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Story on how to protect yourself against dating scammers
It is sad when you register on a dating site in the hope to find the love of your life but actually end up being scammed. How not to get into somebody’s cunning schemes and protect your data from those who have bad intentions? Read in today's article.
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What makes dating services so attractive for scammers?
In addition to the most obvious reason – the continued growth in popularity – there are other, psychological aspects. The thing is that on the dating services, it is much easier to talk to the interlocutor – after all, they are just users who have been initially set up to communicate and subsequent acquaintance.
If people mostly use social networks for work purposes, when someone starts texting them or sending some kind of links, they will be skeptical about this. And if a person has registered on a dating site, then this already means that he/she is initially open to dating and is waiting for some messages. There is a huge room for fraudsters to work here.
Dating services are designed so that previously unfamiliar people can conduct the freest dialogue. However, sometimes such imaginary freedom turns into a loss of vigilance. Luckily enough, not all of them a full of people who want to get you involved in their dirty plans. There has never been any Romancecompass scam, for example. That means this site is to try and true. And later, we are going to discuss what additional measures you should take to stay safe on any dating site.
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How to protect yourself against dating scammers
The presence of scammers on dating services in no case should scare away users. Experts are sure that you can easily defend yourself from an attacker on a dating app. The most important thing is to stay on alert always. Here are some tips to help you reduce all the risks of communicating with strangers to a minimum.
1. Do not communicate with users without photos. Most popular dating services are protected against fake accounts. For example, to obtain the status of a verified user on Badoo, a person needs to verify a page using a photo. If your interlocutor for some reason decided not to pass the verification, this should cause certain suspicions.
In addition, on Badoo, you can request a selfie from the interlocutor which cannot be replaced by a photo from the Internet or the photo gallery of the smartphone. And even in this case, you can use services such as TinEye to make sure the photo wasn’t taken from the Internet.
2. Ask for a link to other social networks. If it seemed to you that the interlocutor impersonated someone else, try to transfer the communication to other social networks. Offer a potential scammer to chat on Facebook or even Skype (or Badoo video chat service): a video call will definitely help make things clear.
At the same time, it is dangerous to make a phone call to a stranger. It is not advisable to confirm the use of a phone call until you are sure that the interlocutor is really the person they claim to be. They can provide a paid service phone. It is also undesirable to immediately give your phone number, as it can be used in a not very conscientious way.
3. Check the interlocutor on several criteria. Be especially vigilant if your interlocutor tries to put pressure on you. Also, criminals talk little about themselves, but they are in a hurry to meet at the appointed place. In addition, scammers are always persistent when inviting you to the place they suggest and do not want to take your propositions.
4. Do not reject the idea that a cute girl or an educated guy is a potential scammer. Even if you are absolutely sure that you can identify a potential deceiver with a single message, and while you are not disturbed in communication, do not open up to your interlocutors ahead of time. Do not give them your phone number, home address, bank card passwords, and so on. Do not neglect your own security because fraudsters are just waiting for this. Among others, you can google a photo of your interlocutor – it is possible that it will turn out to be stolen from a popular photo bank.
5. Stop talking at the slightest doubt. If your interlocutor passes according to all previous safety criteria, but something in the conversation still bothers you, and some small detail doesn’t feel right, better reinsure yourself. Fraudsters masterly hide their intentions to the bitter end. Therefore, it is better to give up a strange conversation and find someone new to talk to than to get into a dating scam and regret later.
As you can see, using any dating service, you can take additional measures to protect yourself against scammers. We wish you luck in the search of the partner and may you avoid any scams!
