Dating Sites & Scam
Unfortunately, the internet is full of scammers. Most dating sites are full of
them, and many don't bother to get rid of scammers - because scammers look good... scammers use model
photos, have nice profiles, and that attracts more members. Connecting Singles is different - we take
great effort to get rid of scammers. Scores of suspicious profiles are deleted each day, however,
scammers get smarter and some slip through the scam screens. You can help by reporting them to us, so we can
remove them.
Current scams
Scammer needs money for bus fare or gas to travel to meet you.
Scammer may exchange emails with you for
days or much longer, you may talk on the phone, until the two of you decide to meet.
The scammer cannot afford it, but offers to drive to meet you (or take a plane or bus), and
requests money to help pay for this. After you send the money, you never hear from them again - or you will receive ongoing excuses to delay the trip.
Scammer has a hard luck story and asks for your help.
Scammer is sick or has a sick parent or child, or is stuck in a
country and they need your help. They are very good at making you feel sorry
for them. You may feel inclined to help them and send them money. This is a
scam!
Scammer says he/she is starting a charity and needs your donations.
This is a scam! Real charitable organizations
do not use dating services to get donations! Think about it!
Scammer offers you money.
Scammer is planning to visit your city or country and wants to send money ahead for use while there. They are going to 'trust' you to cash the checks for them.
They may want you to buy something with the money and send to them - or their trip falls through and they ask you to send the money back. Scammer sends you counterfeit cashiers checks and you end up losing the money you sent to them. Not only that, but you
may be found guilty of cashing bogus checks.
Another scenario is that the scammer finds out that you have a need for money and loans you a large amount with cashiers checks. You may be threatened when you are not able to pay it back right away.
Scammer pushes you for your email address, phone number, or other personal information early-on
They may use the excuse that they cannot upload a photo to the site but want to email you some photos. Facts: If they can email a photo to you, they can email a photo to the site to be added to their profile for free. The scammer is creating email address lists
which will be sold worldwide and used for all sorts of purposes.
Warning Signs to watch for
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Scammers use photos of models from modeling sites or from magazines.
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Scammers often ask for your email address right away, or give you
theirs. They want to communicate off site as soon as possible. Beware that some are
building email lists.
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The member has a hard luck story, they make you feel sorry for them, and
they ask for help or money, or get you to offer it because you are 'such a nice person'.
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The member offers you money. They will do this to gain your trust. They will
send counterfeit cashiers checks which will eventually bounce at your bank and get you into trouble.
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The member is from Africa (especially Nigeria). There are large
banks of computers with people paid to sit at the computer all day and scam
innocent hard working people. It is a $100 million dollar business!!
Africa is not within the Connecting Singles membership area, but sometimes they slip
through registration.
Report Them!
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The member is from Russia or Ukraine. There are agencies who enter large numbers of fake profiles on dating sites. They use
good looking pictures of women to scam lovesick
men into sending them money to come to their country or to help them with their personal or family problems.
The scam could also include credit card fraud, excessive charges to an affiliated travel company, etc.
The photo is a fake and is not the person you are writing to.
The girls are not real and you will never see the person you are writing to.
Russia and Ukraine etc. are not within the Connecting Singles membership
area, but sometimes they slip through registration.
Report Them!
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The member speaks or writes in very broken English. A lot of scammers will run their profiles
through automated translators, and their profiles and emails will sound very strange:
EXAMPLE:
I rather nice girl. At me brown eyes, light hair. My growth of 170 centimeters.
I like to carry sexual frank linen of a house. As I very strictly look at work.
I like to vary. I can be strict, impudent as I can be very gentle and tender.
EXAMPLE:
i am an humble and god fearing man and am soughting for a
woman that can really makes me go distance.And she needs be ready to cope with
me asap.
EXAMPLE:
About itself I never thought that appearance of the person has the big value. I
can tell about myself only that I attractive. For me the most important in the
person - soul. I like to communicate, learn something new. I never stop on
achieved. I always go forward, not looking that in life there are failures.
For whom I search I always dreamed of strong family. Children in family will be
not important how many, whether there will be children in general. What loved
did not betray each other that they would trust is important for me and
understood each other. It is important to love really. It is important to give
the second half all love to give itself. Probably, I search for the one who
thinks as well as I.
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Scammers, who don't know English, often do not even know what their emails say.
Sometimes, they will put the same letter in their profile narrative that they use to mass email people with.
EXAMPLE (from a profile narrative, NOT AN EMAIL):
My name is Douglas Tim,am 49 years, single and am from the state.I saw your
profile on here and love to be a friend at least to know how things go.Am an
operator and also a father of one grown kid.searching for a real relationship
felt may be u could help as a friend cos i can just resist not getting to know
you more better and i would love to meet you in person to talk more on my
yahoo.com I.D if you have one you can add mine.... so
we can talk and get to know more of eachother ...Will be waiting for your reply
or through an offline with my yahoo i.d cos my SON said "Dad you need someone
after some years of being alone"....please i will be waiting for your reply.
Best Regards
Douglas
EXAMPLE (this was actually in a profile!):
hello seller. i am julia ann.am interested in your Accordions and i will like to buy it. i would like u to tell me the present condition of the Accordions i would not mind sending u a cashier cheque through my shipper i would like u to give me your full name and address and phone number okay hope to hear from u soon bye.
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Many scammers copy their profiles from other real profiles so they will sound
perfect.
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Scammers often write flattering letters to people out of their age range, to those who have stated loneliness in
their profile, or to recently widowed
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Scammers give you a lot of personal information right away making you comfortable and
willing to share your own personal info with them. They will often make up a first and last name and put it in their profile,
to make you feel safe. They will often use common names like "Greg Williams" or "Jane Smith". If someone puts their first name and last name in a profile, it is probably a scammer!
EXAMPLE (taken from a scammer profile out of Nigeria):
I am Henry Elvis from Takoma Park, Maryland, USA. I am
really from Mahe-Victoria, Seychelles. I am Graduade of Anglia Polytechnic
University, Essex,UK and also a Diploma Holder in Graphics Design from Brooks
College, Utah,USA. I am cool and Handsome, Nice to be with and I like
Travelling, Swimming and Playing Football and at the same time like surfing
Internet and Programming, as part of my Job.
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Scammers wants you to leave the site to use personal email or IM because “it's so much
easier” – may actually state they will not accept responses through the dating
site.
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Mail to you is often poetic, sing-songy, pretty words with no meaning, general
flattery, generic, does not directly address questions or concerns you have
voiced or remarks you have made, uses a lot of seductive or pet nicknames for
you instead of your name. They keep things general so they can send the same letter to many people (mass mail).
What you can do
The best thing to do is avoid these people, don't waste your time on them. If
you see scammers on this site, report scammers
to us, so that we can remove them from this site.
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FTC toll free hotline: 877-FTC-HELP (877-382-4357)
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FTC online complaint form (www.ftc.gov)
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Canadian PhoneBusters hotline: 888-495-8501
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Internet Fraud Complaint Center (www.ic3.gov)
Report Scam
Have fun. Be safe.
Think with your head, not with your heart.
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