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Real Stories of Online Scam Victims

Online dating can be a lot of fun. However, there are scammers who make the experience traumatic. Here are real stories of scam victims that you can learn from.

Russian Bride

Stan talked to a Russian girl for over two months. She was ready to come to the US and be with him. She told Stan that she loved him with all her heart and that they were soul mates. She got her visa and was very excited until she found out she didn’t have enough money to buy her plane ticket.

The Russian girl sent Stan copies of her visa and flight plans and instructions how he could send her $900 to help pay for the plane ticket. She gave him a list of information to send back to her so she could get the money and pay for the ticket; she said specifically that she needed the transfer control number. Stan did as she asked, and she got the money. She said she’d be in Missouri soon.

Two days later, she wrote to Stan with bad news. The airline would not let her on the plane without insurance. She was crying and very disappointed and scared. She said they needed $500 for insurance before they would allow her on the plane. She was stuck at the airport with no money for lodging or meals, so Stan sent her money again.

Stan had become suspicious. He told himself he wouldn’t give her any more money if she asked for it. He called an airline and asked about insurance, but they didn’t know much.

The next day, she wrote to Stan again. She was in customs control. She said an American who worked there asked her how much money she was taking with her to the US. One hundred American dollars, she said. He told her that wasn’t enough. She had to have at least $1000 to be allowed to travel to the US, but she assured me that I’d get the money back when she arrived and we’d be together forever. Stan knew then he had been scammed.

He called customs control, and sure enough, there was no American customs worker in Moscow. Stan had developed strong feelings for the girl, and he was both hurt and angry. His ordeal was another lesson learned, and he knew this wouldn’t happen to him again. Stan still got e-mail messages from whoever it was, but he didn’t write back. He wanted to see if the FBI could do anything about it first.

Nigerian Romance

Justin was the victim of an international scam because of a relationship he had with Dani, a girl who claimed that she lived in Nigeria. She said that she was a US citizen (yet could never spell certain words like an American would) and she worked overseas as a sales representative for a large US retail company.

She also claimed that she had been robbed in that country and was staying in a hotel at the time Justin met her. They communicated through Yahoo IM, and Dani quickly got into Justin’s good graces, convincing him that she loved him very much and wanted to marry him.

Even though Justin did have a number of suspicions about Dani, he eventually sent her almost $500 over two months. Needless to say, Dani still wanted more money from Justin, but by that time, he was already onto her and stopped responding to her on IM.

Later on, Justin was contacted by another woman, whose name was Kim. They started talking, and he never suspected her because she didn’t ask for money. She just talked to him. After about a month, she asked if Justin would “clear” some money for her.

He fell prey to Kim because she offered to send him money orders that he thought were legitimate. Justin thought he should’ve known she was a fake because she was from Nigeria too but under different circumstances.

Kim sent Justin five money orders, which he found to be counterfeit after they stopped talking. The total cost of the scam came to $3,400.

Theresa’s Story

In January, Theresa received a message from Rich asking if she wanted to chat. She was flattered and thought he was cute. They started exchanging messages through e-mail, and these were friendly at first but quickly became more intense.

On Valentine’s Day, Theresa received chocolates, a stuffed toy, and a balloon with “I love you” on it. Theresa was hooked, even though she and Rich had never met in person. Rich said he was from Massachusetts but was in Nigeria on a big construction job. He promised to visit Theresa as soon as he got back to the States.

Their e-mail romance continued for another two months, then Rich said to Theresa that his boss paid him in postal money orders, which he had trouble cashing. He asked her to cash the money orders for him and to wire the money to Nigeria. Theresa agreed to do so. Over the next two weeks, she cashed two $900 money orders and sent him the money.

When Rich was ready to leave Nigeria, he needed money to deal with his visa problem. Theresa cashed another money order for him. Then, Theresa’s bank called her. The first two money orders had been tampered with; they were purchased for $20 but doctored to read $900. Theresa still held out hope, but after a friend referred her to a Web site about Nigerian scams, she felt like her whole world fell apart.

The bank informed her that she was responsible for the money. She had to pay nearly $3,000 to the bank, and she used all the money she had.

Scammed Big Time

I am a victim of a dating scammer, who duped me out of almost $4,245 and broke my heart. I want to share my emotionally painful and heartbreaking experience with a very attractive woman, who I met in a matchmaking site. You will notice in my story that there was a very short span of time between “Hello” and “How Much.” I am sharing this so others may learn from my sad experience and hopefully not be victimized by heartless scammers.

I am 43 years old, divorced, and have one daughter. On September 28, 2001, I received a private e-mail from a woman named Jhasmine through an online dating site that I signed up. She told me she was 31 years old and works as a secretary at a family-owned business. Her letter was short but straight to the point.

Needless to say, we started exchanging e-mails constantly and I was fooled by her touching and warm words. We talked about sensible things and agreed that trust is very important. She shared her positive view of the world as having more good people than bad and told me that she couldn’t wait until she’ll live with me in Australia. If there’s a minor difference in her scamming technique compared to other scammers, it is that she answers your questions in detail.

I challenged her even before she could ask me for money. I told her that her communication style perfectly fits a “scammer’s pattern.” She then tried to send me a photo of her childhood pictures and a picture of herself with her whole family. She even went as far as to call me in the middle of the night just to prove to me that she was genuine. I really felt sorry for her and we recommenced our communication.

My feelings for her grew deeper and soon I wanted her to be with me. On October 26, 2001, she asked me for money to process all the needed documents (visa, air ticket, passport, insurance, etc.), which amounted to a total of $2,245. She then gave me the details of her itinerary on November 10, 2001.

A week later, I received an urgent e-mail from her, requesting for $2,000 AUD to prove to the Embassy of her financial capacity to stay in Australia during the one month period. She called me and begged me to wire the amount. I decided to check with the immigration policy first and learned that a security bond is indeed needed. I wired the money on November 18, 2001.

I waited for her at the airport with a bunch of flowers that same day. No Jhasmine ever appeared. The airline later confirmed that her original booking was cancelled by her agent and that she didn’t rebook her flight. I haven’t heard from her since then.

If you are looking for a safe dating community, go to CebuHeart.com. The site verifies all its members to avoid scammers and assure safety.

Do you want to send romantic gifts to your special someone in Cebu? Visit www.cebuconnections.com for stress-free delivery service, bills payment and hotel bookings.

Scam Targets

Online dating scammers lower their victim’s defenses by aiming at their romantic or sympathetic side. They brilliantly play on emotions to be able to obtain personal information, gifts, and most especially money. These swindlers target people by making fake profiles on real Internet dating sites. You will notice how fast they will profess their love for you even if you haven’t been communicating that long. They will also suggest that you move the relationship away from the dating Web site to e-mail, instant messaging or phone. Scammers frequently claim to be travelling or working abroad.

Scammers are willing to go to great lengths to gain your interest and confidence so they give you believable made-up personal information and even send you gifts. Scammers are patient enough to spend months in creating a seemingly perfect romantic relationship with you. They may pretend to book flights to see you but they usually get postponed because something comes up. When it becomes evident that you already trust them, they will subtly or directly ask for gifts, money or your bank details. You will hear a variety of reasons like they are in desperate need of money because of a sick family member or that their house will be confiscated by the bank.

It is easy to say that people who are vulnerable are the target of online dating scammers. The question is who are considered vulnerable? CebuHeart.com has compiled a list of the usual targets of scammers. There is no intention to discriminate; these just happen to be the most popular ones that scammers victimize. The list includes:

1. The Elderly people

Elderly men and women who are in search for companionship are deemed to be particularly vulnerable to online dating scams. They are believed to be soft-hearted and eager to share their money in return for romantic love and attention.

Scammers know how to approach elderly people on dating sites. They touch the emotions of those who, possibly unaware of their need for love, have not experienced flattering attention in a long time. Everybody wants to be loved, and sadly their egos naturally are boosted when a younger “admirer” shows interest. They love how their friends get jealous of their newfound romance.

2. Divorced, separated or widowed people

People who have lost their spouses, either by death or termination of marriage, are also easy targets of online dating fraudsters. The ordeal of losing their partner sometimes leaves them defenseless to online scams. Scammers patiently hunt on numerous dating sites for these people and skillfully exude the captivating aura of romance that these people want. They can envision how separated or widowed people are feeling after they have lost their spouse of many years. The victims often give in because they want to fill the void in their life.

3. People with weight problems

There are scammers who admit that people with weight problems are about the easiest targets to scam. Those who can’t accept their weight have a tendency to feel insecure. They often yearn for someone to accept, admire and love them despite of their weight. Because of their insecurity, they tend to do everything to hold on to their online mate, even if they are not certain if the relationship is real. Their feeling of insecurity and their need for acceptance are the main reasons they are conveniently exploited.

4. People with low self-esteem

Some perpetrators feel that those who have low self-esteem are the most gullible. Scammers usually target those they feel have low self confidence, mostly people who do not get a lot of responses to their online dating profile. Since these people are timid in real life because of some personal issues, they tend to give in to advances online. Since most scammers are smart and experienced, they have a way of detecting those who have poor self-esteem.

5. Other lonely groups of people

People who are lonely tend to be victimized by scammers because they are likely to give signs that they are in need of some form of company. Perpetrators take advantage of this and make the victim feel that they can provide this need. Because of loneliness, these people allow their heart to get in the way of common sense.  The thought of having someone stops them from seeing the truth.

6. People looking for sex

Those who join dating sites because of sex are also a target of scammers. In exchange for money, scammers will show “their” nude pictures or sex videos and promise to engage in mind-blowing sexual acts when they meet. Because of their sexual desires, they fall for the traps of the scammer. These people do not disclose how much money is taken from them because of shame.

The best way to deal with dating scams is to be educated on how these swindlers operate. Before establishing an online relationship, do your homework to prevent being targeted by scammers. Online dating scammers victimize millions of people around the world. Regardless of how you are scammed, you could end up losing a lot of money. If a person gets scammed, the money lost is almost impossible to retrieve. In addition to a broken heart, you also have to deal with an empty wallet. Scammed people may feel long-term emotional betrayal from someone they truly cared about.

When you give online dating a shot, you have to consider the odds that you will be approached by a scammer. Make sure that your profile information and photo does not give an impression that you are vulnerable and that you desperately need somebody in your life. Once you establish a relationship with somebody online, talk to a friend or a relative so they can give you advice. Avoid sending money to somebody you just recently met online and haven’t met in person yet. Don’t ever give credit card or online account information to anyone by e-mail.  You also have to be careful with the information you divulge on dating sites. Scammers may use it and create a fake identity to scam others. That would really get you in trouble.

While it is your ultimate goal to find your true love online, don’t be blinded by romantic words, sweet promises and a few gifts. Always be vigilant and never let your emotion affect your decision-making even if your online mate seems persistent or caring. If they genuinely care for you, they will understand why you are keeping your guard up. They would gladly do their best to prove to you that they deserve your love.

CebuHeart.com is a dating community worth visiting. To avoid scammers and assure safety, the site verifies all its members.

Are you planning to send romantic presents to your special someone in Cebu? Visit www.cebuconnections.com for stress-free delivery service, bills payment and hotel bookings.

Strawberry Banana Smoothie

A refreshing smoothie prepared for your outdoor date can be very sweet.

Ingredients: 8 ounces crushed ice, 1 ounce strawberry juice, 4 strawberries, ½ banana, 11 ounces plain nonfat frozen yogurt

Directions: Mix all ingredients in a blender and blend for 15 to 20 seconds. You may serve it with strawberry on top.

For more creative dating tips, visit CebuHeart.com, where you can find pretty Filipina singles.