With more people dating online, it’s important to be careful. In this article, we’ll talk about 5 ways to stay safe from complicated online dating scams.
If something looks too good to be true, it probably is. Reports say that online dating scams will cost Americans $201 million just in 2019. In the UK, people who fell for these kinds of scams lost a total of £68 million in 2020.
You already know that the usual way to deal with dating profiles with very little information on them is to ignore them. And not trusting people who refuse to give any personal information or show any way that they are who they say they are? You are already protecting yourself from some of the most common scams.
But as people who use online dating apps get smarter, so do the people who try to trick them. So, you may be wondering if there is any way to stay safe when talking to someone who seems to be real.
There are a few ways to keep your heart and bank account safe when online dating. Here are the five best ways to keep your heart and bank account safe.
1. Look out for fake online dating profiles
If you’ve ever seen a dating profile with only one photo and a short or poorly written bio full of spelling and grammar mistakes, you might have thought it was a fake profile right away. Believe your gut. Online dating usually takes a lot of time and thought, and people who are doing it for the right reasons try to put their best foot forward. If the person you’re interested in hasn’t even filled out a profile completely, it’s likely that they’re not looking for a romantic relationship.
But even if a profile meets all the basic requirements, there may still be signs that it’s not real. It’s just a trick to get you to come in. Watch out for profiles that are well-written and only have photos that were taken and edited by professionals. If someone seems to be perfect (almost like a celebrity), you might want to do a reverse image search on Google. If the results lead to the social media profiles of a person with a different name, stock photos, or photos of models, you can be sure that they are either running a scam or just trying to catfish people.
In either case, the best thing to do is to stay away.
2. Be a little skeptical in your first interactions.
This step doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be friendly and easy to talk to with someone you think you might like or find attractive. But don’t immediately believe everything they tell you about themselves. Don’t give out too much personal information about yourself.
In the first conversation, obvious red flags for a scam could be a bad choice of words, trouble making sense, or messages that sound like they were sent by a machine.
On the other hand, you could get well-written messages that sound almost too perfect or even like they were rehearsed. You may also have to deal with the beginning of love bombing. It is a practice where you are told everything you want to hear. And made to feel like the most important person. It might not be that rare to fall in love at first sight. It’s also okay to question communication that seems too loving right away.
3. Pay close attention to how fast things move in the relationship.
Assuming you’ve already talked to someone you met online, start talking to them regularly. Even if everything seemed fine at first, there may still be clues that your friend is not telling you the whole truth. These could come up after a few days of normal talk.
As was said above, love bombing is the main one to watch out for. If there’s a sudden push to get off a dating app or take a relationship to the next level, you might want to think about why. In the end, if he or she wants to move through the stages of a relationship too quickly, you should be suspicious of their intentions.
Scammers on dating apps will often do everything they can to find out if their target is vulnerable or if they are easily persuaded by affectionate gestures. In these kinds of situations, one great way to protect yourself is to make sure that your needs and wants are also taken into account and that you don’t let someone push your limits just because they use nice words.
4. Be careful when your mood or situation changes quickly.
If none of the previous steps raised red flags and you’ve moved through a few stages of a relationship with someone you met online, then this next step is the most important one. After a few days or a few weeks of talking, pay attention to how they act.
This group also includes situations that go from happy to terrible very quickly. Even though bad things can happen to anyone at any time, you should be wary if your online love interest always has problems, especially if they have to do with money. The best thing to do is to talk to them honestly about what’s going on. Instead of giving them money right away, you might want to see how they react to advice.
5. Don’t talk to them or talk to them less if they ask for money.
This may seem like a no-brainer, but many smart people have been tricked slowly.
While giving money to a loved one or a close friend can be a part of the relationship as a whole. Giving someone money is not a key part of getting to know someone.
If someone asks for a lot of money, it may be easy to spot a scam. But small transactions may be easier to explain away, and scammers know this. Watch out for a mix of the other things we’ve talked about so far, as well as requests for money. Even if you plan to help, it might be a good idea to say no to a request at first to see how the person reacts. Most of the time, a con artist will react negatively right away and use pressure tactics. If you find yourself in this kind of situation, don’t give up. If you can, ask friends or family for help.