According to experts, bad grammar structure, strange word choices and linguistic gymnastics are other signs of a foreign scammer.
When you are getting strange emails, have a critical look at the sentence structures, online scammers tend to use simple diction. If it’s weird, ask lots of questions. Where are you from? Where were you educated?
I was one of those targeted a few years ago when I had no clue about online dating scams. I received a heartwarming email from someone who I suspected was a guy but claimed to be a lady from one of the Western African countries.
She stated in the email that a certain amount of money would be retrieved from some persons withholding her possessions if I could her carry out certain transactions.
There were chains of promises from her such as sharing the huge sum afterward, getting married, etc. These promises were so juicy that it had gripped my attention, thus, never delayed in responding her emails.
At this point, it was assumed that we were dating, our communication extended to other platforms and that made it easier. Eventually, I had to end all the saga when I realized that it came to the point of sending my bank details. This scenario is a typical red light alert of online dating scam.
That said, most individuals give more preference to finding their soul mate online, but there are security threats inherent, as well as the tendency to getting scammed.
Here are a few things you have in your mind
Pay Attention to their Stunning Photos
The profile of an online dating scammer is usually not fabricated, including the pictures. The photos they upload as their profile photo grips your attention, not even is average looking. It’s always stunning, just like the one sent to me.
“They are catfishing [stealing] existing photos from social media, so they pick pictures they know will resonate with their target audience,’ a spokesperson for Scamalytics told FEMAIL.
‘The women’s photos tend to be rather booby, pouty selfies whereas the men’s are often taken by someone else (as they are pictures of men in their late forties, who are unlikely to take selfies).”
Fabrication of Wealth Stories
One of the strategies they use is fabricating an illusion of their claimed wealth. They send you pictures of houses, exotic cars all in a bid for you to believe what they claim to have. They tell you to offer them a loan for some wield reasons, probably for them to have access to the wealth they pretend to have.
Geographical Problem
No online scammer will want to meet you one on one; distance is an issue. The reasons are wide-ranging but practical. Scammers operate out of foreign countries, although their profile says they reside close.
Their photographs are also likely of someone else, and that would be tough to explain in person. The reasons to shy aware from meeting you are very generic.
Here are some of the recommendations by online experts:
– Stay chatting to people using the online dating site’s messenger function. Scammers will try to get you off the site, so your conversation isn’t monitored
– Be wary if someone is using very flowery or overly romantic language on their profile
– Use Google’s reverse image search to check where a photo is used elsewhere on the web. If the person is real, it should just bring up their social media
– Cut and paste sections of someone’s dating profile into Google to see if the profile contains phrases used by known scammers – there are databases available online
– Scammers are often not native English speakers, so there may be weird expressions, or pigeon English, in a scammer’s online dating profile
– Don’t give out sensitive personal information to someone you meet online – including your date of birth, address, and bank details.
In conclusion, I think everyone should be careful about online dating. The few tips I have shared with you will go a long way in helping you spot the red light of an online scammer.
