Thanks to affection scams carried out on online or social dating sites, every year thousands of Europeans and non-Europeans looking for love end up with nothing but a broken heart and an empty wallet.

Although online dating and social media sites have become increasingly popular tools for finding love and friendship, they have unfortunately also become popular tools for scammers known as romantic scammers. These scammers create fake profiles with false identities to lure victims, establish romantic (often romantic) relationships and ultimately extort money without the victim noticing.

With the expansion of ATM installations, scammers have found easier ways to circumvent and scam their victims by instructing them how to behave and what to do in front of a cryptocurrency ATM and are often followed in real time using telegram or whatsapp chat. This is why it is necessary to warn your customers about this scam.

What is love scam and who are romantic scammers?

The romantic scammer introduces himself as a doctor, a professor, an officer, he tells of having suffered a tragedy, losing his wife and children and of being looking for a woman with whom to forge a solid bond.

He is beautiful, but unfortunately he is not the same person who is behind the screen, who has endless chat conversations by being kind and caring and too seductive.

After some time he starts asking for large amounts of money, justifying a sudden financial problem or making up any other excuse, while promising to pay it all back once they meet. The appointment, however, will never happen because once the payment has been made, the mysterious suitor disappears permanently from circulation or goes back to office by inventing any other excuse by seducing his victim and making her feel important for the sole purpose of stealing more money.

This phenomenon is better known as an affective or romantic scam, precisely because the person who carries it out seduces the victim, pretending to be a man or woman interested in knowing her and starting a romantic relationship: unfortunately, however, those who hide behind the keyboard nurture completely interests. distant and exploits seduction as a means to obtain an economic advantage.

According to authoritative sources, in the United States and Canada alone it is estimated a loss of 1 billion dollars in the last years of the affective scam. Older users, in particular, are more often targeted by this type of scam, and most don’t realize they’re a victim until it’s too late.

In this article, we will identify common online dating scams and offer some tips on how to tell if someone is scamming you and give some information on how to report such a scammer if you or someone you love has fallen victim to.

The 4 common signs of a romantic scammer (love scam)

1. Romantic scammers profess their love quickly, with no real encounter.

Often, the first sign of an online dating scam is when a romantic scammer expresses strong emotions in a relatively short period of time. They might even say they’re in love with you, but it’s a tactic they’re using to make you give up personal details and answers to the security questions you use to lock your internet accounts. Carefully protect your personal information and be careful if a new love interest requires personal details immediately after contact.

2. Romantic scammers claim they need money for emergencies, hospital bills, or travel.

Be wary of anyone asking you for financial assistance, no matter how serious their circumstances seem. If you come across any of these storylines when talking to a new love interest on the internet, there’s a good chance they’re scamming you.

“I need money to help a sick relative.”
“I need a loan to pay for my plane ticket so we can meet.”
“I need some money to start a business.”
“I am a son of a prince, king, lawyer, doctor, famous businessman, soldier in the army, architect who needs money because I have lost my documents.”
“I need money to finish a loved one’s funeral.”
“I am a member of the US overseas service and I need the money.”
“I’ve been scammed and I need money to pay my business taxes.”
“I lost my papers and ran out of money.”

3. Online romantic scammers try to lure you off the dating site.

Scammers often persuade victims to leave the dating site and use personal email or instant messaging to continue communicating. At first, this may not sound like a wake-up call. When you meet someone, you will naturally want to go beyond the dating site and use other forms of communication. Be very cautious when someone asks you for your phone number or email address. This makes it even easier for them to access your personal information.

If you want to communicate outside the dating site, set up an alternate email address or use an instant messaging app that’s not linked to any personal information like your primary email and phone number.

4. Romantic scammers intend to physically meet you, but they always cancel the appointment given for some “emergency”.

If a suitor like this makes plans to visit you but always seems to change their plans at the last second due to a traumatic event, family drama or business loss, you should be very careful and suspicious of them. he she. Often their cancellation will be accompanied by a short-term loan application. Look for someone to say something like, “I really want to know you, but I can’t buy a plane ticket right now because of ………………… If you buy me a ticket, I’ll pay you back! I just want to be with you. “

Tips to avoid affective scam

Once you know how to tell if someone is scamming you, you should easily understand the real scammers by avoiding online dating scams and you will keep better online safety. However, we recommend that you take the following precautions when using dating and social media sites to meet people:

Cross-checking and verification.
Conduct an online search to verify the legitimacy of the person’s name, photo, location, email address, and other details.

Slow down and talk to someone you trust.
Talk to a friend or family member about your situation and discuss your next steps with them. A romantic scammer might try to isolate you from friends and family or push you to make impulsive decisions on your own. Don’t let a scammer push you into making any kind of decisions.

NEVER send money.
Never transfer money, never put money on a gift card or cash recharge card or send money via bitcoin atm as they will instruct you where to go, how to do and what to say if you have any questions. Don’t do this because you will be scammed and will never get your money back.

If you have already sent money, please report it.

How to report this scam

If you are concerned that you or a loved one is the victim of an online dating scam, you should report your experience to the online dating or social media site you were on and report it to the Postal Police. To facilitate and help the victims, there are associations that can help you fill out the complaint form and give you moral support completely free. You can find more information at this link.

Conclusions

When you know how to report a dating scammer, it can be encouraging. Many times, victims who report a scam feel a sense of relief after notifying the authorities. Not only can it help with their personal circumstances, but it can also prevent people from falling victim to the romantic scammer in the future.When you know how to report a dating scammer, it can be encouraging. Many times, victims who report a scam feel a sense of relief after notifying the authorities. Not only can it help with their personal circumstances, but it can also prevent people from falling victim to the romantic scammer in the future.