In our era of the Internet, online dating seems to be a perfect tool for lonely and shy people, but is online dating perfect? Unfortunately, for inexperienced users who are new to online dating, this tool may be very dangerous to use, and here is why.
We, after subscribing to dozens of questionable websites (we never recommend you do this because it is better to use good and trustworthy websites, such as romancecompassscam for every purpose related to online dating), and it seemed to us that the majority of users there were fakes and bots. Today, scammers often create fake accounts to, in one way or another, steal money from normal users or obtain their personal information.
Using for free vs using premium
Almost every website requires you to create an account, and they do this for a couple of reasons. The first and most obvious reason is that every dating website exists to make money for its creators. This is not a secret, but it is we - users, are those who have chosen. Thus, if we didn't like the pricing policy of one or another website, we simply never bought the premium account there. The second reason is less obvious but no less important. Often on dating websites, you can see that standard users have hard times connected with users with premiums. Have you ever asked yourself why? People why are serious about finding a lifetime partner online, usually are pretty fine with paying some adequate amount of money to a website, because they want to raise their chances to find good partners. On the other hand, scammers can never know whether their efforts will pay off or not, so the majority of them never buy premium subscriptions.
How online scammers act to get what they want?
Online dating scammers have mastered the skill of creating fake profiles. Even the best online dating websites may have problems with detecting those fake profiles. After creating the profile, scammers try to get to know their victims. This explains why your new online dating partner is so curious about your life and habits. Scammers fake real interest, and use this information to give you what you want to her, but only until they can use you. As soon as their victims fall in love with those fake images of people, scammers begin to create a depressive picture of their lives, claiming that they have financial problems, and so on. At this stage, they are very inventive and creative, so you may hear many different stories, but all those stories have the same final. Sooner or later, scammers begin to ask for money. They never do it openly, but they continuously bombard their partners with "their" problems, until their victims willingly send them money.
Who can become a victim?
In fact, everyone can become a victim of those people, since scammers "work" with all groups of people. Unfortunately, most often, they hit single men between 40 and 60 years old. Usually, those men are not experienced in dating and live with their partners. So, generally, the less you are experienced in dating and popular among the opposite gender, the higher the risk of becoming a victim of dating scammers. For this reason, it is important to be very careful and learn the main rules of online dating.
Is there a quick and simple way to detect a scammer?
First of all, it is crucial to understand that the "quicker" the way, the less accurate it is. But, yes, there is one way how with a certain accuracy, you can assume that this or that person is a scammer. The simplest way to detect a scammer is to analyze his or her photos. If you see that mostly they have staged photos with girls or boys looking like fashion models or even porn stars, then with 90% accuracy, you know that this is a scammer. Also, you can use Google to search for other copies of images that were posted on the Internet. If you see that someone else has posted those photos before and this person has a different name, it means that you have proof that this person is a scammer. With this prove, you can write to the administration to block the scammer's account.
Online Threat Alerts Security Tips
Pay the safest way
Credit cards are the safest way to pay for online purchases because you can dispute the charges if you never get the goods or services or if the offer was misrepresented. Federal law limits your liability to $50 if someone makes unauthorized charges to your account, and most credit card issuers will remove them completely if you report the problem promptly.
Guard your personal information
In any transaction you conduct, make sure to check with your state or local consumer protection agency and the Better Business Bureau (BBB) to see if the seller, charity, company, or organization is credible. Be especially wary if the entity is unfamiliar to you. Always call the number found on a website’s contact information to make sure the number legitimately belongs to the entity you are dealing with.
Be careful of the information you share
Never give out your codes, passwords or personal information, unless you are sure of who you're dealing with
Know who you’re dealing with
Crooks pretending to be from companies you do business with may call or send an email, claiming they need to verify your personal information. Don’t provide your credit card or bank account number unless you are actually paying for something and know who you are sending payment to. Your social security number should not be necessary unless you are applying for credit. Be especially suspicious if someone claiming to be from a company with whom you have an account asks for information that the business already has.
Check your accounts
Regularly check your account transactions and report any suspicious or unauthorised transactions.
Don’t believe promises of easy money
If someone claims that you can earn money with little or no work, get a loan or credit card even if you have bad credit, or make money on an investment with little or no risk, it’s probably a scam. Oftentimes, offers that seem too good to be true, actually are too good to be true.
Do not open email from people you don’t know
If you are unsure whether an email you received is legitimate, try contacting the sender directly via other means. Do not click on any links in an email unless you are sure it is safe.
Think before you click
If an email or text message looks suspicious, don’t open any attachments or click on the links.
Verify urgent requests or unsolicited emails, messages or phone calls before you respond
If you receive a message or a phone call asking for immediate action and don't know the sender, it could be a phishing message.
Be careful with links and new website addresses
Malicious website addresses may appear almost identical to legitimate sites. Scammers often use a slight variation in spelling or logo to lure you. Malicious links can also come from friends whose email has unknowingly been compromised, so be careful.
Secure your personal information
Before providing any personal information, such as your date of birth, Social Security number, account numbers, and passwords, be sure the website is secure.
Stay informed on the latest cyber threats
Keep yourself up to date on current scams by visiting this website daily.
Use Strong Passwords
Strong passwords are critical to online security.
Keep your software up to date and maintain preventative software programs
Keep all of your software applications up to date on your computers and mobile devices. Install software that provides antivirus, firewall, and email filter services.
Update the operating systems on your electronic devices
Make sure your operating systems (OSs) and applications are up to date on all of your electronic devices. Older and unpatched versions of OSs and software are the target of many hacks. Read the CISA security tip on Understanding Patches and Software Updates for more information.
What if You Got Scammed?
Stop Contact With The Scammer
Hang up the phone. Do not reply to emails, messages, or letters that the scammer sends. Do not make any more payments to the scammer. Beware of additional scammers who may contact you claiming they can help you get your lost money back.
Secure Your Finances
- Report potentially compromised bank account, credit or debit card information to your financial institution(s) immediately. They may be able to cancel or reverse fraudulent transactions.
- Notify the three major credit bureaus. They can add a fraud alert to warn potential credit grantors that you may be a victim of identity theft. You may also want to consider placing a free security freeze on your credit report. Doing so prevents lenders and others from accessing your credit report entirely, which will prevent them from extending credit:
- Equifax
- Experian
- TransUnion
Check Your Computer
If your computer was accessed or otherwise affected by a scam, check to make sure that your anti-virus is up-to-date and running and that your system is free of malware and keylogging software. You may also need to seek the help of a computer repair company. Consider utilizing the Better Business Bureau’s website to find a reputable company.
Change Your Account Passwords
Update your bank, credit card, social media, and email account passwords to try to limit further unauthorized access. Make sure to choose strong passwords when changing account passwords.
Report The Scam
Reporting helps protect others. While agencies can’t always track down perpetrators of crimes against scammers, they can utilize the information gathered to record patterns of abuse which may lead to action being taken against a company or industry.
Report your issue to the following agencies based on the nature of the scam:
- Local Law Enforcement: Consumers are encouraged to report scams to their local police department or sheriff’s office, especially if you lost money or property or had your identity compromised.
- Federal Trade Commission: Contact the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) at 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357) or use the Online Complaint Assistant to report various types of fraud, including counterfeit checks, lottery or sweepstakes scams, and more.
- Identitytheft.gov: If someone is using your personal information, like your Social Security, credit card, or bank account number, to open new accounts, make purchases, or get a tax refund, report it at www.identitytheft.gov. This federal government site will also help you create your Identity Theft Report and a personal recovery plan based on your situation. Questions can be directed to 877-ID THEFT.
How To Recognize a Phishing Scam
Scammers use email or text messages to try to steal your passwords, account numbers, or Social Security numbers. If they get that information, they could get access to your email, bank, or other accounts. Or they could sell your information to other scammers. Scammers launch thousands of phishing attacks like these every day — and they’re often successful.
Scammers often update their tactics to keep up with the latest news or trends, but here are some common tactics used in phishing emails or text messages:
Phishing emails and text messages often tell a story to trick you into clicking on a link or opening an attachment. You might get an unexpected email or text message that looks like it’s from a company you know or trust, like a bank or a credit card or utility company. Or maybe it’s from an online payment website or app. The message could be from a scammer, who might
- say they’ve noticed some suspicious activity or log-in attempts — they haven’t
- claim there’s a problem with your account or your payment information — there isn’t
- say you need to confirm some personal or financial information — you don’t
- include an invoice you don’t recognize — it’s fake
- want you to click on a link to make a payment — but the link has malware
- say you’re eligible to register for a government refund — it’s a scam
- offer a coupon for free stuff — it’s not real
About Online Threat Alerts (OTA)
Online Threat Alerts or OTA is an anti-cybercrime community that started in 2012. OTA alerts the public to cyber crimes and other web threats.
By alerting the public, we have prevented a lot of online users from getting scammed or becoming victims of cybercrimes.
With the ever-increasing number of people going online, it important to have a community like OTA that continuously alerts or protects those same people from cyber-criminals, scammers and hackers, who are every day finding new ways of carrying out their malicious activities.
Online users can help by reporting suspicious or malicious messages or websites to OTA. And, if they want to determine if a message or website is a threat or scam, they can use OTA's search engine to search for the website or parts of the message for information.
Help maintain Online Threat Alerts (OTA).