Tips from Real Love Scam on how to Avoid Catfishing Scams

No matter how smart you are you aren’t immune to being catfished. A catfish is a person who pretends to be something they aren’t online and they’re all over dating sites. The following are the top ten tips that will help you avoid catfish scams. Real Love Scam suggests that if you tick off even two of these things then consider you could be getting scammed.

1. Everything is out of Proportion

The photos a person has needs to match up with their physical description. If they say they are six foot tall and 90 pounds then that’s a lie. Also check their description against their photos. Real Love Scam suggest getting the other person to hold up a “timestamp”. This is a piece of paper or card with the date or a unique phrase that a person holds up in a photo. Cameras are in almost every phone and computer made these days so don’t believe someone who says they don’t have a camera. You should be wary of someone who claims they are too shy to take a picture, or don’t have a camera.

2. Search Using Pictures

A professional looking photo should be a red flag. Look for people who have photos that look more amateurish. Use an image searching site like tineye or even Google Images to search online with their photo. These sites tell you where else the photo is posted online. If the photo turns up on a modelling or stock photo site then it’s fake.

3. Scrutinize Profile Photos

   

   
   

Also be sure to scrutinize the photo itself. There are small details to look for like a wedding ring, the clothes they are wearing, and the location and time the photo was taken. Compare these details to what you know about them and the picture. If someone claims their photo was taken at a Halloween party but they aren’t in a costume and it’s a sunny day then that’s quite likely a lie. Real Love Scams know you can also use free online tools to check when and where a photo was taken to help in this investigation.

4. Things Look Too Familiar

A common catfishing tactic is to cut and paste introduction messages. Search online using a piece of the message to see if it’s copied from somewhere else. This is a great way to catch out someone pretending they are from another country. They make mistakes with details about the country they claim to be from. It can also be not knowing about the local area. If they said they were from Seattle but didn’t know about the Space Needle for example.

5. Poor Spelling and Grammar

If the spelling and grammar of a message or description is bad that’s a possible warning sign. There are also people who mess up deliberately in an attempt to convey that they are from another country. You can spot these people when they make errors with local dialect. Real Love Scam believes even a foreign person will likely know it’s not spelled “Masey’s daytime parades”.

6. They Want all Your “Numbers”

If a person is in a hurry to find out your email or instant messaging names then it should be seen as a red flag. One way to combat that is by using a separate email address with your dating profile so the scammer can’t find out anything from it.

7. They Move far too Quickly

If someone tries to rush you that’s another big red flag. Real Love Scams know catfishers will almost always make the first move. They are also likely to create profile based on what you say you want on yours. This gives them the identity of the perfect person for you and lets them take advantage of you because your defences are weakened by love.

8. Be Inquisitive

Make sure that you ask the person about them and where they come from a lot. Verify the information too. Obvious signs of a scam is misspelling the names of cities and landmarks. A catfisher will ask you a ton of questions about your life but they rarely open up about their own. They will also have a whole laundry list of excuses as to why. Saying that they were hurt by revealing too much too soon is the most common one. This excuse also leaves you with the burden of proving trustworthiness. That is a major red flag.

9. Never Give Anyone Money

If someone asks you for money or hints that you should give them money then stop talking to them. Immediately. Real Love Scam urges you to avoid sympathy scams too. Not every person who catfishes you will ask for money but, if they do, it’s almost always a scam.

10. Facebook

If the person you talk to doesn’t have a Facebook account you should consider it a red flag. Maybe they do have one, but it was created around the same time their dating profile was. That’s a big sign it’s fake. Also see how many posts and photos they have shared, as well as how many friends they have and connect with.

If you find the other person on Twitter then verify the things they’ve told you with the tweets they’ve made. You can also consider a Twitter account to be fake if it was created around the same time as the dating profile or Facebook account.

Real Love Scam urges you to contact the authorities if you think you have been scammed, or were dealing with a scammer.

Real Love Scams Warns You How To Avoid Scammer

Online dating is a very easy and convenient way to meet new people, but unfortunately it’s also a convenient way for a scam artist to meet you. Not all of them are after your money either. We join dating sites in the hope that everyone else there is there for the same reason that we are, but the motives of some people are not as pure as that. Online dating sites, and other sites for that matter, are not only filled with scammers and thieves. There are ample perverts, criminals, and cheaters there too. Real Love Scam wants you to be aware of these warning signs that will alert you when you’re dealing with someone you should avoid. 

Perverts

It’s easy to join an online dating service. All you need is to create a profile. There’s zero screening or security involved to verify the information people submit. Anyone can put absolutely anything in their profile and there’s no need to reveal things they’d rather remain hidden. This means that you are the one taking all the risk as you have no idea who you’re actually talking to. So always tread carefully. This creates an ideal hunting ground for sexual predators. 

It’s important that you don’t meet anyone in real life until you’ve verified some of the details about their life they’ve told you. Real Love Scam also recommends that you always let a friend or family member know about the person you’re talking to. You should also give your confidante as much information about the person as you’re willing to. At the very least your friend or family member should know the name, phone number, and address of the person. If you do decide to meet someone in real life then make sure to let someone know when you are meeting them and where. Let them know when you will be home too. It’s even better if you can get them to go with you. At least for that first meeting. They don’t need to accompany you on every date. 

It’s important to remember that not everyone you meet through an online dating site is out to hurt someone, but that doesn’t negate the fact that you have to protect yourself and not let yourself become a victim. 

Cheats and Liars

Online dating sites don’t just provide a hunting ground for criminals and perverts. They also present an ideal playground for cheaters and liars. Both men and women looking to cheat on their significant other can create profiles in minutes and begin chatting up some poor stranger in a matter of minutes. Don’t kid yourself into thinking there’s any other reason for a married person to join a dating site than sex.  This is a true real love scam.

These people will tell you what you want they know you want to hear to get you to trust them. This lets them take advantage of you. Real Love Scam understand how difficult it can be to know if the person you’re talking to is married or not but if the person you talk to is hesitant about sharing even the simplest piece of personal information, such as where they live or work, then this is a red flag that something is up. 

To add to this you should be wary of people who will call you at weird times or cancel plans on a whim. If they get vague with their answers or even get angry with you then it’s obvious they’re hiding something and you should move on from them. Real Love Scams understand that it’s not just married people who are vague, but everyone who is vague is hiding something. Lying to someone is as bad as cheating. This can be a small and simple lie, like a 10 year old photograph or lying about their career, but if they are lying to you about even a small thing they are giving you an unrealistic impression of who they are. It’s nowhere near as dangerous as criminal record, sure, but it is still frustrating and a hurtful thing to do to someone. 

Real Love Scam wants to ensure you have a successful dating experience. Remember to go with your gut and keep an eye out for these red flags, and more, as they pop up when you interact with a pervert, cheat, or liar! 

Avoid Nigerian Dating Scams – Real Love Scam

It’s hard to find love no matter your gender, though women have unique troubles. Real Love Scam is here to warn you about the Nigerian Dating Scam. It’s a terrible scam that is has always been prevalent. It involves a woman being approached by a man who claims to be Nigerian. The “Nigerian Man” is actually only interested in her money. Sometimes “he” isn’t even a man at all, but a whole group of people out to steal money from unsuspecting women. Real Love Scams has compiled a list of the signs you should watch out for to know if someone is a Nigerian Dating scammer.

Uninvited Emails - Real Love Scam

The biggest warning sign of an online scam like the Nigerian Dating scam is an unsolicited email or instant message, which is a message from an unknown person. Emails from people from another country are especially suspicious. Scammers like this will look all over the internet to find single women with a focus on dating sites. Though sometimes they send messages to women not on dating sites. They are incredibly charming and adept at making you fall for them. Don’t respond to unsolicited emails and report them to an administrator instead. Real Love Scams know that these men will often tell you that it’s their first time finding a woman online and that you’re the first woman they found. They are very convincing people who will stop at nothing if you don’t block them.

Saying They Love You Too Quickly

If you do open up communication the scammer will regale you with tragic stories of their attempts to find love in their “home country”. They will tell you how they are now looking for their true love away from home. Oftentimes they will say they love you within the first few weeks of knowing you. They will say it is the first time they’ve ever felt like they do too. Real Love Scams have also uncovered a disturbing trend of sending you trinkets from their “home country” to further worm their way into your heart. Always exercise caution with people like this. Love can be very tempting but you can be safe about finding it to avoid a situation that ends in heartbreak and betrayal. Verify everything someone tells you to be sure they are who they say they are, and they are from where they say they are from.

Things Feel Wrong

After suddenly saying they love you a scammer will quickly move towards meeting you. Unfortunately travel from where they live to you is expensive and difficult. Effective scam artists tell you all this without outright asking you for money. Instead they wait for you to offer to send them money. It’s the least you could do after all. They love you and this is the final hurdle to meeting them. But you should never send them money and should immediately cut all ties with the person instead.

Real Love Scams know it can be difficult to sever ties like that with someone you feel loves you. This is how they work and why they are good at what they do. Always go with your instinct and take steps that protect you. If you don’t offer to send them money they will eventually just ask you for it. They will pressure you by telling you how they’ve had to change their plans because they just couldn’t afford what they wanted to do. Or they’ve had to cancel and it’s your fault for not helping. Real Love Scams urge you to always report someone who does this kind of thing to the authorities. You’re risking more than a broken heart when you deal with them.

Real Love Scam understand you would do almost anything to find love but you need to be safe about it. You won’t find happiness with a Nigerian Dating scam, or indeed any dating scam. Do a little research on people that talk to you, especially if the communication is unsolicited and they are from overseas. With how many people out there are looking for a relationship you’ll find the right person for you eventually as long as you keep looking. So stay safe, avoid scammers, and find your actual one true love.

Warnings For Senior Women - Real Love Scam

It’s an unfortunate truth that scams have become a part of everyday life. The worst aspect of all these scams is that it is the elderly who are the main targets. The internet gives everyone a great chance to do something good. Unfortunately it also gives people the tools scam artists need to hide who they are and what they want. What they want to do is use dating sites to meet poor victims who just want some love. 

There is no need to be really discouraged though. Real Love Scam wants to reassure you that the vast majority of people on dating sites are people who are actually looking for love, like you. There are some signs you can pick up on when on dating sites. We recommend everyone use these signs to spot potential scam artists with a special recommendation for the elderly. 

Real Love Scam:  Beware People Who Move Too Fast

A major red flag is people who are interested in moving too quickly and people who want to meet you in the real world. It is quite the compliment to have someone want to meet you in real life like that. You should still make sure that you are comfortable with this person and be careful when deciding if you should. Ensure that you allow your relationship to form and flow naturally and only meet someone when you are ready. Real Love Scam recommended waiting at least a month before even talking to the other person on the phone. You might even need to wait longer than that. You need to be aware that the more information you give to the other person then the more they know about you. Your phone number especially is a big deal. It’s tied to your home address so giving that out gives out your address. We urge that you are ready for that before taking that step. 

Always Meet In Public First

Always make sure that the first meeting you have with someone is in public, and that your friends or family know where you are. Consider even taking them along as a chaperone. Ensure that they also know the name of the other person, their phone number, and when you are due home. Never allow someone else to isolate you away from your friends and family. If someone really wants to be an important part of your life then they will want to meet the other people that are important to you, and they will want to enjoy the things you find important with you. Another big red flag is people who want to take you away from your important people. 

It also helps to tell the other person that you have told your family and friends about them. If you’re not comfortable telling them this then you can pretend that a member of your family who is overprotective made you do it. If your date gets angry about this then that’s just another red flag warning you that something is wrong and they have illegitimate intentions. Move on if they keep that kind of behavior up. Real Love Scams want you to know that there are still many people out there who are completely honest and will be honest with you. 

Be Careful With Personal Information

There are some pieces of personal information that everyone shares with the people they meet; things like their name, the color of their hair and the school they went to. That’s acceptable information to share. However you NEVER, EVER, share any information relating to your finances; your bank details, the value of your house, etc. This is perhaps the biggest red flag there is. If you refuse they’re likely to give you a sob story about why they need that information or why they need money from you. Ignore it. These people have perfected their stories about emergencies they’ve just suffered and reasons they need money. Real Love Scams recommend that you politely end the conversation with someone who asks these details and never talk to them. 

We know this sounds bad but we urge you to not be discouraged about all this. The majority of people on dating sites that you will interact with really are there for the same reasons you are. They don’t have any plans to scam you or anyone else. As long as you keep looking you can find love!