Consumer Alert
Faking it — scammers’ tricks to steal your heart and money
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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In reply to I had the same with her...she by Geoff
so this is my third scammer. this is his very first email to me and apparently he loves me...lol
Hell Nancy, I am Roland Kenneth Mark By name ,We met in Milwaukee, Wisconsin united state of america,i am single father of a daughter and a contractor by profession ,i pick so much interested on you ,
ever since i met you i have not been at rest ,if your heart was a prison,i would have sentenced for life imprisonment because i am chained by your love.
I found a flower blooming inside my heart – do you know the name of the flower? I found a spark in my eyes – do you know the name of the spark? I found the answer at last – it’s the LOVE I have on you,
Yes I love you so much and you mean everything for me my darling i am looking forward to hear from you. Best Regard Roland Kenneth Mark.
Really ?? how stupid do they think we are ? Hell, instead of Hello. who says I am "Roland Kenneth Mark" by name. and obviously when someone from the US tells you where they live, after the city and state, you don't say United State of America !
My second scammer, Tony Dixon, disappeared in March after me not replying back to him. and coincidently on the same day I got an email from the above third scammer I get this from my second: Hey Nancy. Hows your day going?, please lemme know how to meet with you, am done with my contract, i like you to email me your picture, house address and name, including your closest airport, i like to see you in person.. i hope to read back from you soon Tony I feel like giving him an address of a Federal Prison and closest airport - Siberia, Russia ! Not sure if its the same scammer, just different names and pictures or if it's three different ones.
In reply to I have been talking by jan
Don't send money to someone you have never met, no matter what story they tell you.
If you send money by wire transfer, it's like giving cash. Most likely, you will never get it back.
The US Army has warned people about scammers who pretend to be US soldiers. The Army says:
In reply to My mom is being targeted by by nervousnelly
In reply to Don't worry about him showing by LadyLuck
In reply to Don't worry about him showing by LadyLuck
Haik m is a Nigerian scammer works along side few other or so he says from America asking for money to get out to go back home
now I guess was coming to England got very mad nasty words as didn't send him any money he has either friend or same person Haik m guess lots of them are someone else's photos he's on Facebook and other sites be careful cos he doesn't mean all the loving things he says
In reply to Well, I have had several fake by glittertams
In reply to My parents were scammed out by lcooper
i met GEORGE KEENER BRAYDEN on facebook.He sent me friend request and we started chatting.He told me he was divorced, and almost never sees the kids..Soon after that, he started with fairy tales.He would come for me here, marry me, take me to LA California.After that he went to London for business, and he saw that his property has been locked cause he has not payed the taxes.After i said sorry, i cant help, he stopped with the fairy tales and "love", like.."you didnt help me when i needed you most,you will not help me when you will be with me"
In reply to My mom has been talking to by Anthonyray
Scammers may set up profiles to meet people, then ask those people to help them move money around. People can make up all kinds of stories online. If someone you don't know, and that includes someone you only "met" online, wants you to do financial transactions for them, say no.
If you deposit checks into your bank account, and the checks turn out to be no good, you can make problems for yourself with the bank.
If you send money to someone who promises to send money back, you're probably going to lose your money.
There's even far smarter scammers these day's and im a victim of a marriage scam. This group of family are all working together to drain my resources. Now im down and out and finally my wife was taken away without my knowledge and wife is creating friction out of the bloom for no rhyme of reason and wants divorce with me.
Noting was ever paid by her parents or her for our wedding and everything came from me. while the so called parents are not working.I'm freshly married just a few months. I made a mistake by not letting her sign an agreement. Now im trying to figure out how to legally get back at their scams if anyone knows how please advise to how i can go about the hit and run brides.
In reply to I just met someone on FB last by memysha
A person who wants to gain your trust may spend a lot of time communicating with you. He may claim to love you soon after you meet. He may say sweet things, and agree with your views.
When you talk with a person by video, phone or email, you can't know who he truly is. Often a scammer will invest time in building a personal connection with you before he asks for money or favors.
If someone you don't know - and that includes someone you met online - asks you to send money or gifts, or asks you to deposit checks or transfer money, say no. Those are signs of a scam.
This post is absolutely right. Online daters need to beware of the people they meet online because the stories you are told are likely not true. I've experienced this myself and paid a very expensive price. I've shared my story on social media to try to help others be warned but it really isn't enough. We need to band together as a society to make people who are rooted with deceit known. Thanks for this post!
Hello, I met this nice guy online, hi is in the part of the military that deals with flying and all of that. I don't know my military stuff. LOL. Any ways, his facebook, page all checks out, there is even a pic of him jumping out of a plan.
He was telling me how lonely he was to be over sea's and has 14 months there, we where having some great conversations and then he said that the meals are terrible over there, and I questioned him about some things, and if anything could be done to make it better. I told him I could send him 20 dollars as talking to him, made my week. 20 I could do, and would only do it safely.
Well then he wanted to know if I could do 100, I said no, 20 is the limit. I don't have money to spend and I don't know him. Well know he is getting all crazy about sending a money gram. He wanted to know my bank name and all that. I said no. I am not giving out my Bank information. He isn't getting the 20 dollars now anyways. He wanted me to get money from him because he doesn't have anyone to get it to send it to him. Which makes no sense. Is there a way to report this and to catch this person? What are we to do with this kind of parasite.
Iv been talking to a guy for 4weeks now, im from South Africa..hes from Ireland working in SA, a week after we start talking he told me hes going to US for work...while hes in the US he call me then he ask me to pay for people who're working in his house because he forgot to pay them whe he leave,
Then he send me some lady's account number. ..I send her R1000, then after that he told me that his father is sick in Ireland i need to make a plan help him to pay his medication, I had to send him R1000...yet he used another lady's account number..
'Unfortunately ' his father died, then he had to fly to Ireland from US, Then another story....Apparently his father had gambling obsession so he couldn't pay his debts he had to go to the bank borrowed money against his house, now he have to pay the bank, South african bank transferred all his money to his ireland bank now hes stucked in ireland, hes asking me to get him money for ticket...help he goes by Ethan
In reply to I just also got scammed from by tcg71
If you tell someone your bank account number, they can take your money. If you tell personal information like your address, phone number and work place, they can use your information for identity theft, or to threaten you.
If someone is threatening to harm you, you can call the police in your area. If someone is making threats to you on social media, you can report them to the social media site.
You can limit the information that people know about you. You could limit access to your social network pages. You could take down information you posted about your address or workplace or contact numbers. Never post your Social Security number or account numbers online.
I would advise that anyone that goes to the site . I was talking to a woman for a few days and within a day she wanted to talk to me using google hangouts. Strike 1. You know for someone that is supposed to be from California she had the worst grammar in the world. I mean I do not have the best grammar but man this took the cake. Kind of like if you ever seen scammers before, and you know how the bad the grammar is with them? Strike 2. When I asked of a picture of her she sent them too me but said that she was in Ghana Africa and lost her phone so ran it through google image search and noticed that the details of the image that I saved shows next to program: google so yeah it was lifted off of the internet. Strike 3. Fortunately never asked for money but I blocked this person. Stay away from that site at all costs.
In reply to What happens if you receive by Jarret
A scammer might try to involve you in online bank fraud. They ask you to set up a new bank account, then transfer stolen money into the new account. If you do this, you could be helping a criminal.
It's never a good idea to accept a check from someone you don't know, and then deposit the check and wire some of the money. The check may be fake, but the bank must give you some of the money in a few days. If you withdraw money and send it, and then the bank finds out the check is fake, you must repay the bank all the money you took.
I saw someone on facebook and added him not thinking it wud accepted...but the request was and we started to chat. It started out as just friends mainly asking me loads of questions about my personal life. He's widowed with one daughter...father n brother both dead but mother looks after his daughter.Hes from atlanta in Georgia but lives in new York...his name is George james padgett...he joined the army at age of 17 and now is field artillery senior sergeant.
His friendship developed very quickly towards me by saying he had feelings for me from wooing me with poems n paragraphs of love msgs....I started to have doubts so I asked him for selfie...he said he don't like doing selfies...but sent me a pic out of uniform in tracks pants...he sent another pic that again was away from Facebook but in uniform and said it was taken before he had to fly to his new base in Georgia...which he went to colombia...here he told me he can't call me as phones was restricted as he is new to base. He under went heavy training n said he might get deported to probably syria.
At this point he now tells me he loves me n wants to meet me...next thing I know...he's gone to a meeting as yes he's being deployed to Syria and wants me to $1000 to help fly him to the uk as the cost is $1260 ..I said no...he got upset wen I told him I won't pay...but he said he will gain my trust..10hrs it took to travel to syria and it's here he said he's on a secret mission after telling me where he is....he also announces he's a sniper....I've told him I won't pay a penny so he said he will put in leave so he can come meet me. Is he trying to scam me even tho he's not left after I've said I won't pay ?
In reply to I saw someone on facebook and by Bumble
If you contact someone online, you don't really know who they are. They might tell you stories to get your attention, or send pictures that they stole from online. Many scammers pretend to be U.S. soldiers who are stationed overseas.
Some scammers will talk to you for weeks, or even months. If you don't really know who you are talking or texting with, don't send money. If you send money by wire transfer, or send money to his "family" in the states, or let him use your bank account to move money, you can lose money and personal information. If he puts fake checks or stolen money in your bank account, the bank will come to you when it discovers the fraud.
In reply to I saw someone on facebook and by Bumble
In reply to Have questión, I know a man by Inocent.
The US Army warns people about scammers who pretend to be soldiers. They tell all kinds of stories about themselves to get people to send money. Sometimes they say they have children who need money. The US Army has many warnings about scammers who pretend to be soldiers.
If you never talk to the man on the phone or see him in person, you can't know his true identity. You take a risk when you send money to someone you don't know, or tell him about yourself. If you tell him your bank account number or credit card number, he could take money from you.
A person in the US military must have email address that ends in ".mil." If the man you talk to won't send you email from an address that ends in ".mil," he probably is not in the military. The ".mil" will be the last part of the address with nothing after it.
If he says the military won't let him use his bank accounts or credit cards, it's a lie.
In reply to The US Army warns people by FTC Staff
Thanks you so much. I´ll ask about a email address. Can they used cellphone or lapto there?.
In reply to The US Army warns people by FTC Staff