Love Scams: How to Spot the Scammer

In today’s search for true love, many people turn to online dating platforms due to the vast number of potential partners available. Unfortunately, this quest for love is being exploited by scammers looking to profit financially.

What is love scamming?

Love scamming, also known as romance scamming, is a type of fraud where people are deceived in the name of love. Scammers create fake profiles on social media platforms or online dating sites, initiate seemingly innocent contact, and feign affection in order to extract financial contributions from the scammed party.

How love scammers work

Scammers, regardless of gender, cleverly become indispensable to their chosen victims after a period of online interaction, even though the two individuals have never met in real life.

Initial contact

The typical approach involves initiating contact under a false identity on platforms such as Facebook or Instagram in an attempt to pique the target’s interest. The love scammer aims to redirect communication to platforms such as WhatsApp or Google Chat.

Build trust

To gain the victim’s trust, romance scammers create detailed biographies that tell their entire life story, from work history and past relationships to hobbies and travel destinations. When confronted with the prospect of revealing their true identity via video calls or webcams, scammers often become evasive and offer various excuses.

Profuse declarations of love

Initially cautious, scammers become overtly expressive about their true love for the victim after a few days, creating a consistent narrative throughout the interaction. Due to the physical distance and limited information, the victim may genuinely believe they have found an ideal partner.

Arranging meetings

After some time, the scammer discusses an upcoming meeting, expressing excitement and creating anticipation in the victim. However, these meetings never materialize as the scammer presents compelling reasons related to financial issues. This is the point at which the scammer attempts to obtain money from the victim, citing reasons such as:

1. Need money for a flight: Claiming a lost credit card or frozen account while abroad.
2. Sick family members: Sudden illnesses requiring urgent and inaccessible funds abroad.
3. Debts: Alleged financial obligations to government, tax or customs authorities.

In essence, the scammer is always portrayed as innocently getting into financial trouble and can only escape with the victim’s help.

Beware: It never ends with a single payment

A one-time payment is never enough for scammers. They will find new reasons to convince the victim to send money again and again. If the victim refuses, the scammer will apply emotional pressure until the victim is financially incapacitated.

How to spot and expose a romance scammer

For those looking for love online, it’s important to stay vigilant and identify love scammers on platforms like Facebook, Instagram, or dating sites. Signs of a fake profile include

• Recently created profile
  Profiles that have existed for a very short time with minimal interactions, likes, or followers, often from the same gender and from different countries.
• Suspicious pictures
  Scammers often use attractive photos with few details about their living space.
• Convincing life stories
  Scammers usually present an extraordinary life story, complete with difficult past relationships, tragic events, or a deceased spouse.

Protect yourself from romance scams

To avoid falling victim to romance scams, follow these basic guidelines:

1. Refuse suspicious online requests: If you receive a friend request from a stranger, especially from another country, do not accept it.
2. Use common sense: While everyone is looking for love, ask yourself why an extremely attractive and successful person from another country would suddenly want to have a long-distance relationship with you, whom they’ve never met.
3. Beware of premature declarations of love: If someone professes love soon after you start communicating online without meeting in person, be wary as it may be a scam.
4. Never send money: No matter how engaging the online conversation, never forget the cardinal rule: never send money to someone you’ve met online. Also, refrain from sending valuable items such as cell phones.
5. Avoid forwarding money: Do not make your bank account available for wire transfers, especially if you are asked to receive and forward payments. Doing so could implicate you in money laundering.
6. Be sceptical of account information: If the scammer provides bank details and asks you to log in to a supposed account, it is probably fake. Legitimate online accounts require two-factor authentication.
7. Google can help: Always consider the possibility of fake information online. Google names, phone numbers, email addresses, and images to check for consistency. Any discrepancies should raise a red flag.

Consequences of romance scams

If a victim has transferred money to the scammer, it constitutes fraud. The scammer usually promises to pay back the money, but never does. As a result, the victim is not only financially ruined, but also emotionally devastated.

What to do if you’re a victim of romance scams

If you’ve been scammed, follow these steps:

1. Ignore it: Stop sending money as soon as you realize you’re a victim. Try to recover any money that has already been transferred through your bank. Disregard messages from the scammer that attempt emotional manipulation or reconciliation.
2. Cut off contact: Cut all ties with the scammer. Do not respond to messages, block the scammer on all platforms, and consider creating a new email address and phone number if possible.
3. Preserve evidence: To pursue legal action, preserve all available evidence, including chat logs, profile information, emails, wire transfer receipts, and bank statements.
4. Report to the police: Make a formal complaint to the police. Although it is difficult to prosecute scammers operating from abroad, it is crucial, especially if your account was involved in the transfers, which could legally implicate you.

Have your chat partner investigated

If you are unsure of your chat partner’s honesty and authenticity, consider having them discreetly investigated by our private investigators. Our background checks are confidential and provide 100% clarity on the person’s identity. If the person is a love scammer, we will uncover the truth. These investigations are cost effective and yield valuable results: the truth.

More related articles:

• The stories of the scammers
• How to Identify a Military Romance Scam

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