Scambusters—Avoid Online Dating Scammers
Today there are about 8000 online dating services in the world, and every year their number is increasing by a thousand. According to global online dating market analysis by 2020 the volume of it will grow to $12 billion. And such a big scale of the industry attracts online dating scammers. Almost all popular dating applications are vulnerable to hackers, which endangers the safety of users’ data. But cybersecurity is far from the only problem. To help you avoid mail order brides site scams, we will share the most common ways of dangerous behavior and see how to choose trusted mail order brides websites.
Are all mail order brides sites a scam?
The vast majority of modern mail order brides platforms require ID verification of women that want to create a profile on the site. Sometimes even men are required to pass it too. Later on, we’ll show you a quick guide on how to pick mail order brides sites that are legit and make users undergo verification, but now let’s explore the examples of the common dating sites scams.
Common mail order bride scam tactics and scam sites that use them
Unfortunately, mail order bride scam is something that is stopping thousands of singles to find their soulmate online. No one wants to be disappointed or lose money. To help you avoid being scammed we’ve made a rundown of the most common tactics that dishonest sites and people use. Both websites themselves and members can be involved in scamming. Keep on reading to find out all the details!
Scam apps and sites hacking phones and PCs
Some scammers are very ‘creative’ and are eager to go all out of their way to make money of the innocent people looking for love. For example, one of the apps that looks like one of the popular matchmaking apps is a banking Trojan that requires the user to grant it extended rights (this option is designed for people with disabilities). After getting these rights, the malware issues itself all the possible permissions and steals the user’s money.
Among other things sites do, there is purchasing of personal details, and platforms like FindBride pay women to get their personal details. So, it’s always wise to be extra careful when downloading something to your PC or phone.
“Help ASAP” or tearful stories
The main goal of such mail-order bride scams is to make you send money to a woman you found on a dating site. The platform might look ordinary, but the behavior of ladies there is far from it. For example, the vast majority of women on CherryBlossoms will almost right away overshare personal details and tearful situations to make you feel sorry and send financial help to support her, her sick mother, or a child. Or a girl can start reassuring that she fell in love right away and wants to meet ASAP, but for example, needs money for tickets or a hotel room. And after you send money, in 99%, a lady just disappears.
Hunt for the Green Card
Living in the US is a dream of many women, as the residence gives a lot of great opportunities. Chasing the American dream, girls on RuBrides are looking just at the benefits of the marriage with a foreigner, but not true love.
Catfishing
A big problem is not just mail order bride sites but also social media. Sometimes it’s even hard to recognize a girl IRL from her social media pics, as it may look like two different people. With modern filters and other changing faces and bodies tools, it’s quite easy to fake photos, and it is even easier to fake personal details. On the DreamMarriage site, you need to be aware and don’t get in the trap of the 50-year-old woman from the middle of nowhere that pretends to be a 25-year-old beauty from the capital city. She might not be hunting for your money and just wants more attention from men, but it is still a scam you need to know.
How to avoid sсams dating online?
There is no dating scammer list that you can check to see if the site you like is a trustworthy one, yet some of them we’ve mentioned. All of the scams above aren’t just unpleasant experiences. You can waste a lot of time, be emotionally hurt, and also get a huge financial loss. To keep away from such bad situations, follow our quick guide on choosing a trustworthy platform for dating.
- Check professional reviews
- See if the site you pick has singles that match your type and it offers services that cover all your needs.
- Don’t join sites that are badly designed. If the site can’t afford the development of good design and navigation, it’s not the one you’d be a member of. Remember that scammers don’t like to put in extra money.
- Make sure that payment gateways are secure and pricing is clear
- Check out the availability of refunds
- Don’t send money to strangers. Even if the stranger is a gorgeous woman asking for help.
- If you see scamming red flags stop communication immediately
- Try to arrange IRL meetings or at least video calls. Seeing your beauty in real-time is the best way to check that you are talking to the real person.
Also, don’t forget that you can report suspicious profiles. If you are sure that a lady that you are talking with is not who she claims to be, contact member support. Reliable dating sites will always be happy to help.
Final thoughts
Even though there are different scam ways, thankfully they are more of an exception than a tendency. The competition in the dating niche is very high and dating sites and apps value their user’s trust and are ready to go above and beyond to ensure the safety of their members. So, The majority of ladies online on reliable dating platforms are just singles looking to have some fun, flirt, date, or find a husband. Of course, scams can happen but it’s not a reason to give up on looking for love online!
