The first thing to say is: Don't be alarmed! The vast majority of people on dating sites are not scammers!
However, dating scams do exist. We recently heard of a case where a guy had been corresponding with a woman, supposedly from Russia, and had sent money for a plane ticket to the UK. When he turned up at the airport, there was no one there. His subsequent investigations showed that she had never existed. He, unfortunately, was a victim of an online dating scam - and he is not alone. Just one scammer, an American called Robert McCoy from San Diego, was recently convicted of defrauding over 250 men of over US $737,000!
There are a lot of crooks out there devising ever more ingenious ways to turn hard working folk into victims. By keeping your head and using common sense you will not become one of them.
How will you know if you are on the receiving end of an online dating scam?
You will be asked at some stage for money. Simple as that. The rule here is don't send any money to a prospective mate. Money is ultimately what the scammers are looking for. They will go to great lengths to get you to part from your cash, so even if you have been communicating for several weeks and feel that you have built up a rapport, do not send any money if asked .
The favourite scam is to ask for travel money to come and see you. Needless to say, if this is a scammer, you will pay the money over but your prospective soul mate will not show! If you would like to meet someone you have met online, go to see them.
However, there may be all sorts of reasons given for asking for money. Whatever the reason, always be suspicious.
One quick comment. Most of the scams we hear about involve "Russian Brides" scams. But please be aware that scammers can enrole on any online dating site.
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