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Protecting yourself from

Online Dating Scams

How to save yourself from being swindled by online fraudsters posing on dating websites

Generally you are safe on online dating sites if you have some good sense and you know a few things to beware of.

When you first look at the photo of your date, see if the picture looks "too good". OK, if the person is good looking, that may be good, but you should be wary. If the person is good looking and the photo is taken professionally, then you might become suspicious about what's going on. Why is that person on a dating website? Fraudsters typically use model images which look too good to be true. However, let's be fair and give the person the benefit of the doubt.

How good is the person's use of the English language? If they are claiming that English is their first language, then the types of mistakes they make should fit with that. People usually make mistakes, but it is the types of mistakes which are telling.

An unexpected African connection is sometimes a warning sign.

Regardless of how good the person looks and how professionally the photo is taken and how poor their use of English is, you are usually safe until the person asks for money. It might be a sudden unexpected tragedy, or some awkward emergency, and suddenly YOU are asked to send money. Why is it not the next of kin who are asked?

Don't worry, as you don't need to make a faith-based decision. You can do your own independent research. Use any information sent by the other person and do some searches. Odd as it may seem, scamsters make stupid mistakes, and you can catch them out. If an address is mentioned, you can look it up online and see if it makes sense. If someone is stranded at a hotel for example, you can look up the phone number and phone the hotel and check up if they are there. A story that is true has to make sense when viewed from different angles, like a real building, in contrast to a Wild West movie set which is only viewable from the front, and when you view it from the side you can see it's a facade all propped up.

Knowing what to look out for, and being forewarned, may save you a lot of trouble. You're safer now you've read this! Good Luck with your online dating!