someone refuses to send you multiple photos of themselves or do a video call, it’s also considered a sign that they don’t have genuine intentions.
Although these are common ways to test a person you meet online, they’re still not a hundred percent accurate.
Unfortunately, you won’t always know a romance scammer by physical appearance alone. It’s also important to learn about their usual tactics and modus operandi.
It may not be easy, but there are plenty of ways to successfully identify operators of online dating fraud.
Romance Scams: Popular Examples
Catfishing and Fake Dating Services
Fraud is typically built on false pretenses. When it comes to relationship scams online, most operators lure their victims by pretending to be something they’re not.
Through catfishing, for example, a fraudster uses a fabricated persona to connect with their targets.
They use photos that were either computer-generated or stolen from real people. They also share fake details about who they are in order to create an appealing character that they use for their crimes.
For organized scam operations, it’s also common to create websites promoting fake dating services. These platforms can be patterned after legitimate dating companies, but instead of actual benefits, their aim is to compromise your data and steal money.
Financial Requests
Since the end goal of most scams is monetary gain, a lot of dating fraud schemes involve some kind of financial request.
Some fraudsters will pretend to be suffering from health problems and ask you to lend them some money. Others will also tell you that they need funds for transportation if you decide to meet each other in person.
The idea is to get your trust even after just a short amount of time so you are sympathetic to their situation and don’t hesitate to send them money.
Sweetheart Scams
People who are looking for love online are, in many ways, making themselves emotionally vulnerable in order to build a special connection with someone.
As a result, they can be easy targets for manipulation.
While the specific methods tend to vary, the idea of a sweetheart scam is for the fraudster to make their targets fall in love with them, making their victims ripe for extortion.
While generally considered a “long con” that takes a lot of time to establish, many scam operators use techniques like love bombing to speed up the process.
How to Know if Someone Is Scamming You
In the end, the best way to successfully avoid relationship scams online is by identifying early warning signs that someone is trying to run a dating scam on you.
They ask you for money.
If the person you just met online starts asking you for money, then that’s a huge red flag that you should take seriously.
Yes, it’s possible that they genuinely have medical or university bills to pay, but to ask a relative stranger on the internet is still suspicious.
If you really want to help, you can suggest other ways to secure funds without giving them money yourself. If they continue to insist and start treating you poorly because you refuse to give in, then you’re better off ceasing all contact right away.
They refuse to verify their identity.
Another sign that someone wants to scam you online is if they can’t prove to you that they are who they say they are.
Granted, it’s not always safe to share details of your identity on the internet, but if the person you’re talking to doesn’t seem interested in getting to know you in a meaningful way, then you have the right to be vigilant.
Other signs of fake personas include inconsistent information, lack of quality photos, and refusal to do phone conversations or video calls.
They contacted you through unreliable platforms.
If you meet someone through suspicious websites with no track record to speak of, there’s a good chance that they are part of a fraudulent scheme. Until you can confirm their identity, you have to be on guard in your interactions.
However, just because there are plenty of relationship scams online doesn’t mean there are no platforms that offer legitimate dating services.
The key is to do your research and use only reliable websites and companies with years of experience. These platforms have professional staff who will assist you every step of the way, and your personal information will be treated with the utmost confidentiality.
References
Bharne, Smita, and Pawan Bhaladhare. 2022. Investigating Online Dating Fraud: An Extensive Review and Analysis. N.p.: International Conference on Recent Trends in Microelectronics, Automation, Computing and Communications Systems (ICMACC). https://www.researchgate.net/publication/370078734InvestigatingOnlineDatingFraudAnExtensiveReviewandAnalysis.