Love, just one word with lots of meaning. It carries a lot of emotions and thoughts. A magical feeling anyone can feel if he/she's in love with someone. It is a deeper and much stronger affection for someone.
At the age of 25, I can say I found my true love, and he's right before my eyes, my current partner in life. Just like anybody else, I wanted to be loved back on how I showed him, love. Probably, most people are like that too, to love the way we wanted to be love.
As technology t nowadays took how many percent in our lives, love can't only be seen in front of your eyes. Love is also be seen by somebody, virtually, online.
Isn't it weird to fall in love with someone you haven't met yet?
It's weird but it's possible! Honestly, it's not new to me, as I have encountered long-distance couples where relationships developed through phone, without meeting each other. Years ago, before Facebook take lead, there are several sites where youngsters can mingle through chatting. Clans are also on-trend during those times, I'm not sure but it was supposedly not later than the year 2010.
Webcams were also on-trend during those times. I remembered. my. high school friend asked me to join. with her in the computer shop. When we get there, she wore a headset and face the webcam. Oops! She's not doing something illegal. 😅 It may sound weird but she has a foreign chatmate on the web. However, due to my innocence, I asked to leave. I'm not interested in those “webchat thingy”.
Nowadays, webchats are still going on, but it was made easier because you can do it through your mobile phone. Messenger has video chat features, dating sites are spreading too. But people are getting worst than ever. A large number of people, young or adults are into online dating apps or social networking sites to meet someone. Some people are doing the common things you can do online such as posting, blogging, sharing thoughts and following their idols, etc. However, some people are trying to find their luck online, in meeting their most awaited romance, the future love of their life.
But others were unfortunate, instead of finding romance, many find abusive people, playing with their feelings and ruining their lives by giving them false hopes and broken promises. But some more unlucky people experienced worse than this, and they were victimized by a “Love Scam”.
Have you ever heard about a love scam before?
Honestly, the word itself is new to me, I'm not familiar with it, but after reading some pieces of information about it, I now know what it is. And I also first read this in a news page's headline before.
The GMA News report says,
A 67-year old woman waited for one week at the airport for her “boyfriend” she met on Facebook. But the airport police say she was a victim of a Love Scam.
After reading the captions, I was curious and I wondered what does it mean.
What is a Love Scam?
A love scam or also known as a romance scam often takes place online, more commonly on dating websites. This occurs when a criminal adopts a fake online identity to gain a victim's affection and trust. Commonly, these scammers contact their targets through popular social media sites like Instagram, Facebook, Google Hangouts, or other online dating sites.
They will do everything to get the trust of their victims, they will often express strong emotions in a relatively short period to build up a relationship. And if it works, they'll ask to move the relationship away from the website to a more private channel such as email or instant direct messaging. Then, they make up a story and ask for money.
For you to understand better, I've searched for a video from YouTube.
See this video below, it shows the story of a lady who became a romance scammer victim. In this video, she states her story on how she losses $500,000 in her romance scammer.
How to Spot the Signs of a Romance Scammer
Online romance is very bothering, however, certain warning signs could help you identify if your online romance isn't legit. Here are some signs:
* They wanted more private conversations through private channels
Most online sites (dating sites) monitors and can easily for some scammers, for them to escape and avoid getting caught, they will suggest to their victim to go more private as what was aforementioned above. Often, scammers persuade victims to leave the dating site and use private email or instant messaging to proceed with their communication.
*Proposes Love quickly without actually meeting you
These scammers are easy and quick to confess their feelings in a short period to their chosen victims without meeting them personally. And if you accept their confession, you fell into their trap. They will eventually say that they love you and play with your feelings. But those are just lies, and pure tactics make to get your trust and makes you unguarded information your personal information, your accounts, certain passwords, etc.
*Always in an Emergency help of money
Romance scammers claim to need money for, emergencies, hospital bills, or loss in the family or business. If your online lover has a sudden need for money due to some emergencies, unpaid bills, sick relatives, etc. you must be suspicious towards him. If you experience one of these storylines when you’re talking to a new love interest on the internet, there’s a good chance they’re defrauding you.
*Gives you false hopes about visiting you or your country
Most romance scammers promised their victims that they plan to visit them soon. Then they typically seem to change their plans at the last second because of a sudden incident, family problems, or due to some dramas and other reasons. Frequently, their cancellation will be accompanied by a request short-term loan.
“I truly want to meet you, but I can’t pay for a ticket right now because my money isn't enough. I want to be with you now. If you buy me a ticket, I will pay you back. I just want to be together.”
If those lines are familiar to you, be aware and always think of the possibility of scams.
*Their English is mostly limited
Because most romance scammers operate in foreign countries, their English skills are often limited. They claim to be Americans some claim to be Australias yet their messages are full of basic grammar mistakes and errors that a native English speaker likely wouldn’t make.
Tips for Avoiding Online Dating Scams
Online romance scammers have victimized lots of people. It is best to be aware and knowledgeable about these fraudsters.
Conduct an online search to cross-check the person’s identity. Run their name through a search engine and see what is the results. The information they have given to you must share the same information as what popped out.
Do an Image Search. Check out the person’s profile photos as well. Copy the images and then search them through a reverse-image search engine, such as TinEye or Google Images. If you see the same image posted with a different name or other information, there’s a good chance it was stolen from someone else’s profile. I remembered an article I posted here months ago, “A poser”. I run for the photo of one of my favorite authors here in Google Lens. Not to mention her/his name, I love his/her works but I found out that he/she's using a fake profile. Maybe he/she isn't a scammer and not into money just like the romance scammers, a lot of users thought that it was actually his/her photo.
If you met someone, online or in real-life always take it slow. Always take your time in getting to know someone you just met, especially online. Know them better, try to ask questions, and be mindful of their answers to you. Be cautious of anyone who wants you to engage in a relationship immediately. Love can't just happen in an instant. And besides, it is one of the warning signs of love scams.
Meet in real life. If your lover is serious about you and your relationship, he will want to meet you or be with you no matter what. If you’ve been “in a relationship” for a few months but have never literally been in the same room, or table that’s a sign your online sweetheart has hiding something from you.
Consult for advice from someone you trust. If you're doubtful and uncertain about your online lover, most particularly if he's begging for financial assistance, get a second viewpoint from someone you trust. Tell a friend or family member about your situation, and discuss your next steps with them. It's best to have someone to listen with about it, to make you think and act better and clearer.
Don't send or share photos especially intimate ones. Never send to anyone, may it be your real-life relationship or to someone you haven't met yet, some intimate photos of you, most especially nude photos or sexual videos. Those images you believed were private could be used to blackmail you later on.
Don't send your Money or your private accounts. If someone asks or begs for a loan or money online, always think of the possibility of scams. Be hesitant to give and send money most especially to someone you haven't met yet. Come to think of it, some of your friends might ask for a loan, then if you gave them their borrowed money, the chances of them paying you is 50-50, how much more if that someone is completely a stranger. You should assume you’ll never see the money again.
Take note: Romance scams are a form of “catfishing” scam. Victims are not the only people who are directly contacted by the culprit. Some caused harm to someone without the victim knowing it. Photos or identities are stolen especially of handsome men, mostly soldiers or other professionals are used by the scammers to victimized people most especially women.
If you're a victim or you know someone who is a victim of a love scam, help them report it immediately. Reporting Romance scammers can be empowering most especially to the silent victims. Not only can it help with their dilemma, but it can also prevent people to be a victim of a romance scammer in the future.
This article doesn't mean that love online is impossible. But it is to remind you to be careful about people you meet online, but it’s also important to remember that most people you met online aren’t scammers. However, always take precautions, check out a person’s background story and try to meet in person, there’s nothing wrong in getting into an affair or pursuing an online relationship as long as it's real.
Written by: @eommaZel 🥀
Sources:
https://www.moneycrashers.com/online-dating-romance-scams/
https://www.snbonline.com/about/news/how-to-detect-an-online-romance-scam
All Images from Unsplash 💙
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