Don't Become a Victim of the Romance Scam

By: Beverly Mahone

You’ve heard of scams to steal your identity. Well what about the latest craze that seems to be making a splash around the world. It’s known as the Romance or Dating scam. You may not have heard much about it here in the United States because most of the people who lose money to these scams do not talk about their losses. Many people prefer to bear the financial losses in silence, rather than disclose it to any other party.

On the other hand, in other parts of the world where the scammers operate from, large amounts of dollars are being received on a daily basis from the scams. Recently, it was reported that a 20 year old young man who was seeking admission into the university, scammed 5000 British Pounds from a middle aged woman in the United Kingdom. He is reportedly just one of tens of thousands of young people are actively working these scams and looking for such victims.

So who do the scammers target for their activities? Do they just pick on anyone anywhere, or do they have a particular set of people they focus on to defraud them of their money? The targeted list probably won’t surprise you:

1. Elderly people and other lonely groups: Elderly women and men looking for companionship are believed to be especially vulnerable to the scams. They are believed to be soft-hearted and willing to part with their money in return for romantic affection and attention. If they are widowed and never remarried, their potential loneliness makes them a prime target for this type of scheme.

2. Separated or Divorced women, are also considered easy targets of the scammers. The trauma of their divorce or separation makes them vulnerable to online scams. The scammers hunt on various dating sites for women who fit this profile.

3. Overweight people: These set of people are believed to be the easiest to target and to scam. It is believed some overweight people, who lack self-esteem, need someone to admire them and to love them the way they are. It is this sense of insecurity and their need for acceptance that is often exploited.

4. People Looking For Sex: Many adult websites are a special target of the scammers. The scammers show nude pictures of themselves and engage in sexual acts with the people they meet on the site. Usually, the people scammed through adult sites never disclose that they were scammed for fear of embarrassment

5. The mentally or physically disabled: Surveys have indicated that the mentally or physically disabled spend a significant amount of time on the computer because of their limited mobility. Some of them try to hide their limitations and, therefore, end up becoming prey to the scammers.

A common sign of a dating scam is when the other party starts to ask for money to meet you. It comes in many forms, from asking you to shoulder their plane fare because they are "broke" or asking you to sponsor their "Visa" so they can enter your country legally. They may say that they've been "stranded" in another country and want to come home, or that they've been robbed while traveling elsewhere. Or that they actually have a "disease" or condition that they need to be in surgery for. If not surgery, they will claim that they need the cash for medicines anyway and you are the only person who can help them. When you do offer to send the money, they have no bank account where you can make a direct deposit to, so they can remain untraceable. They prefer that you send the money via money transfer agents like Western Union.

So how can you protect yourself? Start with never giving out any personal details to your new chat mates (home phone numbers, work address, etc). Opt for reputable dating sites and stay away from the free ones as much as you can. Try to find someone in your local area. It also does not hurt to be skeptical if someone tries to "ping" you often, even when he/she knows you are not interested. Barrage them with a lot of questions or suggest meeting them and if they act suspiciously, you are probably dating a scammer. Bit if you've already lost money, there is really not a lot you can do to recover it.

The best course of action would be to report the scammer's profile to the administrators of the chat/dating site where you met him or her.

Article Source: http://www.retirementlivingarticledirectory.com

Beverly Mahone is a journalist and author who writes about dating issues involving older adults in her book, "Whatever! A Baby Boomer's Journey Into Middle Age." For more information, visit Ms. Mahone's website at: www.talk2bev.com

Please Rate this Article

Not yet Rated