Mail Order Bride Scams—Essential Info Every Dating Seeker Should Know
Mail order bride scams are a common thing in the online dating environment, especially if you approach questionable platforms. You can encounter numerous types of romance scams online. That is why it is necessary to be armed with all the required information before taking a deep dive into the world of online communication. Keep reading to learn the meaning of mail order bride scams, possible types, and consequences. Also, you can discover how to figure out a fake account and potential fraudsters quickly. Once you have this information at hand, you can make your dating experience more effective and secure.
Fraudulent and trusted mail order brides websites: How to spot them
It’s worth noting that legitimate and safe dating sites do exist. Unfortunately, there are also fraudulent mail order brides platforms. How can you tell them apart? Several factors are considered suspicious:
- Fake pictures of girls that can be found in a Google search
- Unfilled, half-empty profiles
- Lots of messages from incredible beauties in a short period of time
- Paid registration on the site
- Photos of different people in one profile
- Same messages sent by different women
- The lack of the ability to confirm the email address on the site
- Poor technical support
- Too many ads
If you see anything from the list, then this is a bad sign. Such mail order brides sites should be avoided—they will not bring you anything but disappointment.
Mail order bride scam: Examples
There are many types of mail order brides site scams. Let’s take a look at a few of the most common ones so that you can recognize a scammer if they contact you on the site.
Asking to buy a plane ticket
Very often, communication on the site turns into real meetings. You can chat with a girl online, and then she can ask you to buy her a plane ticket. In this case, it is better to ask the site administration to organize everything. Reliable platforms usually provide this service. If a scammer sits on the other side of the screen, she will quickly switch to another “victim” and stop communicating with you.
Health or money problems
Let’s say you met a charming girl online. She is intelligent, friendly, and outgoing. You like to communicate with her. But suddenly something happens to her or her loved ones: for example, she breaks her leg, or her mother urgently needs surgery. Of course, she may not ask you for money right away. But if you see that your pen partner is hinting that she needs a large amount of money, she is most likely a scammer.
Asking to buy something for her
If your pen pal asks you to buy something, be it a dress, a purse, or a bouquet of flowers, you need to be careful. Online dating scammers can link directly to some sites posing as popular online stores like Walmart or eBay and steal your credit card information. Therefore, never click on third-party links and be attentive to such suspicious requests.
Useful tips on how to avoid mail order brides scams
The most proven way to avoid a mail order bride scam is to prepare for online dating beforehand. You should conduct research on which international marriage agency to use and the potential dangers of online communication. Here are some effective tips that will allow you to feel secure when dating online and make the most out of your experience.
- Use the services of trustworthy mail order bride websites. Read the expert reviews and real user testimonials to ensure that a certain platform delivers authentic services.
- Learn to recognize fake profiles. If you approach a questionable mail order bride service, there is a chance that you encounter a bot. That is why you will need to ask unusual questions, or even weird ones, to make sure you communicate with a real person.
- Never transfer money. If a person you communicate with asks you to transfer money, you will need to stop the communication immediately. A lady who has sincere intentions will hardly talk about money and ask for help.
These are the basic tips that will help you to have a safe romantic journey while communicating online. If you want to deeply dive into the world of online dating safety, check out these expert recommendations on how to avoid mail order bride scams and take full advantage of your romantic venture.
Types of mail order brides scams
The last thing every love-seeker wants is to become a victim of an online romance scammer. To avoid such unpleasant aftermath of online dating, it is useful to learn the possible types of scams and their features. Therefore, you can protect your identity and money and have an exciting romantic journey.
- Fake mail order brides. Some questionable mail order bride websites encourage new clients only to steal money, but not directly. You can create an account and communicate with beautiful ladies, investing your money, of course. However, if you decide to meet, a girl may reject your request. You can purchase more credits or avail of premium subscriptions until you realize that this site doesn’t work for you.
- Money hunters & gold diggers. It is possible to become a victim of a scammer even if you communicate with a real person. Some girls upload their real photos on websites to make their profiles natural-looking. They start to communicate with foreign men in the hope of finding a benefit. Most likely, such ladies ask for financial help because of some emergency or something like that.
- Blackmail. Think twice before demonstrating your intimate body parts in front of the camera. People with bad intentions may record your sexual performance and then blackmail you. In this case, rather than sending money to the criminals, you’d better contact customer support and report the case to the local police.
There is a whole dating scammer list. This includes sites like J4L, EuroDate, BridgeOfLove, GoDateNow, and others. Therefore, you should always read the platform’s policies, real reviews, and truthful overviews.
Scams on international dating sites—Statistics and facts to know
Unfortunately, online dating is a favorable environment for the lovelorn victim to be conned into sending money to a stranger. That is why you should always be cautious when talking to strangers on mail order bride platforms. These statistics will show you that it is possible to get a profit at the expense of others, especially when real feelings come on stage. However, you can still protect yourself while being armed with this useful info.
- Romance scam victims lost $547 million in 2021 alone.
- The majority of scammers operate on Facebook and dating apps with questionable reputations.
- Those people who belong to the 55+ age group are more likely to suffer from online fraud.
- Almost 15,000 complaints that refer to romance scams or confidence fraud were reported to IC3 this year.
- The most substantial reported losses to online dating scams were paid in cryptocurrency. The total amount of money reached $139 million last year alone.
- The US is considered to be the most targeted country (37%) based on romance scam reports.
You can read numerous stories of romance victims on the official FBI website. Some of them come with video tapescripts for better understanding. Learn the mistakes made by other people in order not to be duped out of money.
To sum up
The online dating world is full of scammers who hide behind fake profiles of pretty girls. They talk to you a lot, trying to build your trust, develop online relationships quickly, and then ask you to provide them with financial help or buy something. Follow our advice and choose only trusted mail order brides websites—then your online dating will only bring you pleasure and positive vibes!
FAQ
Romance scams are widespread on mail order bride platforms, especially if you use the services of unreliable international dating sites. That is why it is necessary to conduct research and read expert reviews to determine whether a particular site is worth the investment.
There are numerous types of romance scams, and fraudsters constantly develop new ways of twisting gullible online users around their fingers. Nevertheless, the majority of users report financial fraud, photo scams, fake dating sites, and blackmail.
Start with choosing the right platform. Once you communicate with a person, ensure account authenticity. You can upload a photo into a Google search to ensure that this photo isn’t stolen from other websites. Don’t transfer money under any pretext. If you want to please your partner, it is better to use the advanced features available on any reputable platform.
The main sign of a romantic scam is the suspicious behavior of the user. If your partner has expressed blended thoughts or you achieve different answers to the same questions, chances are the account is fake.