Q&A for How to Spot an Online Dating Scammer

Scammers can target anyone. If you haven't met someone in person and they're saying, "I love you," there's a good chance they're a scammer, especially if they haven't made an effort to meet you. Another huge clue is when they say that they're working in another country, but that they need money to come to your country to visit you. Unfortunately, that's a common scam that affects a lot of people, even people who are very smart, intelligent, and successful.

Don't do it. That is too much information for someone you don't know.

Pay careful attention to whether there are any inconsistencies in their stories. Also, beware of anyone who addresses you with "Dear..." Most scammers do this.

You shouldn't trust anybody online until you have met them in person. This is especially for dating sites.

Make this a condition for you two to talk any further. If you pursue this conditional stance, and the other person gets mad or says he's hurt, walk away.

He would need your account info. Once he has that, he can withdraw money from your account. Have him open an account with your bank, and transfer the money to that account. Once that is done, and in time, he can add you to that account. Once you see that all is good, then you could have him transfer it to your account, but I would encourage you to keep separate bank accounts, just in case things don't work out. My gut though, is telling me he is a very patient scammer.

Some scammers find ways to get your money without asking for it. Some scammers will disappear if you call them scammers, but some will try to convince you otherwise.

If she contacted you first that might be a red flag, but if you contacted her first, she might be trying to be cautious. Look for other signs.

Online isn't the best place to hand over your number. Suggest a meet-up in a public place instead.

He should report this threat to the site and see what they do. Then, it's best to get him to tell police or another family member on the issue because he is a victim of extortion. Help him to see he is not the one in the wrong.

Scammers don't usually spend money on their victims, rather they demand money from their victims and it never stops. However, spending money on you and then turning around and asking for money could be a case of bait and switch to lower your guard, so be careful. Ask why they need money so badly if they are spending it on you, as it'd just be easier if they kept that money for their own needs!

First, determine if their photos are real, by asking them to take a photo touching a specific place on their face, their nose, eyebrow, somewhere people normally never touch while taking photos. Second, be upfront with them and say, "If you ever ask for money or other gifts, you will never hear from me again, I wont be able to trust your motives after that." Most scammers when spoken to that directly will end the conversation, and won't reply to you again. If you are still not certain, you can be even more direct by saying that you report any dating fraud you encounter to the FBI's Internet Crimes Division, IC3, which is something you actually are able to do.

Definitely a scam. Don't let anyone you meet online trick you into giving them money.

Yes, it is a scam.

Yes, that's a scam. "She" just wants money. Just leave "her" and don't send her anything.

Likely. If you fly out of town then your home might be available to be robbed. Not all scammers fit the normal scammer profiles.

Ignore him. Block him on whatever sites or platforms he's contacting you on. This is almost certainly a scam.

Yes, probably a scam. Never give money to people on dating sites. Especially if you're older, as you're more likely to be targeted.

Since you can't get the person's real id, your best bet is to try and involve your town police in your conversation. They can trace his IP address.

Yes. Scammers fake love to get what they want.

Unless this is someone you know from outside the internet, then absolutely! This is a major red flag! No decent person would try to ask a random stranger for a large amount of money from a different country, regardless of the situation.

Yes, this is common in Nigerian scams. I was scammed on Craigslist by a man pretending to be a woman, who mailed me a fraudulent check for thousands and wanted me to cash it and pay them the difference. I got out of it though. Beware!

That's totally a scam. Don't send "her" anything. "She" just wants your money. Those pictures could be coming from anywhere. You could be talking to a guy who's sending you pictures of his girlfriend. Trust me, this isn't on the level.

Try to get a refund. A dating site should be free, and the website you signed up for was most likely a scam. If you don't manage to cancel your account, you can contact your bank/credit card issuer and have them stop any further payments from being withdrawn by this company.

Someone might want this photo to obtain your personal information or produce a fake copy to use for themselves. You should never give a stranger any of your personal information.

This sounds a lot like fraud. This could be a way for him to launder money. It would be best to remove yourself from all of his accounts by contacting the credit card company directly.

Of course you can. What number did you give them? If you mean your phone number, just make sure you don't reveal any more personal information over the phone. If you mean your credit/debit card number, you've already been scammed. Call your bank or credit card company and tell them what happened.

If you have tried absolutely everything to stop her, but she still doesn't believe you, then there isn't really much you can do. Tell her to be cautious, and try not to gloat too much when this situation inevitably goes wrong.

You shouldn't automatically be worried, but you should be cautious. If you haven't talked to the person much, you can tell them you're not comfortable giving out your personal email at this point or that you'd just rather talk on the site for now. If you've been talking for a while and you're very comfortable with the person, you can share if you want. You could also just create a new email address separate from your regular email and use that. If you end up getting spam or inappropriate messages from someone, you can delete that email account or just stop checking it.

They don't want to make it seem like they're literally asking you for money. They're scamming you in a way that is so unusual and confusing that you don't even think about the fact that they're asking you to spend money on them!