How to Spot Dating Scams on Social Media by Miss Know It All

Miss Know It All 

I often receive friend requests on social media. Their reasons forreaching out to me are sometimes questionable. By nature, I am suspicious when the individual says, “I attempted to send you a friend request because Ifind you very interesting and we seem to have so much in common, but I hadtrouble doing so. Would you message me and accept my friendship?” Then there isthe one who pretends to want to be your friend, who will have images of theirchildren but neglect to give any further details about themselves. I guess youare supposed to be a psychic. Many times, they claim to be a divorcee or widowersearching for love, romance, or a lifetime partner. In most cases, these peopleare con artists seeking your cash.

Photo by AnnaTarazevich

Romance scams are more common than you think. Even if you do notuse dating apps, a con artist can still target you. The Better Business Bureau Scam Tracker isgetting reports from individuals conned through social media. There are signsthat will aid you in spotting a fake romance before getting in too deep.

How The Fraud Works

You arescrolling through Instagram or Facebook when you get a direct message from a useryou do not know. If you reply, the conversation will start innocently enough.At first, the scammer will claim to share your interests and likely have asocial media account reflecting that. For example, if you post photos of yourpets, they may claim to be a fellow animal lover. If you share pictures of yourchildren, the scammer may pretend to be a fellow single parent.

Photo by MichaelBurrows

The scammer will quickly profess his love for you without evermeeting you in person. However, something is off! Dramatic emergency crops up whenever you plan to meet. For example, your love interest suddenlyneeds financial support for their sick child. Fortunately, you can help bywiring funds or sending prepaid gift cards.

One social media user told BBB.org/ScamTracker about theirexperience: "He sent me a DM through my Instagram account and instantlystarted love bombing me. He promised me we would spend our lives togetherforever, and he would marry me. l planned to move to New York to live with him. Then an emergency struck, andhe needed my help to get home from Barbados.He claimed he was a successful businessperson and a millionaire, so he wouldpay me back when he returned to the States. It never happened. Every time hewas supposed to come to see me, another emergency would happen, and he neededmore money from me."

Unfortunately, if you send money to the scammer, it will be gone forgood. The person you fell in love with does not exist. To make matters worse,con artists will repeat the emergency scenarios until you realize the fraud orrun out of money, whichever comes first.

Photo by Pixabay

How to Avoid Dating Scams

Know thesigns of romance swindles. Romance swindles often start with someone whoseems too perfect and immediately falls in love with you. The individual may bein a hurry to create a future together, but hesitant to meet you in person. Theperson will probably tell you they are overseas or in the military and oftentalk about the importance of trust to gain yours, and may share sad stories topull on your heartstrings before asking you for money. Any of these tactics isa big red flag. If you notice similarities with someone who has messaged you onsocial media, think twice about your relationship.

Neversend money or personal information to someone you have not met. Refrainfrom giving a stranger your credit card or bank account information. Do notwire money to or share the PIN of a gift card with someone you have never met.An online "friend" might not even really exist!  In addition, never provide your credit score.

Ask manyquestions. When you meet someone online, ask them specific questions aboutthe details in their profile and pay close attention to their answers. If theylie, keeping their story straight will be challenging.

Do someresearch. Do a reverse image lookup of a person's profile picture to seeif it appears elsewhere on the internet. Scammers often use the same stolenphotos to create fake profiles. You can also search their name, email, andphone number to see if you find anything fishy.

You cando a background check by going to TruthFinder

BBB Scam Tracker is a free tool thatanyone can use to report suspected fraud. Your reports warn others so they canavoid similar cons.