There are many fake accounts on dating apps and websites. These scammers comes in many forms. They can pretend to be interested in someone and then after building up trust, ask for money. They can also be someone who is lonely or bored and playing games online with no intention of meeting.
Not every scammer will have all of these red flags. One should be a warning and the more red flags there are the faster you should report them.
Here are ways to tell if someone you met online is a fake or scam.
- The fake phone number- Scammers use a fake online phone number (also known as VOIP). This is the most common scammer technique of all. The scammers can get a US phone number even when they are overseas. It is easy to spot these numbers by looking them up on a website like www.WhitePages.com
Companies used most by scammers are Google Voice, Sybase365 and Textnow. - Two first names – for some reason scammers really like first names. They might say their name is Jason Roy or Becca Jennifer.
- The texter – Scammers only want to chat online or text. A scammer doesn’t want you to hear their voice and realize they have an accent and barely speak English. If you try calling them they will often respond by text but never call back
- Fake photos – You can do an online image search to find out if they are using photos that are stolen from the internet. (Check out our page on how to find someone by their pictures)
- Refusing to video chat – Anyone can steal a bunch of pics from Facebook and claim to be that person. There are also those people who use old photos and no longer look like that. If you ask a scammer to video chat they will always make an excuse because then you would know what they really look like.
- Not wanting to meet – Scammers want to chat through apps or text because the sooner you make plans to meet, the more likely you are to discover their deception. If they put off meeting for more than a few weeks or always have an excuse they are most likely a scammer.
- The vague profile – Scammers rarely put a lot into their profile. If they do it is something generic that could describe anyone like “Looking for good man to build a relationship with” or “I love hiking and spending time with friends”. This is so the most people respond to their scam
- The vague reply – Scammers will often ignore questions you ask. This is because they don’t speak very good English and there replies are typically pre-written. If you ask “What is your favorite restaurant in our city?” odds are they won’t reply because they don’t know how to.
- Flattery – When they contact you scammers often talk about how attractive you are. They will rarely make a comment about something specific in your profile because they didn’t actually read it.
- Fast to love – The scammer will often tell you they have strong feelings for you before they even meet you
- Money – If they ask you for money for any reason before you have met in person several times, they are a scam.
2. The love you, sight unseen. “I love you“ is a statement that everyone wishes to hear, but how do you know if it’s real? Charlatans tell you they love you before they have ever met you in real life. Think about it: How do you know if there is real charisma there? Some people can sound great on the phone, but when you meet them there is nothing there; or, physically they just don’t meet your standards. How can someone honestly love you before having met you in person?
3. Too much, too fast. The other part of the “I love you” scam is when they say something like, “Something in me shifted, and I love you,” or, “I think I have found my soulmate.” Again, they haven’t even met you, and there hasn’t been enough time to know you well enough to truly love you in the way you wish to be loved. How can someone want to spend the rest of their life with you when he’s known you less than a month?
4. Going offline. There is a reason scammers wish for you to contact them directly via private email and not use messaging available through the dating site. Don’t fall for whatever their excuse is to write on a different app.
5. Avoiding questions. “How tall are you?” “What do you do for a living?” It’s almost as if their mail is sent automatically, like you are on their list and this is the next standard e-mail that is sent out. Them answering questions with questions instead of direct answers is another sign they are a scammer.
6. Playing phone games. First off, I don’t recommend meeting someone without talking on the phone or video chating first. If your calls are rarely answered or always goes to voicemail, you’re probably dealing with a scammer. There are a number of services where you can get a phone number with almost any prefix. Also, if they supposedly are overseas on a trip, and they give you their foreign number and says call any time, it is more likely their real number. Why? He’s more than willing for you to get the long-distance bill, versus them calling you.
7. They can’t meet or constantly make excuses for not meeting. Another indication that a scam may be going down is when there is a distance between where you both live. When you say you’ll be in the area and would like to get together, they can’t meet with you. This is a great test: Ask to meet soon after the introduction on the Internet. If there are continual excuses, then you know that person doesn’t really live where they say they do, and/or they aren’t truly interested in you.
8. It’s all about the money. Most people who earn a decent living wish to be wanted for who they are, not for their income. Yet, scammers will often indicate that they make more than $150,000 a year in an attempt to set up the person who wants to know them for their income, and not for themselves. This way, when they say they are in a a jam and need money, the unsuspecting person thinks the investment or loan will actually get reimbursed.
9. “How much money do you make?” Shortly after the introduction, the person asks about your financials as they are looking to find out what kind of person they are targeting. In other words, they really want to find out if you are worth their time to scam, and do you have financial resources to share. Think about your friendships — do they ask you about your financials? Not many do, especially when you’ve not known each other for very long.
10. Their photos are fake. Ask them to send you a picture of holding up a certain number of finger. When the exact same pictures show up that are on the Internet, it is an indication that the pictures may not really be of them, or why wouldn’t they send a different set of pictures? (Do a Google Image search to see if their photo shows up on stock photo sites or catalogs.) Notice the background in the pictures posted online. Pictures of scammers are often taken in hotel rooms or foreign countries. Real people have normal pictures.
11. He wants to “borrow” money from you. It’s easy for a scam to be set up by a foreigner, even one who is not currently in the United States. One of the more popular scams is to pretend to be a resident who has either recently moved to the States in the last two years, or who is in the process of moving here. Here’s how it goes: He gets called back to their home country to do a lucrative job with either really important people or for a really good commission or a big paycheck. Once overseas, something horrible happens that leaves them broke or close to broke—his money got stolen from the hotel, the taxi driver stole it, the airlines forced them to check their luggage and their money was in it. Whatever the reason, a smart person, or one who travels, knows better than to let it occur. He asks you for a temporary loan. Think about this. Why you? Doesn’t he have any friends or family that could help them out if the situation was true? How much money is being requested? Is the amount of money being requested realistic for the situation described? Be aware that the person may ask that you send money via DHL, or another global service to a name, other than their or her own. This is a huge red flag, as they must show ID to collect the money, so their “friend’s” name is more likely their real name. Either way, do you really want to get involved with this person? Ask yourself how desperate are you for a relationship? Scammers count on that desperation.
13. Control by guilt. Most people are basically good people and want to help. So, if you start to get suspicious and ask if this is a scam, he will most often get mad and attempt to make you feel guilty. Then, he must create a new heartfelt situation that requires you to send money.
14. He uses lovely speech. He writes letters filled with love, as if the letters were written right out of a romantic novel. Listen to how often flattery is used. He just met you, so how can he give honest flattery?
In addition to the warning signs above, here are some of the commonalties among scammers. Remember, they have a plethora of these, but not necessarily all of these traits.
- The name consists of two first names like “Tom Ryan” or “Julie Samantha”.
- They are a foreigner or have an accent.
- They rarely call and would rather text through an app.
- The facts that they give you don’t check out. Example: They are not on the alumni list of the college they say they are attended.
- They must travel overseas shortly after meeting you.
- They makes promises that are unrealistic.
In summary, be smart about dating on the Internet. If the new person cannot meet you in person within the first two to three weeks of chatting or writing online, than it is unlikely they are sincere about wanting to find someone and meet at all. If they are moving too fast and declaring their love, that is a manipulation technique scammers often use.
Constantly ask yourself, how desperate are you? The more desperate to find someone, the easier it is for you to fall victim to a scammer.