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Falling in Love Scams

A member meets another member who is out of the country. Sometimes this person says they are a foreigner. Sometimes they say they are an American working elsewhere for a few months. This person may have different names, stories and excuses, but, in the end, they all need the same thing: money. They prey on unsuspecting, innocent people on thousands of different sites that are only in search of one thing: love.

These internet scams occur when a member ‘falls for’ another member. They may be blinded by their hopes or just plain duped. They are seduced by the scammer with emails, love letters and even presents (like flowers) that are bought with stolen credit card information. After the scammer feels they have the member’s trust (this can take from a few weeks to a few months), they ask for money to be wire transferred to them so they can come visit them or so they can take care of an urgency. Wanting to help, the person sends the money but never hears from their ‘love’ again. Nigeria, Russia and the Philippines are just a few of the many countries where the scams have originated from.

Of course, con artists have tapped relationships as a source of wealth since the beginning of time. With the internet though, it is just much easier now for people to reach across the world and trick lonely hearts into giving up their time, efforts and sometimes life savings.

Many websites have sprouted relaying the dangers of online scams and what members can do to protect themselves. No one is going to fall in love after emailing back and forth for a week. Sending money to someone you don’t know or have never met is VERY risky and you must understand that you may never see that money again, especially if it is sent via Western Union. Always verify a person’s background information (including their address). Remember to use common sense and caution when meeting people on the internet.

NatureGal745	Oct 18 @ 4:04PM
	Been there, done that, got the T shirt! Learned my lesson hard. I am now better informed and have cyber tools at my disposal.
techy7830	Nov 16 @ 5:06AM
	Makes me so mad when people think that I am that gullible ....... Had it happen just last month..... told the idiot to pack sand and stay in Africa! LOL! He was not a happy man! LOLOL!
MoneyMan404	Nov 19 @ 4:49PM
	Anyone that needs help, support, or information about these particular scams, can visit http://groups.yahoo.com/group/romancescams . That is a great group of people, dedicated to fighting this criminal scamming element. If you have been scammed, or think you are being scammed, it is THE place to go. To report these scams to the FBI, visit www.lookstoogoodtobetrue.com Great article!
ShyMe585	Dec 5 @ 3:25PM
	there 1 just sign into matchdoctor just a few dyas ago clameing she in nyc before now chnged it to she saying she in texas now and she a 100 % scammer. i don't know if i can post the name in this but this is a warning to all
LENA3824	Dec 13 @ 3:33AM
	I had one,,,,Right off the bat he wanted to send me flowers....I thought he was lying...I gave him my work address since I work for the Government....Said he was an Engineer in Florida....leaving for Nigeria the next day to build a Road.....Within 3 days.....the 2 dozen roses arrived at work 24 inches long with a Teddy Bear attached to the vase....2 weeks later he was having money problems and sent me money orders to cash for him.....They even looked fake.....He was the one that lost out...Not only on the money for the flowers....but I am a very nice person.....his lost all the way around....So he tried by buying me something first...thinking I would fall prey to him....Not
iceey39	Dec 17 @ 9:39PM
	If at all possible could you all give user names? I have a feeling there are several scammers going around. Not just here but on several dating sites and chat programs, I know, I hate to admit such but I too have been a victim. I would like to know if we can give out users nicks?? If so we should all get a nick list going, and stop the madness? Please?
dinahst	Jan 9 @ 6:13PM
	The give away on these guys is the way they write. They are highly educated but do not use verbs, adjectives etc. correctly. Here's an example: Instead of saying I would like to....... they will say I will like to...... They also always refer to you as an angel or some glorified affectionate name. ALL I have been contacted by say they are engineers and say they travel all the time. UH HUH. They all use the same story. His wife died and he is now caring for the children. That's a little hard to do while traveling!! They also always use pictures that look like the guy is a model. If you want to shut them up, just ask them to fax you a copy of their passport. You'll never hear from them again. Peace!
ShyMe585	Jan 13 @ 5:47PM
	well md you was asked a question are you going to answer it ? were wanting to know if we can post the names of the scammers to warn the other members that way we can spread the word
Matchdoctor	Jan 15 @ 2:34PM
	The best thing to do is to report those messages by clicking the "report spam" link at the top right of the email message. The more users that do this, the faster we can stomp them out. It won't really do much good to post their names, because they will be quickly banned and they will not be able to mail anymore members. We want everyone to know that we do our best to prevent these scammers from accessing our site, but they will always figure out a way around the barriers we put up, and it's just a matter of time. We will post up some better messages in the mailbox warning users of these type of scams, as we feel educating users of the tail tale signs of a scam is the best solution. We have heard through the grape vine that AOL may of opened up their proxies to everyone, making it virtually impossible to distinguish them from normal AOL users. That is probably why there has been an increase of these recently.
Mainewoman2	Jan 20 @ 10:22PM
	Hee Hee, I had a guy from this site tell me that he loved me after the first contact! He called me honey baby my love, darling, etc. and he didn't even know me... I knew he was flakey so I told him that after thinking about him for a while I'd decided that he was sincere and really did love me. I said I was so happy and that I knew he was the kind of man who would take good care of me and pay all of my bills because that's what a man does when he loves a woman. I asked when he wanted to meet so we could plan the wedding... I never heard from him again!
ShyMe585	Jan 21 @ 4:48PM
	well now their coming in under yahoo now trying to get me to email them in yahoo now got 75 already trying to scamm me so i sent them off with their rewars to spam dept yea for me
angelsvoice521	Jan 23 @ 11:48PM
	I met a scammer on here not 3 weeks ago. It took me a week to catch onto his intentions. When I finally did, he had deleted his profile. His excuse was "he had found what he was looking for" but he got another thing! When I started suspecting he was a scammer, I started drilling him about his family, or lack thereof. Finally after two weeks, I threw it all back in his face. He was so upset with me, but yet - the next day I had an email from him saying he'd always have me in his heart. Just beware of ANYONE saying they are from the United States but are working in Nigeria. That is the first red flag. NO ONE can hardly get in and out of Nigeria. It's too dangerous. If they have traveled all over the country, especially North America and are back in Nigeria - second red flag. If they begin to ask you for money - DO NOT GIVE THEM ANY INFO! Luckily, the man that contacted me had not asked me to open any accounts for him, etc. He did ask that he have his funds federal expressed to me, then he would fly over and make investments, etc. However; I got a bit nervous about the entire deal, and I told him I wanted no part of it, then I deleted his emails and everything he had given me. I had him blocked. Just beware.....there are scammers everywhere, and they are using stolen pictures from modeling sites. Please be careful and screen EVERYONE. I was lucky, but I was also very smitten with this man. He said everything I needed to hear. I now realize that I must of appeared desperate and lonely for someone to prey on me like that. However; I didn't listen to my heart this time....I listened to my brain and my gut.
grneyedminx	Jan 30 @ 1:47AM
	I am so glad the word is getting spread about these scammers. One tried to scam me a couple of weeks ago. I joined the Yahoo group romancescams@ yahoogroups.com and found a wealth of information there. They do post a lot of the nicknames, sign-in names, and a separate picture listing. I was so naiive, but have learned so much over the last couple of weeks. There's another site called Romancescams.com that has a huge database of pictures and stories to read about the various ways they try to break your heart and your bank account. I too was wary when he became attached so quickly - told me how much he needed me. They use the words angel, baby and honey quite frequently. I had alarm bells going off, but kept talking to him because he was so sweet. His grammar was terrible, which is an instant red flag. They are primarily men from Nigeria, posing as both men and women. They use words like 'cos' , 'cuz', and 'bcoz', and start sentences with am instead of I am. They write as if they are uneducated, but don't think they aren't smart. My scammer knew all the details, had an answer for every question. He was supposedly working on an offshore oil rig off the coast of Holland. He told me he flew to London (where he had a house), and from there to Amsterdam and then to Hague, Holland. He gave me his employer names, which I looked up and were legitimate. He sent me pictures of the ship, which matched the ones I found online. These guys do their homework and share their scripts with each other. He finally got around to asking for money 2 weeks into our chats. He told me his accountant made off with his money and he had to pay for the supplies for the ship - his job as a supervisor. He wanted me to either get a loan - for $20K to pay customs, or gain access to a credit card machine where I could charge his cards for money to send him. He had an advanced check from his company for $25K euros, so he would pay me back when he came home to me the next week. I immediately went looking for dating scams, and found the sites mentioned. They warn you not to retailiate - don't email them back and let them know you're on to them. Block and delete them from your email and IM. If you're unsure, they give you info on how to trace their IP addresses from emails they've sent. Once angered, they can become threatening and hack your computer - it's not worth the minute of satisfaction you get from telling them off. These are dangerous people with ties to terrorism. This one claimed not only to having one dead parent, but lost his wife in childbirth and the baby died a week later in the incubator. They are heartless in what they will do to separate you from your money. Mine sent me a poem he wrote for me - I told him it sounded like a song, which he denied. How many poems repeat the chorus! I googled a line of the "poem" and found the entire thing word-for-word on a Nigerian band's website. These guys are clever. Be careful out there!
helen77	Feb 26 @ 1:45AM
	send this to them it was on a blog i can't remember who posted it but i used it and it seems to have worked ...... Hi sir. I just came past your profile and I thought it was very interesting. I have several children, who are all man haters. I’ve been married 6 times. In which all my husband’s miraculously died of "natural" causes. I love to shop; especially if it’s some pathetic, lonely mans money. My body is covered in tattoos, I have no more room for any more piercing’s. I am a very thin woman. Maybe the fact that I am bulimic has something to do with that. I try to shower ay least 3 times a week, and I never change my under garments. I do not work, I only want a man who will give me babies and feed me. Working is a tool from the devil. I want to be totally honest with any man I plan on getting married to, so I may as well come clean here, I have these red bumps in my private areas, now they may just be a rash from one of the 4 men I had sex with last night, But there is a chance it is genital herpes. Would you still Love me with genital herpes? Either way I would love to pursue this relationship and see it go the distance. I have enjoyed the conversations we have had in my dreams and in my imagination. I only dream of the moment we meet and you hold me in your arms. (Not too tight though for the fear of you snapping me in half or catching the head lice my 6 year old gave me last week.) I wish nothing more for us to meet, have babies, be poor, and live no where else but in a single wide trailer with a close line in the back yard attached to the broken down ford Taurus and the children’s tire swing.
aloneinparadise	Mar 19 @ 6:37AM
	Speaking as one who does live in Africa and who is not a scammer, please spare a thought for us. I have had scammers trying it on me and aftrall it is no different than real life. When someone asks you for something you would not give to a guy or woman you just met in a bar== dont do it! .... remember no such thing as a free meal. same in the search for love..... Bob ( who was was referred to as fishy!!)
aloneinparadise	Mar 19 @ 6:38AM
	Speaking as one who does live in Africa and who is not a scammer, please spare a thought for us. I have had scammers trying it on me and aftrall it is no different than real life. When someone asks you for something you would not give to a guy or woman you just met in a bar== dont do it! .... remember no such thing as a free meal. same in the search for love..... Bob ( who ONCE was referred to as fishy!!)
hotsxybbw4u	Apr 13 @ 6:22PM
	I am trying to find out the site where they say you can type in someone's name and it will pull it up and let you know if this person is a scammer but its not coming up. can someone please help me out and let me know? thanks so much!!!!!
baby207	Apr 17 @ 9:29PM
	LET ME TELL YOU WHAT I HAVE DONE I HAVE WENT ON MY SPACE GOT TO THE NIGERIAN MEN ..THE PICTURE OF MALE MODEL I WENT TO ALL THE WOMAN THEY BEEN CHATTING WITH AND TOLD THEM I DO THIS EVERYDAY THEY USE MODELS OFF OF FOCUS INTERNATIONAL HAWAII....THEY ARE EASY TO FIND I WILL RUIN THERE GAME IT MAKES ME MAD THAT THESE PEOPLE WANT TO HURT PEOPLE THAT WANT TO FIND THE RIGHT PERSON..IF MORE PEOPLE DO THIS ..GO TO THESE PICTURE OF MODELS THEY POSTED FLOOD THEM WITH E MAILS THEY WILL BACK OFF I TELL THEM I AM THE SCAM HUNTER....LET THEM KNOW THAT WE KNOW THE PICTURE FAKE TELL THEM THE SCAM HUNTER SENT YOU WELL BYE FOR NOW..BECAREFUL
cmjacq	Mar 14 @ 12:59PM
	These people are on myspace as well, i had a friend conned by them and im out for revenge. They dont scare me at all. Wish i could just go thru my computer and ring their necks. But u know whats sad, women fall for them, there are women out there as well as men who one would not consider "attractive" or "dateable" you get the picture and they are duped by these cons...
agasingle	May 8 @ 8:18AM
	I have been a victim to one of these scams. Unfortunately, I let my heart make the decision instead of my head. I wonder how this happened to me. I am usually a person that does not trust very easily. I met this person on (what I thought to be) the #1 trusted website. This match lived in the same state as myself (supposedly) just an hour away. I have not been on the dating scene recently, and a friend suggested trying online. I have two that met their husbands this way, and had others that new of someone that had success. I really did not know about these love scams... that is how far removed from dating I have been! It was not till I started researching to learn how common it is, and it makes me feel stupid to have fallen for this. I was more vulnerable than I realized, and he said all the right things. He told me his from France and lived here for 2yrs (his mother was from GA, and loved coming here as a child) I thought his loving words and quick love was just the French culture trait, ha ha!! Again, I thought he lived in the same state as myself. It was not till he had to travel to Africa for business that his troubles began. I was already hooked, and fell for his story, which was quite different from most that I have been reading online now. Except for the fact he said he was a widower with a 15yr old daughter. But now, that I am his only way to get home, I am pretty sure he was never here. Dupped that's me, but smarter now. I will get over this and hope that something good comes from a bad experience. Just one of life's bad breaks! You get up shake yourself off, and move on.
Laura456789	May 26 @ 1:00PM
	I recently met a man on Yahoo Personals, his name is Philip. He told me he is in the UK making some futures purchases in oil. I have no doubt not to believe him. Then one e-mail after 4 weeks, he asked me for 10K dollars. I about had a heart attack wondering why he would even ask me that. Again, he never calls me by my name, it is usually honey, baby, sweetheart. I even seen him copying poems from on line and saying he wrote them. I am very upset about this all. We talk everyday and I even invited him to come and stay with me for the 4th of July. He gave me his address in Florida, which proved to be a real address, but I still do not quite understand why he keeps telling me I am beautiful and this and that. He is a very attractive man and I honestly don't know what he sees in me since I am overweight, older and definately not a player. He claims to be a widow and has a daughter that lives with his sister. I just don't know what to do. So with that I am going to back off for a while. I wrote him this morning and told him I had a feeling he was going to be stuck in the UK since he can't raise the money to sell this oil. Has anyone else seen this. His profile said he was a Engineer, not a futures seller. Confused in Chicago and not sure if I should just forget this. This man is Italian so I am not sure if there is just a communication problem.