Many criminal syndicates
operate online dating scams to lure unsuspecting users into unknowingly
participating in various types of money fraud. According to the scam complaints
posted by users this year in online communities like BigScammers.Com - Money scams
make up a significant part of these scam complaints. Online dating fraud is
also involved in a huge number of these scam complaints.
- What Are Online Dating Scams?
Originally devised as an
extortion scheme on the Web, many criminal syndicates prowl popular dating
sites and apps in search for unsuspecting victims. They lure these users into
their online dating scams by posing as legitimate users looking for dates. They
use fake profiles with details that exactly match the ideal dates of their
intended victims.
These fraudsters usually
target middle-aged married men and women users in the most widely used dating
sites and apps in the USA, Canada, Australia, the UK and other EU territories.
However, because a lot of these scammers commit check cashing fraud through their online dating scams, they now target countries in Asia and the Middle
East.
- What is Check Cashing Fraud?
This is where criminal
syndicates convince users of popular dating sites and apps as well as widely
used social networks and Web communities to receive and cash out checks on
their behalf. These scammers entice these users by telling them that they can
keep a significant percentage of these checks as their shares for their
generosity and effort. That's how these online dating scams work - These
fraudsters use social marketing tactics and schemes to lure more unsuspecting
users into their cyber traps.
These checks are fake, but
there are many banks that offer overdraft features with their accounts. This
means these banks cash out checks even if they haven't confirmed the
authenticity of these checks. So, what these victims end up with are large
debts and ruined credit scores after their banks call and inform them that they
just tried to cash out fake checks. Some victims of these online dating scams
even end up being wrongfully accused of illegal activities, in which a few of
them have been reported to end up doing time in federal prison!
- How to Avoid Check Cashing Fraud & Online Dating Scams?
The first thing you should
do is to be more wary when spending time in your favorite dating sites and
apps. Don't fully trust anyone in these online dating platforms. Keep in mind
that some of these users just might be scammers who are out to victimize
legitimate users. This will help you avoid these online dating scams.
Second, you should sign up
at BigScammers.Com to receive instant email notifications about the newest scam
complaints posted by users of this online community. You'll be able to learn
about the exact tactics and schemes that are used by these criminal syndicates
for carrying out their online dating scams.
You'll also be able to
identify the specific Web dating platforms reported by other users to have been
the online places where they were victimized by these fraudsters. This will
allow you to steer clear from these dating sites and apps, or at least be more
careful when hanging out in these online places.
These are effective ways to
avoid these online dating scams. Don't forget to share this with your family
and friends, so they can also avoid Internet dating fraud. They'll also be able
to share this with their own peers, which can significantly promote widespread
awareness about these scams.
