Dating via the Internet is gaining momentum: more and more sites are appearing that allow users, while sitting at home with a cup of coffee, to make friends, find love, and just have fun. However, let's figure out whether you are safe visiting such sites: it is quite possible that you have already come to the attention of scammers who have decided to extract some money from you.

On such sites, the danger is that, without seeing the interlocutor, we focus solely on his integrity, that is, we draw conclusions based on the words of a stranger, who could be anyone. It is not necessarily true that what he says will be true. This, of course, has its advantages for people who are insecure, married men who decided to diversify their personal lives, scammers or even maniacs. They do not risk anything by posting their profile on the site; on the contrary, they gain a wide field of activity.

Take seriously the questionnaire filled out on the site by your virtual interlocutor. Although, if you are visiting the site purely for fun and have no intention of meeting pen pals, you can skip this tip. But if your plans are to bring communication into real life, then caution should be maximum, because 1) on the site you can fall into the cleverly placed networks of a marriage swindler, 2) a vacation abroad suggested by a “fan” may turn out to be a way to lure beautiful girls to work in a brothel , 3) you can simply run into a man with oddities and mental disorders.

In this article we will address the problem when people, known as “scammers” (from the English scam - deception), try to make money by manipulating the feelings of people who want to find a soul mate via the Internet, and offering to send them money.

Typically, scammers create profiles using photos of other people with false information. Without a doubt, these are photos of real people who do not even suspect that their photos are being used for a scam (sometimes scammers post photos of little-known performers and actresses). Methods for taking money differ depending on the situation, but general scheme the scam is always the same. Scammers try to manipulate emotions by pretending that they are “what you are looking for”, and once they feel that you are “hooked”, they will try to get you to send them money. At first they may ask for small amounts, and then larger ones. Ultimately, it all depends on your income level and the “professionalism” of the scammer.

We will give you some simple tips on how to avoid scams on dating sites:

Firstly, Be vigilant if a person with whom you have been corresponding for a short time begins to confess their love to you. As a rule, letters sent by scammers are very “warm” and endearing to the author from the very beginning of the correspondence. But you should think about the fact that the birth of a sincere, deep feeling is preceded by at least a long period of correspondence. Of course, this is understandable to many people, but sometimes swindlers can be very convincing, because for all of them, depicting non-existent feelings is their job.

Secondly, take a closer look at the letters. In most cases, scammers don't take the time to actually write love messages, so they use templates in which they change names and a few details. As a rule, a scammer does not bother to answer letters carefully and thoughtfully, and you can make sure of this by asking him a few questions and checking how he responded to them in his letter. If your correspondence partner does not answer your questions and this happens several times, you may be receiving letters from a scammer.

Some scammers, who zealously devote themselves to their work, still try to answer questions; answers are usually found at the end or beginning of the letter. Of course, you will notice that something goes wrong in the correspondence and such letters do not correspond to yours. You probably think that this kind of scam shouldn't work, but surprisingly, it does because the scammer is likely sending the same emails to many men/women. He is playing "numbers" and he needs people who want to believe that these letters are true and sincere.

Once the scammer is sure that he has spent enough time corresponding with you, he will try to pull off his scam.

Depending on his patience, this could be a few short letters or many weeks of detailed correspondence. No matter how long it lasts, as soon as the scammer believes that you are “hooked”, he will ask you for money. For example, there may be such versions:

A girl wants to come to your country, but she needs money for an air ticket, a visa, or just “for travel.”

You must understand that it is almost impossible for women from the countries of the former USSR to obtain a visa to many countries, including the United States. The requirements for a woman to obtain a US visa are so stringent that they seem blasphemous. She needs to prove that she has a well-paid job, that she owns her own home, that she has children who remain in her home country, etc. Of course, this person can claim that she knows a travel agency that can help get a visa and air tickets. If she says so, then be sure that you are corresponding with a scammer, because it is impossible to pay and obtain a US visa illegally. The visa department operates under very strict laws and never abuses its status, and there are no travel agencies that have “special” connections to open a US visa.

She needs money for medical needs (for herself or relatives).

She tells how hard her life is and asks to provide her with all possible financial assistance (send money for beautiful and high-quality clothes and shoes). True, one of my friends had a slightly different situation: he met on a website with beautiful girl, a correspondence began between them. After some time, the girl offered to call her, but the trouble was, she ran out of money in her account. The friend, of course, wrote that in no case did he want to embarrass the poor girl’s finances and would call her himself, but she asked to buy a top-up card and tell her the number, promising to contact her as soon as it was done. the required operation. It’s clear that after he did everything he was asked to do (just think, pennies!), the girl not only did not call, but also stopped responding to his letters altogether and soon disappeared from the site. To avoid getting into a similar situation, remember: call your interlocutor’s mobile phone or go to him yourself (if he lives in the same country as you), under no circumstances sending money.

How can a woman be deceived?

Not only men become victims of Internet scammers, there are several types of fraud against women, and we will describe some of the most common cases:

A man completely robs a woman. In Russia and Ukraine, many women have housing, jewelry, and a car, which is the scammer’s goal. As a rule, the swindler persuades the victim to sell everything and go to him, then simply takes all the victim’s money and disappears. There were cases when a girl came to a scammer with money, and she was robbed by a “friend” in a country that was foreign to her.

Sexual exploitation. A man comes to have fun with a girl or invites her to a visa-free country, supposedly to meet her for further communication, where he becomes close to the victim, and then disappears (the so-called sex tour). There were also cases when a man, after a meeting, invited a girl to his country, lived with her until he got tired of her, and then simply kicked her out, while simultaneously looking for a new victim in the Internet catalogue.

There are times when a girl realizes that her virtual admirer is too intrusive, makes empty, impossible promises, is ready to take a star out of the sky, but promises to fulfill all her innermost desires only upon closer acquaintance. This way you can run into not only a foreign womanizer, but also a person with mental disabilities, or end up in sexual slavery in a brothel located abroad, in a country where a resident of Russia/Ukraine will be completely at the mercy of her new acquaintance.

One of my friends told her story of correspondence via the Internet with a certain resident of Los Angeles: he reported that in her person he had finally met the girl of his dreams, that in America all the girls are fat or scary, or both (as I imagine - just a chill on the skin); that the inhabitants of his native country have forgotten how to love and even simply experience feelings of emotional attachment to other people (this is a country of consumption!); and she (my friend) is so real and beautiful; that he was captivated by her unearthly beauty, touched by her extraordinary sincerity, fascinated by her kindness and sense of humor - in general, he fell head over heels in love. The fan asked her to come to the USA, promised to send money for the trip, and was even ready to come to her, marry her and take her to Los Angeles. To all her objections, expressed in distrust of his promises, the young man responded with oaths in eternal love. However, my friend, for fear of running into a scammer, stopped corresponding with him (and she did the right thing, because she could end up in a brothel abroad).

For what “merits” can one get on the blacklist of scammers?

There are now many sites on the Internet with lists of scammers, half of which are simply scams. Many complaints from men are lies or deliberate distortions of facts. If you see a photo and a girl’s name with an address in a scam list, ask the owner of the site why she was placed there. In response, you may receive an indistinct mumble that she asked for money or the man gave her so much, but she did not go to him.

Of course, there are real scam lists that contain photographs different names and the addresses of the scammers, the full correspondence was published, the numbers of money transfers, dates, etc. were given. If this is not the case, then perhaps a person placed her there because the girl refused to correspond with him.

By following the simple rules given above, you can easily spot a scammer who wants to improve his financial situation at your expense, and get off the hook in time.

In general, based on the experience of my friend, I can say that, in principle, it does not matter where and how you meet, because you can stumble upon scammers anywhere, except that there are many more of them on the Internet. And in conclusion, let me give you a couple of tips:

Don't give too much information about yourself;

As soon as you realize that they are asking you for money, stop communicating

Remember what Antoine de Saint-Exupéry wrote in his novel “Earth”:

The only true luxury is the luxury of human interaction.

Alone we are deprived of this luxury.

Maybe that's why we try to avoid loneliness all our lives? We run from him, not knowing where, not knowing why and not understanding who we are running after, driven by the fear of being left alone.

This can be used both for the benefit and harm of a person. Taking advantage of our insecurity and ignorance, scammers are waiting everywhere, including in the virtual space.

• What safety precautions should you keep in mind? so as not to get into trouble by clicking on tempting banners and responding to invitations to meet?
• How to recognize scammers?
• On what sensations Should you focus your attention when contacting a stranger?
• How worthy get out of the situation, in which you still ended up for one reason or another?

Let's figure it out.

1) People living fictional lives on the Internet love introduce themselves with foreign names and register in Latin. Be careful!

Although it is difficult to adhere to this rule. After all, there is real people living abroad and communicating in different languages peace. But in the case of fraud, the bait is our hope for a better future. After all, you really want to hope that this is exactly the one you have been looking for all your life!

If you catch yourself feeling this way, it’s time to remember F. Bacon’s aphorism “Hope is a good breakfast, but a bad dinner!” And so that your dinner is as good as your breakfast, while surfing the Internet, make it a rule not to enter into correspondence with strangers. At least until you study the profile for inconsistencies, check the photo, or enlist the support of mutual acquaintances and friends on social networks.

Feel free to ask questions of those whom you see as friends with the supposed prince. Those previously affected may well understand your interest and, perhaps, will delicately hint at the bait that you are ready to swallow or have already swallowed.

2) As a rule, scammers have no intention of showing their faces. Well, since there is no photo profile or page in in social networks and she’s not so attractive on dating sites, then other people’s photos are used. Moreover, very attractive people are selected and their photos with friends are posted. But the page or profile itself seems to be lifeless: there may be no posts or few of them, no own thoughts and reasoning. You get this feeling right away. Don't miss it.

And if it does arise, know that there are software resources that allow you to find a person from a photo in the Internet. Nowadays, so much information has been collected that search engines can give you those pages where your stranger’s photo appears. And then you can finally be convinced of the reality or illusory nature of your acquaintance. Before responding to an offer to communicate, check the photo of your interlocutor!

3) If you neglected the first rule, nevertheless deciding to follow the dictates of your soul, and came into contact with a stranger, be on your guard. After all, the hunters for our souls begin a dialogue very easily and naturally. Before you know it, your imagination will take you so far away that, by relaxing, you may miss important calls. And they will certainly be, despite the fact that such people often have good knowledge of interpersonal psychology.

Men act very assertively not stingy with compliments, creating an aura of attention around you, which you, of course, miss. How can you not melt when they call you nothing less than my queen, and carefully ask what you ate today. After all, maternal care is difficult to resist; it is better to obey it.

Well, you are in no hurry to submit yet, but basking in the luxury of royal regalia is quite acceptable! At least there will be something to remember! Feel like a queen: this is only possible in fairy tales... Let go of your imagination, imagine that you are living in luxury.

By the way, there will be time to think, what is luxury for you? But you shouldn’t tell your interlocutor that you get dressed in Piccadilly Circus and relax in Nice. Luxury requires careful handling, and it should be demonstrated only in trusted places and trusted people. If you cope with the role of the queen, you will have the strength to part with the deceiver with dignity. Feel free to cross yourself when this happens.

If women are caught for the royal title, then men are supposed to be caught by pity. They will tell you stories about how bad it is to be sick, how boring it is to lie in the hospital, and having no one to talk to. The next step will ask you to put money on your phone, which, after they have gotten at least 300 rubles from you, will, of course, not answer you. If they managed to pity you so much that you are ready to leave the house and run to the nearest terminal, it’s time to remember the proverb “Everything in the world is a shirtless thing!” and sober up a little.

4) Who can resist interest in your children? After all, fathers are not often interested in how their children live, but here stranger... For him, of course, it is very important whether your children live with you. After all, your prince needs to understand how free and provided with housing you are, he has nothing in his heart, and for a person sitting, for example, in prison, this is especially important.

Well, while the issue of housing is not voiced, enjoy the advantage of the royal title. However, be alert and don't be surprised if the previous day you talked about your daughter, and the next day you are asked: “How is your son?”

You, of course, have the right to be indignant and ask if you have been confused with someone else, but they will explain to you that this is a spelling error. I wonder in what language you can confuse the spelling of the words son and daughter? Who knows, tell me!

Has doubt about your uniqueness already settled in your soul? And it is right! Thank your interlocutor for the mistake that helped you get closer to the picture of the reality of your acquaintance.

5) What woman wouldn’t want her chosen one to know her tastes and give her gifts?
And therefore, everyday questions about your favorite color, favorite fruits and metals can lull your vigilance and, since you are a queen, take you to the interiors of Buckingham Palace.

But for some reason your interlocutor's questions are often repeated in a slightly different version, and you begin to be haunted by the feeling that you are being tested. After all, in a normal dialogue between living people it is assumed that your answer has already been heard. Therefore, there is no point in asking about the same. However, it is in tests that questions are often similar, but have slightly different meanings; this is simply the principle of their composition.

When you find a question that you have just answered, or perhaps the previous day, it is worth remembering Ostap Bender’s simultaneous chess session, where “on the third move it turned out that the grandmaster was playing eighteen Spanish games.” Add to this the annoying “spelling” error from the previous paragraph in the description of this article.

6) What else can help you discern Ostap Bender in your interlocutor?
Perhaps you were offered dialogue on foreign language . Don't be alarmed, modern programs will help you cope with translation difficulties.

In fact, no difficulties are expected, because your chosen one has studied English language at a nearby school. You can determine this by phrases, the rules of construction of which are as familiar to him as they are to you. And remembering the school dialogue at the blackboard will help you turn on the logic that ordinary compliments try to turn off in you.

By the way, to confirm your guesses, you can at least inquire about the simple historical features of the place from which your interlocutor is supposedly writing. Don't be surprised if he changes the topic of conversation or responds with some common phrase, perhaps not even related to the question.

Don’t be too lazy to turn to the Internet and don’t hesitate to repeat the question containing some nuances that a person actually living in this area might know about. And if he arrived there under escort, even though he has access to the Internet, he will not be able to answer you. Well, taking into account the conditions of a session of simultaneous playing in different languages, sooner or later he will definitely “slip up” on some trifles. All you have to do is draw your own conclusions.

7) Can give another hint profession, which is indicated in the registration data of your interlocutor, or the one that he indicated to you in the dialogue. Try to take an interest in his career, ask where and how long he worked, why he quit, what his job is.

Believe that a person living someone else’s life in the Internet space has a fictitious profession by hearsay and will certainly reveal himself in detail.

It is worth remembering that our whole life consists of little things, so do not deny yourself the pleasure of paying attention to the details that will reveal the true intentions of your stranger. Perhaps they will give you confidence that your relationship does not fall into the situations described above, and you are truly lucky in this life!

Transfer loneliness everything is different. Someone hides it in the most secluded corners of their soul, and even the closest people have no idea how lonely a person lives. Outwardly it is not noticeable. Pain, carefully packaged, is stored in the deep basement of the subconscious and securely covered with a layer of everyday dust. In this case, it may not bother its owner for years. For others, the wound has not yet healed.

In any case, having identified an unscrupulous interlocutor, the pain of loneliness may again resonate in your soul with a wave of not very positive emotions.

What to do? How to get out of the situation with the least losses?

• First of all, if it’s overwhelming, breathe deeply! Focus on your state and identify your feelings. Do you feel anger, irritation, disappointment, rejection, self-pity? Don't run away from them, live them: let yourself feel! This may take time. If it becomes unbearable, consult a psychologist. Perhaps it's time to let go of your defenses and seek help.
• Secondly, mentally thank a failed contender for your heart because he reminded you of a hidden and perhaps long-standing problem. This will let the space know that you have noticed this problem. No wonder they say, forewarned is forearmed!
• Third, acceptto myselfresponsibility for creating this situation. In fact, who else but you responded to the dubious proposal: they didn’t push you on the shoulder, and no one moved your hand with the mouse. But now you have looked again into your pain, and it is up to you whether you will do something about it or again leave it to gather dust until better times. However, the paradox is that better times may not come if you do not solve the problem right now.
• And finally, in order to exit the correspondence with dignity, write a final message to your interlocutor, remembering that Don't push your opponent into a corner. Perhaps he is also lonely, it is loneliness that pits us against each other, signaling possible problems, and equalizes us. Just express confidence that your interlocutor is grateful to you for brightening up his loneliness, and wish him good luck.
  Such an outcome will be natural and possible for you if you have already lived and let go of the feelings that you experienced when you initially discovered the deception.
  If you are still in them, there is no point in writing a letter yet. Perhaps you are stuck at this stage or, on the contrary, you suppressed your emotions too quickly. In this case you need help from a psychologist.

It would seem that the dating site called “Mamba” serves good purposes: it helps single people find their soulmate. But human nature is such that almost every thing has reverse side medals. As in the classics: an ax can serve as a tool for a carpenter, or it can serve as a weapon for the murder of an old pawnbroker by a poor student.

What are we talking about? “Mamba”, like any other dating site, is not only a place where hearts connect. Some people come there to “work.” And such “ work activity» is qualified by the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation as a crime. Fraudsters on Mamba are not a new phenomenon. They have always been there. The surprising thing is that simple-minded people are not translated. No, no, but someone will be divorced.

Some people are very seduced by the appearance of the worker... no knife or axe, no keyboard or mouse. And masters of deception. Others are overwhelmed by the prospect of a better life. Scammers have their own approach to each.

Let's talk about this in more detail.

Classics of the genre

When it comes to the schemes that are used by men and women to commit fraud on Mamba, they have not changed for many years. Main principle is this: you need to lure the victim with something, and then get money out of him. Only the details differ, because, as already noted, some are interested in finances, others need love, or banal but regular sex.

So how do scammers make their money? First about the scheme as a whole, then about some details.

Let's say you are a girl, you recently registered on the site, and are looking for your love. And then, lo and behold, a wonderful young man writes to you, who, as he says, fell in love at first sight. A vigilant user may immediately suspect something is wrong. But the majority believes. Let’s not retell the long “history of relationships.”

Let's move on to the finale. And it is this: a person who, at first glance, has already become quite close, even though you have never met, asks for a certain amount of money for some urgent matter. How can you not help here? But it is necessary to refuse. Otherwise they will throw you away.

Regarding the details, it is necessary to note this: all talented scammers are good psychologists.

In the process of communication they get a lot useful information about you. And they use it successfully, identifying weak points. What are they pressing on?

1. “We have to get out.” Russia does not rank highest in the world in terms of living standards. Many ladies and girls cherish the dream of marrying a foreigner. There is only one problem: there are not so many German or American citizens in Ryazan or the Oryol region. Finding a foreigner is already luck. And meeting him is unprecedented luck. But there is the Internet, dating sites, “Mamba”, where it is quite easy to start a conversation with a European or American. And then, lo and behold, Natalya left Voronezh for London or Paris. The stereotype that foreigners like Russian women also plays a role here. And this is where the scam begins. A guy or man appears on the site, depending on the age of the potential victims, with a difficult fate, usually who has fallen in love. If you look online, you can find a lot of such stories. Usually a middle-aged man with a heroic fate writes to women, say, a hero of the Iraq war or a large businessman whose family died, or something happened only to his wife: the child’s mother died during childbirth, etc. Correspondence usually goes smoothly. You need to be wary when a person asks for money. And he must do it. In general, the scheme is clear: a successful and lonely foreigner wants to meet someone.
2. Love. Compatriots from other cities can also try to breed. Why? Because in this case the meeting is at least postponed. In fact, you shouldn’t count on real communication, since the person’s goal is to make money from your carelessness. Deceive. A woman can be written by an attractive employee of a large company, who will be passing through her city incognito and checking on his subordinates at the branch.
   Option: a man plans to move to the city where a woman lives and supposedly wants to immediately find his love. The risk group, unlike the first case, is not beauties who, as it seems to them, can fool even a successful foreigner, but, excuse me, “ugly girls” or women with problems in life who will be happy about the appearance of a prince on the horizon to such an extent that they will forget about all the precautions. A woman over 30 with a child who is looking for a father for her son or daughter can easily fall for the bait.
3. Sex. The scheme is most relevant for male victims. What kind of “male” will say “no” if a girl with attractive shapes offers him something interesting?

The list goes on. But you just need to remember important rule: Never give money to a new acquaintance. It doesn’t matter if he doesn’t have enough for a ticket, or if he has problems with loans. If you receive such a request, it is most likely a scam. But you haven’t even seen your interlocutor yet. Only on photo.

By the way, so that all doubts are completely eliminated, you can arrange a check for the fraudster or fraudster. The Internet provides such an opportunity.

Options:

• check the photo for authenticity. First, study in detail and compare all available images. Perhaps traces of installation or some other interesting details will be discovered. Secondly, it is necessary to compare the photo with the information obtained as a result of correspondence. For example, take and examine in detail an image of the coast. The man writes that he was vacationing on the shores of the Indian Ocean, and the landscape on the card is not Asian at all. Careful scammers, of course, pay attention to detail. But no one is safe from “punctures”;
• check information in search engines. Yandex and Google know a lot about us. You can enter the first and last name of a new friend and see what is available about him, or search by user’s photo. For example, a girl who you suspect of fraudulent activities introduced herself as Elena Petrova from Izhevsk. To check whether she is cheating or not, you need to do two things.
  First, enter her first name, last name, age and city into the search engine window. And see if there is one on social networks and other sites. Maybe someone has already met this scammer. Then you can search for photos similar to her. Perhaps the image was taken from another person's page. All this is done for free;
• If scammers, as we noted, are good psychologists, then potential victims should also be so. Let's say there is a suspicion that the page is fake. First, you need to try to reveal as little information about yourself as possible. Although it is understandable that the desire to communicate remains open. Secondly, you can try to ask your interlocutor questions that will reveal some contradictions or make him worry. Which ones exactly depend on the situation. A simple example: a man reports that he often visits Moscow. Let’s say the female victim also visited Moscow more than once. You can start talking about the capital. There is a chance that the gigolo will not be able to support him. For he had never been to Moscow.

We hope that after reading our article you will become more careful in your communications and will not disclose your personal information, telephone numbers, residential addresses, etc.

By the way, it’s quite possible to communicate on Skype. Assess by facial expressions and voice how confident a person is. Deception is often visible at the verbal level. And Skype is sound and video in which you can clearly see a person.

Another caste

Some try to defraud victims of money during the dating process, while others try to help with the site’s services. It is known that some opportunities on Mamba can only be obtained by paying.

On the Internet you can find advertisements about increasing units on an account, assistance in unlocking a profile, and obtaining VIP status on preferential terms. Such information should be regarded as spam, and nothing else.

Only the site administration can give VIP or remove the block. People from the outside cannot be trusted. The desire to save money is very high probability will result in a loss of money.

“Mamba” are scammers?

Studying posts on forums and user reviews, you may come across the opinion that the owners of the said dating site themselves are dishonest. The main complaints are:

• they wrote off money without anyone's knowledge;
• blocked the page with the balance of funds.

We have not conducted an investigation into this matter, and we cannot prohibit unflattering comments about the management of Mamba. Meanwhile, it is worth noting the following:

1. The site has been around for a long time positive feedback There are more negative things about him than there are. There are doubts that the resource will spoil its reputation by illegally receiving small amounts of money.
2. As for writing off money without knowledge, here, most likely, we should talk about the inattention of users. When a person purchases VIP status, there is a checkmark next to the phrase “Enable autopayment”. It needs to be removed. In addition, everyone, expanding their capabilities on Mamba, agrees with the rules of the site. They need to be read, but no one does this. So formally everything is clear.
3. It’s difficult to say for sure about blocking. Perhaps they are also causeless. But maybe offended users are just presenting the situation that way.

In a word, we are inclined to believe that the Mamba administration is not a scammer.

To summarize, I would like to note that in any case, you need to be careful and careful on dating sites. Otherwise, you can lose serious money. Practice shows that some people transfer hundreds of thousands of rubles to scammers.

In the article, we did not touch upon cases when scammers begin to act actively only on a date with their victim, but on the Internet they behave quite adequately. But this is a slightly different story.

The emergence of dating sites inevitably attracted a large number of scammers profiting from lonely hearts. How do people cheat on dating sites? And is it possible to avoid such a fate?

Petty charlatans

Robots and fake pages

Blatant ransomware

Danger in reality

SMART diagnostics of a swindler

4 safety rules

Selection of a dating site

How to get scammed on dating sites

There are plenty of deceivers on the Internet who extract money from naive and gullible citizens in any way. As for sites specializing in dating, it is much easier to find such a victim here.

We care about users of dating sites and have created a blacklist of users especially for you. Come in and take a look so you don't run into them.

Depending on the degree of arrogance and lack of conscience, several types of scammers can be distinguished.

Petty charlatans

These are mostly women or members of the stronger sex who hide their true faces behind fictitious female profiles, as they scam men on dating sites out of small sums of money. These specimens do not have large profits. They can only deceive a wealthy applicant small gift, money to a mobile account or before salary, etc.

Robots and fake pages

Here they also sell attractive appearance young person. First, a robot that has already been programmed with standard phrases will communicate with you. The answers will be simple and monotonous. If you want to double check, ask the same question several times. Guaranteed to get an answer to each one.

After several messages, Internet scammers will offer the candidate to go to another site, from which it will supposedly be more convenient to communicate. Needless to say, you will have to pay for access to such a site. In addition, a false page can send viruses or all kinds of advertising brochures.

Major dating scam

This category of swindlers prefers to spend more time processing the victim, but they also win a bigger jackpot. The objects of their sighs are women over 30 years old, who are already losing hope of getting married. There are several options for making a big deal on dating sites:

• A citizen of a foreign state simply goes crazy about his new acquaintance and is looking forward to visiting her. In order to buy yourself a ticket to the groom, they suggest going to the ticket ordering site. Naturally, the site is fake, and the money will go straight into the swindler’s pocket.
• An enviable foreign groom is already on his way to meet his beloved. But suddenly some minor trouble happens on the way, for which you urgently need money. He will definitely return everything!
• Fraudsters also use online dating to send “gifts”. Only for some reason the future husband forgot to pay the fee for sending this gift, and the transport company will not deliver anything without payment. But the gift is worth it!
• Particularly cynical “suitors” scam their victims out of large sums of money, which they allegedly do not have enough for treatment. Having received the funds, the swindler “falls into a coma” for a while, and then returns again and tries to lure at least some more money from his beloved.

Blatant ransomware

Such individuals gain the trust of their interlocutor and fraudulently obtain explicit photographs or videos from them. Then the only thing left to do is to find out the real pages of the chosen one(s) on social networks and blackmail the victim by distributing these very intimate photos and videos in the circle of her closest friends. They may threaten to send the photo to their boss at work or to their parents.

Danger in reality

Dating on the Internet carries dangers in real life as well. This happens after the relationship moves into personal communication, and representatives of both sexes can become victims here:

• New acquaintances can take men on shopping trips, dinners in restaurants and relaxation in nightclubs, where the man will pay for himself and for his companion. In some cases, clonidine and similar drugs are used, after moving away from the effects of which the groom will discover that he was simply robbed.
• What will an online acquaintance with a swindler entail for a woman? She may be unexpectedly left in a restaurant, forced to pay for a delicious meal, or drunk to the point of insanity for the purpose of rape. Often the same clonidine is used on the weaker sex in order to stock up on incriminating evidence, which will later be an excellent means for blackmail.

SMART diagnostics of a swindler

Even decent people do not write the truth in the “About themselves” column. What can we say about scammers? How to recognize? Is it really true that we all have the same brush – under suspicion? What about the presumption of innocence?

Of course, there is no need to fall into paranoia about this. There are millions of profiles. The vast majority of their owners are normal people. And in general, if you are afraid of wolves, don’t go into the forest. And yet, a dating site is a convenient resource for scams. Fraudsters operate here with great pleasure. Someone - alone. Others are companies. And everyone should be checked for lice. And those who look like just “darlings” - especially.

Checking the "face"

Step one is photo verification. Make sure the photo and owner match. First, run the photo through Google and Yandex search engines (to do this, you need to type the query “search by photo” in Yandex). Secondly, ask to send a recent photo “especially for you” - with some specific gesture. It is possible that instead of a specific gesture you will receive an indecent gesture - for example, fuck. Nothing. He immediately showed his true face - “rude”.

Isn't it on the list?

Life hack - if you type in a search engine “blacklists of grooms” (“marriage scammers”, “list of scammers”), you will get links to sites and forums where scammers are brought to clean water and place their photographs on the pillory. Of course, scammers often change accounts. But there are also lazy ones among them. We are all humans. And it won’t hurt to read other people’s stories. This is the case when it is not better to learn from your mistakes.

Copyright

If your love story started with his/her sumptuous presentation letter, check this literary masterpiece for plagiarism. You can use portals such as text.ru, content-watch.ru, antiplagius.ru - here you enter text and check its uniqueness. If something similar comes across the Internet, the program will hand over passwords and logins. But 100% uniqueness is not a reason to applaud. Yes, you really were approached individually. The question for what purpose still remains open.

I want to see you

Invite your interlocutor to a private chat - for example, talk on Skype. By video call, of course. The scammer will refuse. The swindler doesn't have that much free time. We need to engage in fraud, and not “sharpen our hair.” And anyway, why glow? There is definitely no need if the stigma is a cannon. Or the photo and face do not match. Does this mean that every “refusenik” is a scammer? Not at all. But questions arise.

The inconsistency came out

Attention to detail. When communicating with a scammer, inconsistencies and discrepancies arise every now and then. He is alone. There are a lot of you. You can’t remember everything you said to whom. Moreover, if he approaches the process with soul, he processes the victim according to an exclusive scenario. There will definitely be misfires. Because a person, not a robot. What kind of person is another question.

At first sight

Did you fall in love quickly and forever? A lightning-fast declaration of love is a serious reason to turn on increased vigilance. Scammers often use the “at first sight” scheme. They mix confessions, compliments and promises in a shaker, and treat them. And such a cocktail usually makes your head spin. If you feel sick from love, run before you lose consciousness from the “feelings.”

There is everything except you

Spiritual outpourings in the style of “there is everything but you” are another obscure, but often exploited scheme for processing victims. In general, people prefer to remain silent about money. Or talk, but in a narrow circle of loved ones. Fraudsters talk about their material wealth immediately, in detail and thoroughly: a house on the seashore, a couple of yachts and a very profitable business. But there is no happiness. I'm looking for you and it seems I found you.

Enter from the rear

There is nothing to complain about, but your soul is restless? Create a second account and communicate with your new bride or groom from a different perspective. You can learn a lot about the interlocutor. For example, what approaches everyone with the same maneuvers. Or, on the contrary, his testimony is strikingly different. Here is a long-distance sailor, and there is a retired officer. Is it indecent to have two accounts? When it comes to personal safety, all means are good (within the framework of the criminal code, of course).

Four safety rules

You can run into slavery or bankruptcy not only on a dating site. And outside the Internet, people lose money, honor and dignity. In addition, in virtuality it is easier to spot a scammer. And in general, if you follow the safety rules that you need to know, like the multiplication table or the rules traffic, Everything will be fine.

Keep it to yourself

There are things you need to keep to yourself. Firstly, this is a passport, bank card numbers and other identification documents. And if your interlocutor asks to send a scan - to buy tickets or book a hotel - send the interlocutor a cookie. That intimate photos It’s also worth keeping to yourself, there’s no need to remind you, right? Here you can also find your residential address, place of work and other personal information.

No empathy

Empathy is a good thing. If a person were a complete egoist and acted solely out of his own interests, what would happen to the human race? Who would be the “crown of nature” today? Fortunately, the human nervous system is designed in such a way as to “mirror” the feelings of others - to empathize. But if you are on a dating site, forget about empathy. Of course, you can sympathize with the sufferer, but without bank card in hand.

Be realistic

Keep yourself in control and close to the ground. Many people tend to wishful thinking. And you will see that this is real. And be especially vigilant if you suddenly feel: “this is my soulmate,” “as if I’ve known him/her for a thousand years.” As a rule, such euphoria is a consequence of the filigree work of the fraudster. If you suspect your heart is on fire, accept it cold shower. stand under cold water until you cool down. It's better to have a cold than a heart attack from the collapse of hopes.

Don't trust anyone

The word is not only a means of transmitting information. “The word is man’s most powerful weapon,” said Aristotle. Don't take words to heart. Don't take them at face value. To get to know a person, you need time, not words. And you can write and say anything you want. In general, “in our time you can’t trust anyone, sometimes even yourself (film “Seventeen Moments of Spring”).

We offer you to watch several videos on the topic of the article:

Online dating: how to avoid falling for scammers' tricks

Dating via the Internet is becoming an increasingly popular way of dating from year to year. They are so common that many of their supporters have forgotten what it's like to meet people in real life. It is possible that acquaintance through dating sites can really be the beginning Serious relationships two hearts in love with each other, but, alas, more often there are cases of disappointment and the appearance of various complexes in a person after this kind of “communication”. You can read in more detail about all the reasons and disadvantages of online dating in my last article “Online dating”. And now we will dwell in detail on this question - it is no secret that not all users registered on dating sites have a good goal - to meet a guy / girl to start a relationship and further create a family.

As you know, the majority of victims of unsuccessful online dating (about 95%) are women. Why? Yes, because most men are looking for the possibility of an intimate relationship on such sites, and women are love relationship and starting a family. No one claims that there cannot be women among scammers, but men are more vigilant in this regard, and at the first sign of deception they interrupt communication. They can’t be fooled by gentle words and prospects. romantic love. Therefore, this article will be addressed to those girls who, due to various reasons, have chosen dating sites as a the best way meeting a person.

So, what types of “personalities” can be hidden behind photographs on dating sites? successful people. Let's look at the main ones:

1. Woman? No, man! Not all girls are looking for online dating with the opposite sex for further development of relationships. Some of them already have boyfriends, and they just want to meet other girls for friendship and hanging out together, or to create a group of interests. Moreover, in their profiles they clearly express this desire with the phrases “not interested in meeting men” or “I would like to meet girls who share my interests” - the wording may be different. But for most unscrupulous men this is not a hindrance. If he likes a girl, he creates his own account under a name, for example, Oksana Ivanova, uploads a woman’s photo, and writes interests in the profile that match the girl’s interests. And then everything is simple - he pulls the girl into his “net”, and she sincerely believes that she has found a friend, a kindred spirit. But imagine her further disappointment when it is not Oksana who comes to meet her, but Leonid, and even with offers to meet. This is fraught not only with stress and the awareness of wasted time, but very often it can be extremely difficult to get rid of such individuals posing as people of the opposite sex.

2. Liar. This is a very common type of user. When corresponding with their “victim,” they adapt to her interests, share her views, and it seems to the girl that this is her ideal, but when they meet in person, it turns out that he still has to grow up to the image that the person created for himself on a dating site and grow. By the way, both women and men fall for this bait equally. Only in the case of men, everything is even simpler - there is no need to adapt to interests and views, correspond for a long time with the interlocutor - just post a photo of a blonde with a third bust size on your profile - and he “got it”. So men shouldn’t relax either.

3. Pickup artist. They can be difficult to identify; their main goal is to seduce a girl with further virtual and, ultimately, real sex. He is not at all interested in the feelings that the girl has for him, just as he is not interested in the girl’s condition at the moment when he leaves her life forever, putting a tick next to her name on his “record.” If you are looking for a relationship on the site with a further continuation - creating a family, you should bypass pick-up artists “by the tenth road”. How to calculate them? It's not easy, but it's still possible.

A pick-up artist can be identified by the following signs:

A) He has a pleasant, attractive appearance and an exceptional sense of humor;

B) The pickup artist keeps the conversation under his control;

C) Often talks about sex, sometimes talks exclusively about it (since this is his main goal);

D) The pickup artist is very persistent;

E) Strive at any cost to obtain the “victim’s” phone number;

E) When discussing a meeting place, he appoints it himself and does not give the girl the right to choose;

G) Be the first to make a date;

H) Disappears for several days, and sometimes weeks, after the first victory.

Beware of pick-up artists, because if you fall for their bait and realize this, you will feel used and crushed, you will develop hatred for men and, accordingly, your chances of a happy personal life will decrease.

4. Troll provocateur. The only purpose of registering such users on dating sites is to get into the dialogue of several people and begin to incite conflicts between them. The troll gets indescribable pleasure from this. As soon as the troll sees people’s emotional discussions on certain topics, he immediately inserts his “two cents” in the form of insults, provocative statements, sarcastic remarks - everything that can spark a conflict between normal participants in the dialogue, for whom the purpose of the dialogue is the exchange of information. Dealing with trolls is simple - identify them and ignore their comments. Seeing that none of the conversation participants react to his taunts, the troll goes in search of another victim.

Now let's move on to the main thing - consider the main ways how to avoid being deceived on a dating site:

1. If you have the first suspicion that your interlocutor’s intentions are ill-intentioned, invite him to call or meet with you. As a rule, the scammer disappears after this offer, not wanting to show his true face. You can also offer to chat on Skype, which will also scare away the careless user.

2. Never give your email address to a scammer. A person who is pursuing a good goal on a dating site will never ask for your e-mail (why, because all e-mail functions are available on a dating site). Very often the scammer introduces himself as a resident of a European country, a native of Russia or Ukraine, and he is already registered on dating sites under several pseudonyms.

3. Don't send your photos. You never know for what purposes the scammer will use your photos. If you have photos on social networks, for greater security, delete them after asking to send your photos.

4. Carefully read the meaning of the messages sent to you by your new acquaintances. The fact is that very often scammers do not send you letters themselves, but do it with the help of a robot program that is programmed to send messages after a certain time. So, if at three o’clock in the morning you receive a letter “Sorry, I’m at work, I can’t answer” or something like that, you can be sure that the program is writing to you. For your own safety, feel free to remove the user from your contact lists and block him forever.

5. A week after meeting, check the availability of his profile on the dating site. If it is not there, it means that you were communicating with a scammer who was not at all interested in communicating with you.

6. Often the scammer writes to the victim that he bought an expensive gift for her and asks her to provide contact information (telephone and address). Free cheese only comes in a mousetrap. Do not give out your contact information under any circumstances. You can be sure that after a certain time the scammer will begin to insist on this - remove him from your contacts and block him forever.

7. If you are not sure whether the scammer is corresponding with you or not, start asking him specific questions, the more, the better. As a rule, the scammer gets lost and begins to give unrelated answers. There is only one result - delete it, and quickly.
And finally, a classic divorce: “Darling, now I’m far away, in another country. But I already miss you and want to see you soon. Unfortunately, plane tickets are expensive and I don’t have that kind of money. Could you send the nth amount of money to the specified details so that our meeting can take place as soon as possible. I'm looking forward to it." I believe there is no need for comment on further actions.

You should also be vigilant when telling your interlocutor where and with whom you live. There was a case when a lonely girl living in Moscow wrote in one of her messages that she had no one and lived alone, which the scammer immediately took advantage of - he offered to meet on the other side of the city. Arriving at the meeting, the girl waited for her “interlocutor” for an hour, after which she returned home and was horrified to discover that the door to her apartment had been broken into and all her valuables had been taken out. Therefore, when making acquaintances on the Internet, remain vigilant and do not let scammers fool you. After all, every correspondence will end sooner or later, and its disastrous result (be it broken heart and unfulfilled hopes, or a robbed apartment) will stay with you for a long time.