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.
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Please report it at ftc.gov/complaint — click on Scams and Rip-Offs, then select Romance Scams.
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Harry James was the name that I was given from someone supposedly in Syria. He wanted to send me something from the UN so that he could be granted a vacation for us to meet and told me there would be a processing fee. His story was almost the same as yours Orthopedic Surgeon, wife died, one son. Wanted to chat on hangout instead of the im that I already had. Stupid me did download it.
Those sweet and romantic lines he used would please almost any woman. When he brought up the money thing. That did it. We certainly weren't the two lovers that was destined to be and all the other nonsense he would say. The pictures were of a very clean cut nice looking guy. One even with his so called son. I doubt that was his pics at all. Just please be aware ladies. I could kick myself for spending any time writing to him and daydreaming. He got no money from me thank God. I just chalked it up to being a widow woman for to many years and still have my self esteem.
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Pagination