Are you in contact with a love scammer?
Introduction:
The online social world brings many benefits, but it also carries many risks. Social networking sites and dating sites can be great places to reconnect with old friends and establish new relationships, but they are all too frequently infested with scammers who have learned to use them for their own purposes.
Fortunately, many of these scammers share common characteristics. Understanding and recognizing these characteristics can help you to identify many scammers from the start.
This post has been created to highlight and explain some of those characteristics. Note that this post contains a more "in-depth" look at scammers.
If you have started communicating with someone online, and he or she matches many of the characteristics described in this post, you are most likely dealing with a scammer. Please be aware that not all scammers are alike--if you are in an online relationship with someone who doesn't have many of these characteristics, it is still important to use caution, and be alert for signs that something "isn't right."
Remember: Never send money to someone you have not met face-to-face, in person.
Signs to look for in a social networking or dating site profile
1) Photos used by romance scammers
2) A typical Romance Scammer profile
Photos are an important part of a scammer's "toolkit." Scammers use photos to back up their storylines and make their characters seem more real. Scammers do not use photos of themselves, and they typically look nothing like the person in the photos they are using.
Where do scammer photos come from?
Scammers playing females:
A) When playing a female character, a scammer will typically use photos of someone ********** and highly attractive.
B) They will choose a source where they can copy multiple photos (and sometimes video) of the same woman, including "sexy" (e.g. swimsuit, lingerie, or nude) photos.
C) The most common sources of photos for scammers playing females are modeling sites and porn sites.
D) Scammers playing female characters will rarely re-use photos provided by scam victims.
Scammers playing males:
A) When playing a male, scammers may use model photos, but they may also use more "average" photos.
B) If using models, focushawaii.com is a favorite, but they could use any modeling site on the internet.
C) If using more "average" photos, they will often copy photos from a social networking site such as facebook, myspace or web albums sites like picasa, flickr etc.
D) Scammers playing male characters will occasionally reuse photos of previous male victims.
Searching for photos online
It is always a good idea to search for any photos you receive. There are currently many free tools to search for photos on the internet. I recommend searching for all photos you receive on "Search by Image" for Google.
Google Search by Image for Chrome:
https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/search-by-image-by-google/dajedkncpodkggklbegccjpmnglmnflm?hl=en
Google Search by Image for Firefox:
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-us/firefox/addon/google-search-by-image/
To use this extension, right click on an image on the web and select “Search Google with this image.”
The scammer's profile is the first thing his victim will see, and it is the first step in creating his "character." The scammer wants the profile to be appealing to his targets, while reinforcing the image he wants to portray.
Scammers playing male characters:
Romance is the primary tool used by scammers playing male characters. The scammer wants to create the impression that he is a romantic, mature, sympathetic, and family-oriented man.
Age:
Usually between 35 and 65.
Profession:
Scammers playing males choose professions that make them appear to be successful and reliable. They also choose professions that can explain why they are not in their "home country." Favorite choices include:
Engineer
Architect
International antique/jewelry/art dealer
Sports recruiter
Soldier serving in a war zone
Other characteristics:
Scammers want to look innocent, reliable, and free of "bad" habits. While not every scammer is the same, most often they will claim:
non-smoker
non-drinker or occasional drinker only
religious or "God-fearing"
single (widower or divorced) father. If widowed, the wife was killed in an accident or died of cancer; if divorced, the wife was responsible (either cheated or was a d**g addict/alcoholic/etc.)
Scammer's description of his character:
Some scammers write their own descriptive text, while others may copy much of it from legitimate dating site profiles. As a result, the quality of the English may vary widely. If the scammer has written anything himself, the English will likely be poor, and it will reinforce the qualities he wants his victims to see. Common words/phrases include:
honest
trustworthy
caring
searching for soulmate
loving
tired of games
What the scammer is searching for:
In reality, the scammer is searching for anyone who will pay! He will make his criteria quite wide to allow him to approach a large number of potential victims:
Age Range: very wide
Preferences regarding drinking/smoking: none
Want c***dren: doesn't matter
Scammers playing female characters:
Note that we continue to use "he" in this description. This is because the character may be female, but the scammer behind the character is typically male.
Sex is the primary tool used by scammers playing female characters. The scammer wants to create the impression that he is a beautiful, naive, vulnerable, and submissive young woman who is waiting for a man to come and rescue her.
Age:
Usually between 18 and 35
Profession:
Scammers playing females usually choose "feminine" jobs that make them appear to be compassionate and non-threatening. They may choose jobs that can explain why they are not in their "home country." Favorite choices include:
Nurse/aid worker
Fashion model
International antique/jewelry/art dealer
Interior decorator
no job/ refugee or dependent on family
Note: On rare occasion, the scammer will play the role of a female soldier in the standard "military scam."
Other characteristics:
Scammers want to look innocent, naive, and free of "bad" habits. While not every scammer is the same, most often they will claim:
non-smoker
non-drinker or occasional drinker only
religious or "God-fearing"
never married / no c***dren
Scammer's description of his character:
Some scammers write their own descriptive text, while others may copy much of it from legitimate dating site profiles. As a result, the quality of the English may vary widely. If the scammer has written anything himself, the English will likely be poor, and it will reinforce the qualities he wants his victims to see. Common words/phrases when playing a female include:
honest
caring
searching for soulmate
loving
new to the online dating world
has been hurt before
doesn't like cheaters or liars
What the scammer is searching for:
In reality, the scammer is searching for anyone who will pay! He will make his criteria quite wide to allow his character to approach a large number of potential victims:
Age Range: very wide (e.g. 25-99)
Preferences regarding drinking/smoking: none
Want c***dren: doesn't matter
The online social world brings many benefits, but it also carries many risks. Social networking sites and dating sites can be great places to reconnect with old friends and establish new relationships, but they are all too frequently infested with scammers who have learned to use them for their own purposes.
Fortunately, many of these scammers share common characteristics. Understanding and recognizing these characteristics can help you to identify many scammers from the start.
This post has been created to highlight and explain some of those characteristics. Note that this post contains a more "in-depth" look at scammers.
If you have started communicating with someone online, and he or she matches many of the characteristics described in this post, you are most likely dealing with a scammer. Please be aware that not all scammers are alike--if you are in an online relationship with someone who doesn't have many of these characteristics, it is still important to use caution, and be alert for signs that something "isn't right."
Remember: Never send money to someone you have not met face-to-face, in person.
Signs to look for in a social networking or dating site profile
1) Photos used by romance scammers
2) A typical Romance Scammer profile
Photos are an important part of a scammer's "toolkit." Scammers use photos to back up their storylines and make their characters seem more real. Scammers do not use photos of themselves, and they typically look nothing like the person in the photos they are using.
Where do scammer photos come from?
Scammers playing females:
A) When playing a female character, a scammer will typically use photos of someone ********** and highly attractive.
B) They will choose a source where they can copy multiple photos (and sometimes video) of the same woman, including "sexy" (e.g. swimsuit, lingerie, or nude) photos.
C) The most common sources of photos for scammers playing females are modeling sites and porn sites.
D) Scammers playing female characters will rarely re-use photos provided by scam victims.
Scammers playing males:
A) When playing a male, scammers may use model photos, but they may also use more "average" photos.
B) If using models, focushawaii.com is a favorite, but they could use any modeling site on the internet.
C) If using more "average" photos, they will often copy photos from a social networking site such as facebook, myspace or web albums sites like picasa, flickr etc.
D) Scammers playing male characters will occasionally reuse photos of previous male victims.
Searching for photos online
It is always a good idea to search for any photos you receive. There are currently many free tools to search for photos on the internet. I recommend searching for all photos you receive on "Search by Image" for Google.
Google Search by Image for Chrome:
https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/search-by-image-by-google/dajedkncpodkggklbegccjpmnglmnflm?hl=en
Google Search by Image for Firefox:
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-us/firefox/addon/google-search-by-image/
To use this extension, right click on an image on the web and select “Search Google with this image.”
The scammer's profile is the first thing his victim will see, and it is the first step in creating his "character." The scammer wants the profile to be appealing to his targets, while reinforcing the image he wants to portray.
Scammers playing male characters:
Romance is the primary tool used by scammers playing male characters. The scammer wants to create the impression that he is a romantic, mature, sympathetic, and family-oriented man.
Age:
Usually between 35 and 65.
Profession:
Scammers playing males choose professions that make them appear to be successful and reliable. They also choose professions that can explain why they are not in their "home country." Favorite choices include:
Engineer
Architect
International antique/jewelry/art dealer
Sports recruiter
Soldier serving in a war zone
Other characteristics:
Scammers want to look innocent, reliable, and free of "bad" habits. While not every scammer is the same, most often they will claim:
non-smoker
non-drinker or occasional drinker only
religious or "God-fearing"
single (widower or divorced) father. If widowed, the wife was killed in an accident or died of cancer; if divorced, the wife was responsible (either cheated or was a d**g addict/alcoholic/etc.)
Scammer's description of his character:
Some scammers write their own descriptive text, while others may copy much of it from legitimate dating site profiles. As a result, the quality of the English may vary widely. If the scammer has written anything himself, the English will likely be poor, and it will reinforce the qualities he wants his victims to see. Common words/phrases include:
honest
trustworthy
caring
searching for soulmate
loving
tired of games
What the scammer is searching for:
In reality, the scammer is searching for anyone who will pay! He will make his criteria quite wide to allow him to approach a large number of potential victims:
Age Range: very wide
Preferences regarding drinking/smoking: none
Want c***dren: doesn't matter
Scammers playing female characters:
Note that we continue to use "he" in this description. This is because the character may be female, but the scammer behind the character is typically male.
Sex is the primary tool used by scammers playing female characters. The scammer wants to create the impression that he is a beautiful, naive, vulnerable, and submissive young woman who is waiting for a man to come and rescue her.
Age:
Usually between 18 and 35
Profession:
Scammers playing females usually choose "feminine" jobs that make them appear to be compassionate and non-threatening. They may choose jobs that can explain why they are not in their "home country." Favorite choices include:
Nurse/aid worker
Fashion model
International antique/jewelry/art dealer
Interior decorator
no job/ refugee or dependent on family
Note: On rare occasion, the scammer will play the role of a female soldier in the standard "military scam."
Other characteristics:
Scammers want to look innocent, naive, and free of "bad" habits. While not every scammer is the same, most often they will claim:
non-smoker
non-drinker or occasional drinker only
religious or "God-fearing"
never married / no c***dren
Scammer's description of his character:
Some scammers write their own descriptive text, while others may copy much of it from legitimate dating site profiles. As a result, the quality of the English may vary widely. If the scammer has written anything himself, the English will likely be poor, and it will reinforce the qualities he wants his victims to see. Common words/phrases when playing a female include:
honest
caring
searching for soulmate
loving
new to the online dating world
has been hurt before
doesn't like cheaters or liars
What the scammer is searching for:
In reality, the scammer is searching for anyone who will pay! He will make his criteria quite wide to allow his character to approach a large number of potential victims:
Age Range: very wide (e.g. 25-99)
Preferences regarding drinking/smoking: none
Want c***dren: doesn't matter
12年前
