Q. You Mentioned Online Dating Scams… How Do Those Work, And How Can I Avoid Them?

Some dates from these hookup apps will offer to pick you up, but for the first one, politely decline and arrange to transport yourself. This allows you to leave immediately for the cab, the car, an Uber, or subway station if things do not work out.

Meet in Public

Meeting in a well-lit, public place like a restaurant, park, coffee shop, or attraction is always ideal when you meet someone through free dating sites. Here you can get to know your person in a place where others are nearby. For the first date, keep all activities in public until you get to know them better- then you can talk about going back to their apartment or home.

Tell A Friend

Find a friend or family member you can trust and tell them where you will be, when you will be back, and what you will be doing. For extra safety, you can use the app Find My Friends, or you can have a friend tag along in a discreet way- for example, have a friend position themself as a customer using their laptop in the coffee shop where you and your date will meet.

Do Some Research

Your friends might joke around about “Facebook Stalking,” but it’s okay to take a look at the profile of your date before meeting them up. Don’t feel bad about looking around briefly on their pages- after all, this can help you verify you’re meeting a real person and not a catfish.

Don’t Give in to Pressure

It’s okay not to want to meet up right away. Some profiles might indicate that “If you don’t want to meet, don’t bother,” and if that’s the case, it’s best to just swipe on by.

Don’t feel pressured to meet somebody until you are completely ready. The right person will be okay with your ple time to feel comfortable before you meet.

FAQs of Online Dating

In 2020, the FTC reported that there was $304 million lost to romance scammers. That number has increased in 2019.

It works when scammers create fake profiles for dating apps and websites. They then contact their targets and sweet-talk them, slowly building their trust. They chat many times a day and always respond quickly. This leads the target to feel the person they are talking to is very interested in them.

The scammer then makes up a story asking for money. They usually say something like, “I need money for a plane ticket,” or “I need money for a visa,” among other tall tales. According to the FTC, here are popular scammer stories and scenarios:

They’re living on an oil rig
They’re a physician working with an international organization
They are military

The payoff of gambling expenses
Customs fees to get an item
A plane ticket or travel costs
Surgery or medical purposes
Travel docs or visas

They will usually ask you for money in ways that nobody uses anymore: for example, wire transfers. Or they might ask for gift cards from places like Steam, iTunes, Google Play, or Amazon.

For starters, begin by educating yourself. Here on YouTube, you can watch an interesting documentary about romance scammers and how they operate. It is a bit long but could save you or a friend thousands of dollars. While the documentary focuses on scammers in West Africa, you should understand that scammers are worldwide.

The minute somebody asks you for money, a gift card, or something else, you stop communicating. Block them and report their profile.