Shady men disguising themselves as princes to win over the hearts of unsuspecting women, malicious schemes to get someone’s money, and mean tricks aiming to fool kind people looking for love: these sound like if they were taken straight out of a romance novel. But in reality, dating at online holds just as many dangers as in real life. Or even more! There are thousands of scammers who specialize in dating sites, aiming to get their filthy hands on your credit card number, or fooling you into sending them large sums of money. In case you are bethinking yourself of joining a dating site, then read through this article to make sure you won’t became a victim.
Beware, be aware!
There is a large variety of fake dating profiles. The most harmless “fake” dating profiles are those of not so serious daters are who don’t really want to establish a relationship, but instead they just want to have fun in one way or another. Getting in touch with them usually results in a quick apology and an even quicker quit. And then there are dating bots. These are made by users or a company, in an attempt to mimic a real user by writing pre-made messages that don’t make much sense. They can be easily recognized by their barely updated profile and their eagerness to learn more about your credit card number.
Lastly, the most dangerous of all is a real person, who pretends to be someone else in an attempt to get close to you and then draw on you. The most notorious example of these kinds of people is the fake daters from Nigeria or Ghana.
With un-love from Africa
The African Dating Scams, or alternatively known as The Nigerian/Ghana Emergency Scam, gained infamy after several western online daters were lambed down of their goodwill and money by malicious scammers. The trick is easy: Mr. or Ms. Williams is a civilized and nice looking person, who is witty, energetic, enjoys life and supports others. But suddenly a disaster strikes, and an emergency loan is needed to cure a sick child, or to pay for university. Naturally, this is just a temporary loan, as the local banks couldn’t access his or her account, and your donation will be repaid soon. Obviously, this is a scam, and any amount you send will disappear along with Mr. or Ms. William’s profile. There are other variations too, when the scammer poses as a poor African inhabitant, who has access to high-speed internet bot hasn’t got a dime to feed the family, or they tell you about a kidnapped friend and they need money ASAP.
Tamás Ő.
Sander D.
