It’s a worrying fact that dating fraud scams are on the rise. Mind you, it is hardly surprising, given that we are all susceptible to magical beliefs when it comes to love. Those of us who live alone have experienced significant social isolation during the pandemic could be especially at risk.
What can we do to protect ourselves? If you are reluctant (and rightly so), to suspect anyone of dishonesty when they are making a welcome romantic approach via the internet or on an App. It is in your best interests to raise your awareness of when you might need to take precautions and what to look out for.
- Check that the photos the person has sent you are genuine. Square photos may have been lifted from Instagram. Download and install the Fake Image Detector app from the Chrome or Firefox app stores. Open the app and choose from your gallery — this provides access to places where photos are stored on your phone so you can perform a reverse image search.
- View any request for money from someone you have not met in person as a red flag. This is not normal behaviour when dating, regardless of the alleged emergency. Ask yourself why this person apparently has no-one else to ask, even though you are a new acquaintance – does this seem plausible? Beware also any suggestion that they might transfer a large sum of money into your account temporarily – this is the first step towards emptying your account! If you are able to refuse these requests and the person ceases contact, you will know be able to identify their motives and congratulate yourself on a lucky escape.
- Ask for a video chat on a platform you trust. This should quickly establish if the person matches the photos you have. However, fraudsters can fake video calls. Look out for unclear images or hats and sunglasses to obscure a clear view of the person’s face.
- Do not be tempted to share any information about your financial status prior to establishing a proper relationship. If the person you are in touch with is genuine, they will be more interested in finding out about you than about what you have.
- If the person has relatively new social media accounts with few contacts and you are told that they were hacked previously, beware. They may have many of them. You could try a search for ‘fake doctor scam’ or whatever is relevant to what you have been told.
- If the person is with you, be vigilant and lock your phone and laptop. It is not unreasonable for someone to need to borrow your phone for a call or your laptop for a search, but any insistence on having your passwords should be refused.
- Take care not to reveal your pin numbers. There is nothing wrong with wanting to keep these private – resist any pressure put upon you.
- Anyone wishing to con you is going to be very plausible and will play on your vulnerability. This can happen to anyone. Many of those who have fallen victim report feelings of shame that they were taken in, but when you are seeking to establish a relationship, it is only natural to want to be seen as kind and caring. Anyone professing to be working away from home for long periods as a reason for not meeting up, luring you off the dating site because they are leaving it themselves, anyone bombarding you with messages and declaring love too quickly, should all be doubted. They could of course be genuine, but it is hard to tell. You have to decide if the risk is worth taking.
- Be realistic. This one is the hardest of all. We all want the fairy tale, but it is wise to question what is happening if someone much younger or more attractive, who would not typically show interest in you, approaches you.
All this sounds grim, doesn’t it? The message here is that it is essential to aware of the risks involved. There is another, safe way of finding a partner:
Join Sara Eden.
1.We interview everyone who wants to join and we make extensive checks even before inviting them for interview. If we consider them unsuitable in any way for our members to meet, they will not be invited to join.
2.Everyone you meet will be genuine, likeminded and share your goal of finding a suitable partner for a committed relationship. You will find that our members are well educated, have been successful in their chosen fields and are financially independent.
3.We want anyone we match you with to be meeting you because they are interested in you as a person, not due to what they might discover about you online, so your profile will not reveal exactly where you live, nor your surname. If that is not enough to prevent anyone finding information about you prior to meeting, there are other measures we can take – please ask if you require these.
It’s worth considering…..
Angela
