How To Avoid Getting Scammed Out Of Money On Dating Sites

March 20, 2013 - Jimmy Jacob - Advice Columns, Dating Apps, Dating Statistics, Featured, Online Dating

How To Avoid Getting Scammed Out Of Money On Dating Sites

According to an online dating infographic, scams from dating sites had gone up over 150 percent in 2011. Â That is an alarming number and the amount of incidents have only gone up.

Let’s take for example the poor woman from Laval, Quebec that made the news this week after she was reportedly scammed out of 42,000 dollars from a member at Lavalife.

Now although I find it hard to believe that anyone would be so foolish enough to let someone scam that much money from them, it shouldn’t be underestimated by how many lonely people that are out there, desperate in the hopes of connecting with someone in a fleeting manner and it’s not uncommon because according to the FBI, an average of over 4000 dollars is lost every hour due to sleazy online dating tactics.

Now we all know about “Nigerian email scams” but the same online dating scams tactics are being used on dating sites like Justhookup.comÂ and there many things singles should take into consideration:

1. Some Dating Sites Hire People To Pretend To Be Members

Having written many reviews for dating sites for a while now, I now know how to differentiate between a legit site and a fake service almost as quickly as spotting a botched boob job. If you joined a dating site scam, it will most likely be a site that offers free basic membership with options to upgrade. Even before completing your profile picture, you will suddenly receive emails from good looking members that conveniently don’t live in your city. Now in a time where people can meet while walking on the street while usingÂ TinderÂ or Blendr, it is very unlikely that some beautiful gal or guy from Buttf*ck, America is going to message a total stranger without a profile picture moments after they just signed up to the site.

They will start by sending sexy messages and then saying something like “Man, I wish you have an upgraded membership, so I could actually receive messages from you.” Â This will motivate the gullible member to use their credit card to upgrade and when they do, they have been suckered, my friends. Â Either the sexy member that was talking to them will suddenly disappear and if they don’t, they will ask for money at some point. Â If you ever wondered why this frequently happens on dating sites, it’s because these sites have hired people to pretend to be members. Â That’s right; there are actual people out there that get PAID to catfish people for a living. So be careful!

2. Never Connect With Someone On A Dating Site That Always Out of Town

Have you ever talked to someone online who pursues you and they say they’re always travelling abroad. Male scammers usually do this to middle-aged lonely women. They will build a rapport by emailing them everyday and if they don’t ask you for money (which they probably will) once you have made an “emotional connection” with them, they might send you an email with a link to something they thought you would want to see. When you click this link and nothing happens, then again, you have been suckered. Hackers do this all the time (you may be aware of the godawful “Someone said something nasty about you [insert bogus link] messages on Twitter.)and when you click on a link like this, you give this person access to everything on your computer. Â So if you ever used your credit card online, paid bills online and entered your SIN number to change an address, then this person has access to all of your information and you will be a victim of identity fraud.

3. Never Give Your FaceBook Profile To Someone You Haven’t Met Yet

I know it might sound tempting to reveal who you really are and to chat online on FaceBook chat instead of waiting for responses on some online dating site, but I will tell you the reason why you shouldn’t. Â When someone asks to talk to you on Facebook instead very early on when you’re chatting on a dating site, be very wary of this. Another way scammers take advantage of people is by becoming friends on Facebook and then having intimate convos and sharing intimate photos. Because they have your REAL name and identity now, they are able to screenshot everything and blackmail you by posting those conversations and photos on a dating site they most likely work for (Refer to step number 1) and they tell you the only way they will remove said information is by paying them a 100 dollar payment from their credit cards. So never, ever, ever become Facebook Friends with a total stranger until you have met them outside of the dating site first.

Now what I said may scare a lot of you from even going on a dating site, but as long as you have a good head on your shoulders, this won’t happen to you. Never let your feelings of loneliness cloud your judgment because these parasites prey on the vulnerable. Don’t allow yourself to be a victim!Â

Thoughts? Let me know in the comment section below!Â