Q:Top 13 warning signs that a member is a Scammer?

Scammers use photos of models from modeling sites or from magazines.

Scammers often contact people far older than they are. If the person contacting you is 20+ years younger than you are, it might be a scammer. 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

Scammers often ask for your email address right away, or give you theirs. They want to communicate off site as soon as possible. Beware they may be building email lists.

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'.

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.

The member is from your country but travels for their job (working an oil rig, buying antiques, etc.). They have lost their ID and money and have been arrested or injured and urgently need money to get back home.

The member is from Africa (especially West Africa, Lagos, Senegal, Ghana, Cote d'Ivoire). 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.

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.

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.

Here is an 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. I view your structure on this site and find it good"

NOTE: Many scammers copy their profiles from other real profiles so they will sound perfect. They use model photos or photos sent to them by past victims. But their emails to you might still give it away.

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" or "Kenneth Cole". If someone puts their first name and last name in a profile, it is probably a scammer!

Here's an example (taken from a 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."

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 this dating site.

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).

Scammer gives you the name of another website and asks you to meet them there (ask yourself why when you are both here on a free site) or they will invite you to view them on a webcam or porn site. Be aware that some of these sites are setup only to gather personal info. You may be asked to enter your email address, credit card information or other personal info. You may end up with spyware or a virus on your computer.