Finding your partner through dating websites is an important way for modern people to "get out of singles." There are also a huge number of dating apps around the world. However, finding a partner on dating apps can go wrong!
Despite repeated public warnings from police, dating scams continue. The surge in the use of dating apps and social media has expanded the reach of scammers and affected victims around the world, who in some cases may have lost their life savings in a single attack. So, as ordinary people, how to identify whether the person on the dating app is a liar?
All scams are traceable! A study claims it can help people spot romance scammers and navigate dating apps safely by sharing the characteristics of scammers on dating apps. Most research has been related to the profile of romance scams, either by creating process models to describe how scams evolve, or by examining the language patterns and persuasion strategies used when communicating with victims.
Things can go wrong when looking for a partner on dating apps, watch out for these signs!
We combed through hundreds of documents looking for romance scam profiles and potential victims, and found that typical romance scammers have the following characteristics:
1. The perfect profile
Romance scams start by making your profile look perfect. Depending on the country they live in, the profile of these romance scammers can vary. While Filipinos lure others with fictitious careers in sales, Italians pretend to be real estate agents.
2. Canceling meetings for various reasons
Promising to meet up and then canceling is a red flag, as is finding any reason to avoid taking photos. They often claim to live or work abroad, will send you a copy of a stolen passport to "prove" their identity, but will find various excuses to delay meeting in the first place. Even if they agree to a face-to-face video call, it could be faked by stealing real video footage from other people's social media profiles or even using artificial intelligence to create "deepfakes" (doctored video and audio).
3. Military machismo
Many people who commit romance scams don military uniforms and pretend to serve their country. The reason for this is to project an air of dominance. This way, they can control their partner's emotions. Later, they went a step further and pretended they had no access to their bank accounts. They do this to request emergency cash. Once the job is done, they disappear with the money. To gain sympathy, they will pretend to have a medical emergency and say they need to support a family member.
4. Sweet word play
Scammers know the art of wordplay. They will praise you lavishly. They may even give you nicknames. This all goes to show how much they want a partner. However, flattery can win them over before asking for payment.
5. Ask for money
If by any chance, these women don't need flattery and are already in a relationship with a scammer, then this is a perfect opportunity for the romance scammer to ask for money. Either they offer "investment opportunities" to defraud you in a roundabout way, or they make excuses to ask you to transfer money directly.
Research has found that these scammers target women who lack the expertise and understanding of what fraud is. The women typically range in age from 35 to 54 years. Therefore, you must keep your eyes peeled when making friends online. It is best not to have financial contacts without knowing the other party’s true identity and intentions. Once the other party makes a request to borrow money, transfer money, invest, etc., you must think twice before making any request to avoid providing opportunities for criminals.
