If you are
looking to find true love through the internet, you need to approach dating
sites with a lot of caution. While many
people have managed to find the perfect partners, there have also been umpteen
cases of online fraud. Dating scams are particularly difficult on an emotional
perspective because more than the financial loss suffered, its breakdown of
trust that takes a toll on the person once the scam comes to light. However, if
you are careful, this does not have to happen to you and who knows, you could
even find the person of your dreams. Just follow some of the how to avoid online fraud tips listed below.
- How to avoid online fraud tip 1
People who are
members on dating sites look to find partners who have similar tastes or they
have specific requirements which they will have included on the profile. The
dating site comes with a built in algorithm which will look to try for matches
based on the profile similarities and requirements. So scammers here will scour
the net looking for people whom they think are vulnerable and then make changes
to their own profile so that it will a match to that of their would be victims.
So if you find a match that is ninety percent or more, do not take it for
granted. Consider it just a starting step to what could be or not be the signs
of a fruitful conversation with the other person.
- How to avoid online fraud tip 2
When you strike
up a conversation, you need to first get to know the person. Who is he, what
does he do for a living, where does he stay and other related information about
his background. Look for his identity on Linked In and social media sites like Facebook
or Twitter. Scammers tend to create new profiles for dating sites which means
there might not be a corresponding FB or Linked In profile. Even if the online
profile exists, click on the profile to check and see how far back it goes, if
the profile is new or barely there, there is plausible grounds to feel a little
suspicious. While this is not a sure shot proof of online fraud, it should
raise a red flag and compel you to proceed with caution.
- How to avoid online fraud tip 3
Scammers on
dating sites like to keep conversations going with multiple people. This way,
even if one of them does not work they have other people on standby. So these
people will come across as very good listeners even if they do not happen to be
very good speakers. This might be probably because they are talking to a lot of
people at once.
Try to surprise
the caller by calling him directly on the number provided on his profile. See
if he has a discernible accent. If the guy happens to have a thick accent or if
his command over the language is not fluent, he could be from Asia, Europe or
anywhere else where English is not the second language. But if his profile
lists him as American, you know that there is a very high chance of him being a
scammer.
- How to avoid online fraud tip 4
One of the
biggest tips on how to avoid online fraud with dating sites is when the guy
comes and asks you money barely few days of you knowing each other. He would
use excuses like some family member is really sick and he urgently needs money
for treatment. Or he might say that he is coming over to meet you and would
appreciate if you could wire a little money for travel expenses. This is
definitely an attempt to con you and you are better off if you sever all ties
with him.
Also report the
user to the site management so that they can block his IP address in case he
happens to keep creating new identities.
