5 Tips for Recognizing an Online Dating Scammer

Based on the content of your online dating profile I’m guessing that literacy is not one of the characteristics we share.

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Several of my friends and I have been off and on a variety of online dating sites over the years including POF, Match, eHarmony and OKCupid. This of course doesn’t qualify us as experts but collectively we’ve had some interesting experiences and would like to share our top 5 tips on how to recognize an online dating scammer. Beware of:

1.The GQ style photo: The photo typically shows a guy with a head full of immaculately coiffed silver hair, wearing designer clothes – a sweater draped jauntily over his shoulders, tied in the front over a perfectly pressed linen, button-down shirt, light coloured casual trousers and loafers worn without socks. Ladies, get real! Most men's profile photos are selfies taken in the bathroom (I have no idea why men are fixated with taking photos in bathrooms), corporate headshots or old photos taken with their ex poorly cropped out (you can usually still see part of an arm or long hair). 

2.The syntax is all wrong for a native English speaker: When the profile says that the only language they speak is English and the profile is written by someone who speaks English like a Spanish Cow, run for your life! I had an email from a guy who was supposedly born and bred in Toronto telling me that he went to university in Texas, United States of America. Sure thing! When in doubt, read the profile or the email out loud.  

3.The profile is clearly a cut and paste job from several different profiles: I’ve seen profiles from guys that had sections in their profiles that changed gender a few times. Lucky for us they don’t proofread.

4.The guys that ask you for your personal email address right away so that you can get to know each other better: There’s no need to communicate off the online dating site. After all, you live in the same city, so exchange a few emails and arrange to meet for a coffee. Don’t fall into the trap of getting lured off the site, even if they use the excuse that they’re out of the country for business…. It’s all the same ruse.

5.Of emails that start like “I’ve been struck by your beauty”. “God sent you to me”. “I knew from the moment I saw you that we were meant to be together”. Or emails that start with a love poem (plagiarized of course) or discuss love very intensely when you don’t even know if you want to have dinner with the guy.

Happy dating and stay safe! Please add your tips for recognizing online dating scammers.

Afraid of not getting what you ordered with online shopping? Ha! Try online dating.

Maxine

Make someone smile today.

Geri