**Article is long but very informative! For anyone thats received an email or things that seem suspicious REPORT IT TO THE AUTHORITIES!** Its not just this website but ALL of them so youre NOT safe ANYWHERE---on ANY dating site! __________________________________________________
:evil: Romance Scam Dupes Local Woman:evil: By: Erin Leach, Anchor/Reporter
For someone searching for love, the Internet offers endless possibilities. But it's also the perfect place for scammers to target vulnerable romantics.
One popular scam is the Nigerian Romance Scam and one eastern Iowan was duped.
Jenny Hall's tale of love and betrayal starts in April when she met a man on a Christian Online dating website. She says, "He was so nice to me, he encouraged me, he made me feel so special.â€
Three weeks into the relationship the first red flag appeared. He told her he had been robbed and needed money. "Then he hit me up for $300 and asked me if I would help him our just so he could have enough money to eat, he was starving,†says Jenny. Well, I didn't do it."
Despite her lack of cooperation, the courtship continued. He even sent her flowers.
Jenny adds, "One week after I got the flowers, I got a call from a detective."
Those flowers were purchased with a stolen credit card. It was another red flag but because of her emotions, it was easy to ignore. She says, "I was falling deeply in like with him, let’s just say."
This is where Jenny's story really takes a turn for the worse. Five weeks into the courtship she set up an account, accessible by her Online boyfriend. She says, "He wanted to buy me a new computer, clothes, jewelry."
Then he wanted to have his friend deposit $2000 to pay for a plane ticket to Cedar Rapids. She was to wire the money to him in West Africa. You see, he told her he was from Seattle but was in Africa on business.
That's when Jenny started to wonder but once the money was in the account, she panicked and wired the money anyway. She hasn't heard from him since.
These scams are so popular; a Google search of "Nigerian Romance Scam" produces support websites for people who have been duped. The website Romancescam.com inspired Jenny to get even. She says, "Actually I'm in the process of scam baiting and you bait the scammer, suck them in and keep them off the streets."
As for another shot at online romance, Jenny says it's just too soon.
So far, the bank is not holding Jenny liable for the $2000 she sent to Africa.
Here are some dating service do’s and don’ts courtesy of the New York State Consumer Protection Board.
1. Go slow before going steady: Proceed with caution when meeting someone through a dating service. Be careful not to offer too much information that can identify you or your address. You can usually uncover a con artist if you're persistent in demanding answers to detailed questions.
Use an Internet search engine to verify and gather more information. There have been too many cases of women being stalked or assaulted by strangers they meet Online. If you move from Online chatting to talking on the phone, use a disposable cell phone or calling card number to avoid the possibility of harassment later on.
2. There's no free lunch: There are a growing number of "free" dating websites, as well as dating services offering "free" trial memberships. Consumers complain that scam artists use free sites because there is less monitoring and paperwork for subscribers.
Additionally, with "free" trial memberships, consumers must check the fine print – which changes frequently with some services – to know when and how to cancel their membership and avoid paying fees. Many of the scammers also use stolen credit cards to purchase long term memberships to the various dating services as well. Remember, just because someone is a paying member does not make them real.
3. Let's go some place more private: Another red flag is when you "meet" someone on a dating-service website but they want to continue the conversation at a website or an instant messenger service where the conversation will not be monitored. This also allows them to speak to several people at one time.
4. Sometimes, love is a five-letter word: When you "meet" someone Online or when reading their often-invented profile, watch for misspellings and other signs that they may be a con artist who does not live in the United States.
5. Looks too good to be true: When an Online profile includes a professional-looking photograph, that may be a sign that there's more (and less) here than meets the eye. Dating experts also say to look for wedding rings, body or facial features that don't match their profile.
6. Wink, wink, nudge, nudge: Consumers complain that some websites will send you false messages claiming to be from someone interested in meeting you (These messages are called "winks" or "icebreakers.") These phony winks will show up just before a trial membership or your subscription is about to lapse.
7. Like dating a microwave oven: Another sure sign of trouble is when your new Online friend professes his love for you in a day or two. Also be wary if someone: -demands that you keep the relationship secret; -claims that it was destiny, fate or God that brought you together; -immediately requests your address, claiming they want to send you flowers, candy, etc; -asks for your bank account information or requests that you open an account for them in your name; -sends you a fake check or money order and ask you to cash it and wire them the money. (Many scammers also send several money orders, in amounts less than $1,000, to their victims); -asks you to cover their plane fare or sponsor their VISA so he or she can enter the country legally; -asks you for a small loan to get them out of a jam; or -asks you to receive and reship merchandise for them.
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Re:Nigerians SUCK!!
Date: 2008/01/05 01:29
By: destiny_star2006
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Very informative there thanks for that! Was a long read but a good read! Thanks for sharing!
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Re:Nigerians SUCK!!
Date: 2008/01/08 21:37
By: Roguegal
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Yes, it was a long read. But, we all need to be aware of the scammers that are out there. They are the ones that don't care whether they break your heart or take your money and they will do both. Information like this takes that power away from them and gives it back to us!
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Re:Nigerians SUCK!!
Date: 2008/04/25 23:26
By: Angel
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Thank you for posting this. I was aware of some of the other Nigerian check cashing schemes, but had not heard about this one yet. It seems like scammers are everywhere. They prey on people who want to work from home, and now people who are looking for love.
On a side note, I once posted my resume on one of the career websites when I was looking for a job. In one day I received five different emails that were all Nigerian check cashing schemes in one way or another. I got so many of these that I had to remove my resume and shut down that email address. Disgusting!
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Re:Nigerians SUCK!!
Date: 2008/04/26 14:12
By: Bikerhen
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I received on of the new scams today, originating God knows where. In this one you have been hired as a middleman. They will send you a cheque of a sizable amount, you cash it, forward on a percentage and you keep a percentage. Problem is, 10 days later that cheque bounces at it's source and you are out the whole amount. I'd already heard about that one, it was in the papers. Who has time to think up this stuff?
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Re:Nigerians SUCK!!
Date: 2008/04/27 06:23
By: Sublime78
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Oh yeah, I've received similar emails from girls claiming they are off in Europe modeling or some such story and that they want to hang out when they get back, but need money to help pay for their plane ticket! There are so many people out there trying to scam you that you really have to be wary of everything. I wasn't for a second falling for this story, but some people are so trusting that they will actually send money to a person whom they've never met. If you're even suspicious that something is a scam, then it probably is.
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