<?php $title = 'Protect Yourself Against Online Relationship Scams'; ?>
<?php include 'templates/header.php';?>



            <h1>Protect Yourself Against Online Relationship Scams</h1>
            <div class="article-ads">
              <?php include 'ads/article-ads.php';?>
            </div>
            <p>Searching for romance over the Internet has become 
            more and more popular over the years. Online dating is nearly a 
            billion dollar industry and scammers are cashing in on the trend, 
            taking advantage of unsuspecting men and women. <BR><BR>Every day, 
            scammers target hundreds of online daters, and many have fallen prey 
            to scams that cost online daters, on average, of more than $3,000. 
            They do it by posing as women overseas and send you a note through 
            an online dating service. They pretend to be interested in you and 
            provide their "email address" so that you can continue communicating 
            offline. <BR><BR>Scammers use email to try and build an online 
            relationship with you and they eventually profess their love. Once 
            you do too, the scam kicks into high gear. An "emergency" (mother 
            hospitalized, surgery needed) suddenly arises and they ask for 
            money. Or they say they want to meet you, but need money to apply 
            for a VISA to come see you. Little does the victim know that he's 
            talking to professional con artists and has likely been 
            communicating with another man, not a woman! The scams can get quite 
            complex, including men hiring a girl to call you and pose as your 
            online love interest. <BR><BR>You can avoid being a victim of online 
            relationship scams by taking note of these warning signs: 
            <BR><BR><B>Being Asked for Money</B> <BR><BR>This is the most 
            telltale sign of a scam. No matter what you think or what other 
            people might say, it just isn&#8217;t a normal behavior to ask for money 
            if you've never met someone in person. Scammers are quite creative &#8211; 
            they will ask you to help with airfare so they can come and visit, 
            cash a check, help out with an emergency for you to send a money 
            order and so on. Some will ask for money fairly quick and others 
            will show patience while trying to build a relationship with you, 
            getting you to fall for the imaginary person in the profile they set 
            up. <BR><BR><B>Initiating First Contact</B> <BR><BR>Scammers 
            virtually always are the first to initiate contact with you. If you 
            get an email (or wink) from someone overseas, it's best not to 
            respond. <BR><BR><B>Wanting to Communicate via Email</B> <BR><BR>An 
            online scammer will want to take your communications to email as 
            soon as possible because they know their profile may soon be deleted 
            when an online dating service notices their pattern of emailing 
            people. So many times in the very first or second email they will 
            give you an email address and ask you to email them. <BR><BR><B>Fake 
            Pictures</B> <BR><BR>Some scammers will cut or scan photos from 
            magazines. Trust your instincts. If you feel the photo is 
            suspicious, chances are it&#8217;s probably a fake. But that's not always 
            the case, as many scammers will actually steal someone else's photo 
            and post it. Photos are usually of a very beautiful woman. Don't 
            fall for it. <BR><BR><B>Unwillingness to Share Information</B> 
            <BR><BR>The person you are talking to showers you with attention and 
            he seems to be overly interested in everything about you, yet 
            doesn&#8217;t share a lot of information about themselves. If they are 
            avoiding your questions like a seasoned politician, then run.. 
            <BR><BR><B>Messages Vary</B> <BR><BR>If you are exchanging emails 
            with someone overseas, watch out for inconsistencies like a 
            variation in the style of the email, language differences, 
            repetitive statements, etc.. The scammer who initiated the 
            communication with you may not always be the same one that carries 
            it through. If something doesn't seem right about the emails you are 
            receiving, then its not right. <BR><BR>Besides looking out for red 
            flags you can take other measures to further protect yourself: 
            <BR><BR>1) Be the one always initiating communication via online 
            dating services. <BR>2) Guard your privacy. <BR>3) Communicate with 
            people locally, not overseas. <BR>4) Trust your gut instinct from 
            the start. <BR>5) Never reply to communications from someone who 
            sends you a note and immediately includes their email address for 
            you to continue the communication. <BR><BR>Many people have fallen 
            prey to online relationship scams. In one case, two men showed up at 
            the same airport to meet a girl from overseas that they had sent 
            money to for her "flight". Both were left holding flowers at the 
            airport staring at each other. They had apparently been duped by the 
            same scammer. <BR><BR>While it is true that there are many people 
            who find life partners over the Internet, it is best to always be on 
            your guard when using online dating services. Don't get scammed! 

			</p>
			

			
<?php include 'templates/footer.php';?>
