Introduction
A very unfortunate aspect of online dating is that people are looking to take advantage of the system and scam people. That has led many people to question how they can avoid such unfortunate encounters when they’re involved with online dating. The first thing to remember is to use a reliable dating site with clear privacy policies and responsive customer support. However, there is more that you can do, and we’ll show you everything you need to know to stay safe.
Signs you are dealing with a scammer
Before you can start avoiding scammers when you’re dating online, you have to know how to recognize them. There are some telltale signs that the person you are talking with is trying to scam you, and we are going to run down a list of the most common ones. Take a look at this list, and any time you see one of these signs, send up a red flag in your mind:
- The person will often claim to fall in love with you in a very short time:
- They will often “lovebomb” you, making you feel very special.
- They will tell you they have a very unlikely job out of the country;
- Scammers often ask for your help with transferring money and offer to reimburse you substantially more;
- They ask you to leave the dating app for texting or emails only;
- They avoid calls, video chats, and any live form of communication;
- Any time you ask to meet in person, they refuse and tell you they are not in the country or available again.
These are all signs that you are dealing with a scammer, and you have to be prepared to do what is right to get out of the situation before things get bad.
Finding legal recourse after you have been scammed online is not necessarily easy to do. Therefore, you need to do everything you can to ensure that you recognize the signs of a scammer and then report and avoid them. Once they have been reported, it is imperative that you cut off communication.
How to protect yourself while online dating
As we previously mentioned, the best thing you can do to protect yourself while dating online is to find a website with privacy policies and responsive customer support. That way, if you encounter a scammer, you will be covered. However, there are other ways to protect yourself while you’re dating online. Pay attention to some of these safety measures to keep yourself secure and realize that they are mostly the logical reaction to the signs you’re being scammed.
First off, you should always be wary of people that speak to you and fall in love in the first week. We have all felt that way about someone, but with online dating, it is a red flag. There is nothing wrong with a whirlwind romance, but you should realize that this is a common tactic for people to get you to trust them. They are trying to get things to move fast, so you don’t have time to sit back and think about what is happening. Pump the brakes and save yourself time and effort.
Another way to protect yourself when you’re online is to keep on the dating site. Scammers will often try to get you off of the dating site so that you lose all the protection from the service. Many sites will not let you send banking information on their dating platform, but when you’re off the site and communicating through text, anything can happen. Keep on the dating site until you can have a face-to-face chat with your date or talk to them via a video chat.
Be wary of someone that requires sympathy all the time. They might start planting the seeds of always needing money or having some family member that is ill. They’ll say those things early in the relationship and then request of you to help them overcome their fake problem. When someone requests money from you, then it’s time to shut down the relationship.
It should be quite obvious, but never tell someone if you are wealthy or where you live until you are comfortable giving them that information. Moreover, you should never, ever, under any circumstances give someone your credit card information or your bank information.
What to do if you realize you’ve been scammed online
There are several steps that you should take when you think that someone has scammed you online. First off, you need to shut down the relationship in its entirety. Do not give them any methods for them to contact you, or they will try to get you to get back with them and complete the scam.
You should also take the time to secure your money. If you think that there is any chance that they managed to get your financial information to make a payment to themselves, then you need to call your bank. Tell them what information was leaked and that they need to give you new cards and possibly a new bank number. You may have to go to the bank in-person to do this.
Lastly, you need to report the scam that has occurred to the dating site so they can take action against the person trying to scam them. Finally, you need to report anything that happened to your government’s investigations teams, such as the Federal Trade Commission and the Federal Bureau of Investigations. They can take your complaints directly and see about helping you get restitution.
The world of online dating has been the host of some incredible romances. Unfortunately, it also has some drawbacks that come in the form of scammers. With this knowledge in hand, you will have the power to avoid scammers at every turn and then put an end to the scams when they appear. Go forth and have some amazing dates online and then be aware of any of the potential scams now that you know what to do if you run into them online!
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