Scammers prey on your need for love and friendship. Play on your emotions to trick you into giving them money, gifts or bank details and credit card. They are often very patient and you could clean up for months. A lot of victims has fallen for this and many lost their life savings!
Fraudsters can easily create fake profiles and use attractive photographs on dating sites. The anonymity of the internet is such that a woman of 20 years in Nigeria could pretend to be a nice 45 years expatriate Australian man working in Africa. You don't even have to be of the opposite sex-scammers often work in pairs or groups!
Once they have targeted you, they will express deep feelings for you in a relatively short period of time and will quickly move by security and anonymity of dating site via external contacts, phone, e-mail or Instant Messaging. They will be in constant contact, persistent, with you, build trust and love and you send flowers and small gifts. They are shiny in their approach-remember you're not the first goal and could be one of the dozens of simultaneous targets that he/she is ruling at the same time.
When they feel that they have connected, you will ask for money or financial assistance using a variety of reasons.
A relative or family member is seriously ill and needs urgent medical care.Have been robbed, beaten, fallen ill or been severely injured in an accident and needs funds urgently and the only person who can count on you.They are stranded abroad and don't have the money for a visa and travel.Want to fly to visit you but their funds are linked for some time. Once you provide the funds for the plane ticket, you will return to you with the assertion that they need more funds to show that they have the financial ability to stay in the country (requiring most countries). Wait and wait at the airport and that they never show up.They have won or come into a large sum of money and the need for funds to pay management fees or taxes to be able to take the money out of the country.Often they will ask that the money be sent using money transfer services such as Western U and MoneyGram. Money sent by these means are almost impossible to recover. Once you send money, you keep asking for more and keep milking it until you have broken or come to your senses.
Instead of asking for the money, you may ask to do the following for their:
Money laundering for them-they will ask for details of your bank account, deposit money into it and ask you to transfer money to them using Western u or similar. This is illegal and may be prosecuted and are also subject to repay the money transferred.Bank money orders or checks for them and transfer money to them. These fraudulent money orders or cheques stolen and will be rejected by the Bank and you will be out of pocket.King-Ship goods for them who have purchased with stolen credit cards and delivered to your address.Be very cautious and be on guard against scammers. Don't let your emotions get in the way. Think twice, not three times, before we contemplate even sending money to someone you meet online. Do an online search for your name, email address and any other keyword phrases to see if they are known scammers. There are a lot of websites with information on dating scams.
