Not everyone using online dating sites is looking for love. Scammers create fake online profiles using photos of other people — even stolen pictures of real military personnel. They profess their love quickly. And they tug at your heartstrings with made-up stories about how they need money — for emergencies, hospital bills, or travel. Why all of the tricks? They’re looking to steal your money.
As if all that isn’t bad enough, romance scammers are now involving their victims in online bank fraud. Here’s how it works: The scammers set up dating profiles to meet potential victims. After they form a “relationship,” they come up with reasons to ask their love interest to set up a new bank account. The scammers transfer stolen money into the new account, and then tell their victims to wire the money out of the country. Victims think they’re just helping out their soulmate, never realizing they’re aiding and abetting a crime.
Here are some warning signs that an online love interest might be a fake. They ask you to:
- chat off of the dating site immediately, using personal email, text, or phone
- wire money using Western Union or Money Gram
- set up a new bank account
Did you know you can do an image search of your love interest’s photo in your favorite search engine? If you do an image search and the person’s photo appears under several different names, you’re probably dealing with a scammer. And if the person’s online profile disappears a few days after they meet you, that’s another tip-off.
Here’s the real deal: Don’t send money to someone you met online — for any reason. If your online sweetheart asks for money, you can expect it’s a scam.
Unfortunately, online dating scams are all too common. There may be tens of thousands of victims, and only a small fraction report it to the FTC. If this happens to you, please report it at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
I have been scammed a month ago by someone called James Carter who claimed to be a soldier in Kabul. He really seemed like a lovely man. Met him on instagram and then moved on to hangouts. We fell in love .
Then after 3 weeks he said that he and 4 other soldiers found a box with 30 million dollars left by terrorists. They devided the money and he had 7 million. He wanted to send his share to an address in England.I gave him my address and I would get 15% of it. Thinking that would help my family.
Well then it started. The box was sent by military diplomats to a military base in England. I had to pay registration charges. A girl called Janet Blodsoe was in charge with the money. I had to send money abroad for security reasons. I sent £800 via Western union to Portugal. More problems then . Alex Younger was involved now because of border control.
I had to send £14000 to pay for this. Again to an account abroad. Turkey this time.My bank did warn me if I knew this person. But they threatened me with arrest because of money laundering. So I insisted to the bank I wanted this sent. So I my savings gone. Next message was . More problems for the box to be released. It was now in England and a soldier named Fuller was in charge. The next payment was £85000. I said I don’t have that. In the end I only had to come up with £20000. Again I did not have that.
Then it dawned on me that it was all a scam. I have been through hell with worry. Slowly I am coming to terms with this. Please be aware every one.
In reply to I have been scammed a month by Dutchie
Thank you for sharing your story to help others. You can report this to the FTC at FTC.gov/complaint, and the details will go into a secure database that law enforcement uses for investigations. You can choose how much personal information to give.
You can also report this to the Western Union fraud hotline (look online for a contact) and to local law enforcement.
In reply to I have been scammed a month by Dutchie
In reply to Hi Dutchie... I am talking to by Boogiebear1
In reply to Anyone familiar with the name by Mary
In reply to hi doseanyone know a guy name by besty1122
Don't use this scam website called paxtrading. com It is a scam page they won't pay you if you give then card And this is their number Nigeria guy and it is 2 type of fake number and the number is also on the scam website +8801700883901 +2348161528201
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In reply to OMG!! My handsome NATO doctor by Melissa
My fake person sends me photos of celeb i like as himself asks i f i would be his woman Asked me to send 300 dollars to an address for m.s. charity. Luckily i looked up and address was a fake now he is harrassing me to buy him an amazon gift card. How can i stop him or turn him in
In reply to My fake person sends me by Brothers3
You can help law enforcement by reporting the person to the FTC at FTC.gov/Complaint. You can report the person to the dating website.
In reply to I am almost certain I’m by Notfallingforit
In reply to What if my ex-wife. her by bill
You could contact a legal aid lawyer to see if you're eligible to get help, or use this state-by-state list from the American Bar Association to find a private lawyer in your state. It also has information about your state court system and explains what you can do on your own.
The State Bar Associations website is another resource. Use the State Bar Associations list to find the bar association in your county, and call them to ask about finding a lawyer.
Please help me. I chat with someone named Dr. Paul Walter, a Medical Doctor (MD) at Cardiff University Hospital. I am a researcher and I will hate myself to be victimized by a scammer. He said that he is a widow with a 19 year old daughter. He began to profess his love a few days after our chat. I guess it's been two weeks since the time that we started chatting. He wants to send me money -about 50,000 US$. I am suspicious because he asked for my passport photo yesterday and I sent it this morning because whether we admit or not, we already established rapport. He is telling me this evening that he is going to Canada to have a seminar. He asked if I have any account and I said no. I want to open an account with a government-owned bank. I just notice that his voice seems to have a sense of urgency. I tried searching his name online but only his FB is apparent. How I am going to scrutinize if this man is genuine or not?
In reply to Please help me. I chat with by rosemarie.g
Some scammers use people to help them transfer stolen money. They meet a person online, create a relationship, and ask their new sweetheart to use their existing bank account, or open a new account. Then the scammer asks the victim to receive and transfer money.
If you do this for a scammer, your name is on the bank account and on the money transfer forms. If you get involved with one of these schemes, you could lose money and personal information, and you could get into legal trouble.
Someone can use your passport photo and personal information to create a new identity and commit identity theft. This list tells warning signs of identity theft. If you experience identity theft, report it at IdentityTheft.gov, and create a recovery plan.
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In reply to I have been texting with a by smokey
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