In today’s fast-paced world, it’s becoming more and more difficult to balance a successful career, leading a busy social life, and finding happy love. Therefore, people often switch to more convenient ways to meet a potential other half – special applications and websites such as Tinder, OkCupid, Hinge, or Bumble.
However, those who want to find love there can become an easy target for online scams.
In the 2018 Internet Crime Report, romance-themed online fraud losses were nearly $363 million, ranking second. At the same time, many victims lost all their savings or even got into debt.
In order to avoid this deception, you should not tempt your fate and register on dating sites. All you have to do is find a trusted, trusted marriage agency.
Advantages of using a marriage agency
- You do not need to look for free women who want to meet you on your own – a marriage agency will take care of this, which will offer you a variety of options in accordance with your preferences.
- The ability to select candidates for the role of a husband according to certain parameters will allow you to find the perfect man for you in a short period of time.
- Many marriage agencies organize dates and dating parties, where it is much easier to find a suitable partner than in a bar or on the street. In addition, you can have fun and chat live with representatives of the opposite sex, who, like you, are aimed at creating a family.
In connection with the spread of this type of fraud online, especially on the eve of Valentine’s Day, our experts have prepared a list of common signs that will help you recognize scammers who are looking for the key not to the heart, but to the victim’s wallet.
Template photos
Attackers tend to use model shots that can be created to sell a particular product. That is why you should be wary of new acquaintances who only pose in photographs with certain goods, such as drinks or electronics.
In case of suspicion, ask the interlocutor for a family photo, since this model, whose photo is used by the attackers, may not have such a thematic photo session. In addition, for credibility, scammers can steal photos of real people.
In both cases, you can do a quick check by doing a reverse photo search in the Google images section.
Go to this resource, click the camera icon, and drag the photo URL or the photo itself there. If you only have a photo of a new acquaintance on your phone, then take a screenshot, download it to your computer and check it using the method above.
Rapid recognition of strong feelings
The main symptom of online scams is the development of relationships too quickly. Promises and declarations of love during the first few hours of communication with a virtual acquaintance should arouse suspicion.
The scammers use this trick to make you forget to be careful so that the scammers can eventually achieve their ultimate goal of gaining access to your funds. It is worth noting that most dating services allow you to block and report a profile of a potential scammer, and the application moderation team can delete it.
Desire to transfer the dialogue to another platform
Another sign of online scams is that the scammers try to switch to communicating with you on a different communication platform in the first place. This may be because dating platforms have ways to detect online scams. To avoid triggering these mechanisms, attackers try to get your phone number or look up your profile in messaging applications.
However, remember that at the time of the meeting you are already giving too much personal information to a person whom you practically do not know. If a new acquaintance immediately asks to start chatting in another application or social network, be careful and better report such attempts to the platform developers.
Impossibility to meet
Fraudsters often pose as professionals who have to work abroad for long periods of time, such as military personnel, doctors, or diplomats. This makes it easier for them to come up with an excuse when you want to meet in person.
Every time you try to schedule a meeting, these scammers will have a new excuse at the ready. A few cancellations are normal, but turning down every proposed date should be a wake-up call for you, after which you should talk to a new acquaintance about the true reasons.
Spelling errors
Another online scam is the creation of fake profiles and communication on behalf of foreigners. Therefore, you should be more careful if a resident of an English-speaking country makes many mistakes in writing or speaking.
If you already have doubts, you can ask the interlocutor more about the area where the person lives. In addition, you should look for information about a new acquaintance on Google. However, this tactic should only be used as an aid to verification, as it can also be used by scammers to answer your questions.
Please send money
Sometime after meeting, scammers may ask to borrow money. As a rule, attackers first ask for a small sum to repair a car or buy medicines. But over time, they steadily increase the required amount, often inventing new stories, such as paying the medical bills of their sick relative or problems with a new business.
Thus, the victims could lose all their savings. Moreover, up to 30 percent of the victims of this type of online scam were used without their knowledge in criminal schemes related to money laundering, and in some cases involved in transporting illegal substances across the border.
Source: princessdate.agency