Online dating sites and scammers


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ami1uwant is offline ami1uwant Post #1  May 3,2011, 7:12pm
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It todays Wall Street journal there was an article on dating site scammers.

How to Tell if Your Online Date Might Be a Scam - WSJ.com

We have mentioned many of these stories on this site of storeis of getting people who end up being from Africa wanting us to bail them out.
 
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brokensmile76 is offline brokensmile76 Post #2  May 4,2011, 8:34am
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Oh no! The scammer was on eHarmony?! Shocking! not really. lol These scammers are so crafty and the number one way they make their way in on the dating sites is with stolen credit cards #'s.

My credit card company wouldn't even let me sign up with eH. They denied the charge and I immediately got an automated call from my CC company asking if I was trying to make a charge to eH and if I was to please call them back. Nice that they were looking out for me!
 
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eH_Advice_Host_Renee is offline eH_Advice_Host_Renee Post #3  May 4,2011, 11:41am

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Hi All,

I just wanted to reiterate that eHarmony has a lot of technology and human processes in place to keep scammers and others with bad intentions off of eHarmony. It’s truly one of our top priorities.

If you haven’t done so in awhile, we strongly suggest reading through our Safety Tips so you can identify potential red flags that may come up as you get to know your matches: www.eharmony.com/safety/tips.

And as always, per these Safety Tips, we ask that you not hesitate to contact us whenever you have concerns about a match at matchconcerns@eHarmony.com.

All the best,

Renee
eHarmony Advice Host

p.s brokensmile76, sorry to hear you had problems subscribing to our Singles site. You are welcome to PM if you need further help.
 
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mitchell175 is offline mitchell175 Post #4  May 4,2011, 12:21pm
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wrote :
They never met in person. Then one day, she wrote and said her mother was very sick and she was trying to raise money to pay the hospital bill. She asked for $5,000. Mr. Samuels wired it to her. "I thought I was being the protector," he says.
I have little sympathy for people who fall for this kind of thing. How stupid do you have to be to send money to someone that you've never even met?

I would have a hard time loaning $5,000 to some guy I was actually dating for a few months. I wouldn't even loan $5,000 to certain friends that I have known for years, who based on their history, I would question their ability or intentions to pay me back.

wrote :
Match.com, on its website, identifies some other common red flags: Proceed with caution with anyone who claims to be recently widowed or an American working overseas, or who quickly asks to communicate on an outside email or messaging system.
Oops. I just did this with a few matches. The EH iPhone app is so hard to navigate, I suggested the guys email me at my hotmail account. Guess that makes me look suspicious.
Last edited by mitchell175; May 4,2011 at 12:23pm.
 
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brokensmile76 is offline brokensmile76 Post #5  May 4,2011, 12:55pm
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eH_Advice_Host_Renee wrote :

p.s brokensmile76, sorry to hear you had problems subscribing to our Singles site. You are welcome to PM if you need further help.
I was able to sign up, my credit card company just wanted to make sure my card was not stolen and that I was in fact signing up on eH. I didn't find it a nuisance or anything. This is a measure they take now because of people saying their cards are getting charged on dating sites that they didn't authorize, so I am glad they checked with me.

Oh and just to clarify, I didn't mean to sound as though eH wasn't good at security efforts etc, I just meant that scammers are crafty and find a way to slip into any dating site. I have personally experienced a few on yahoo personals and Match about 2 years ago and since then refuse to ever sign up for those services again.
Last edited by eH_Advice_Host_Renee; May 5,2011 at 8:36am.
 
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ami1uwant is offline ami1uwant Post #6  May 4,2011, 1:02pm
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mitchell175 wrote :
I have little sympathy for people who fall for this kind of thing. How stupid do you have to be to send money to someone that you've never even met?

I would have a hard time loaning $5,000 to some guy I was actually dating for a few months. I wouldn't even loan $5,000 to certain friends that I have known for years, who based on their history, I would question their ability or intentions to pay me back.


Oops. I just did this with a few matches. The EH iPhone app is so hard to navigate, I suggested the guys email me at my hotmail account. Guess that makes me look suspicious.


People asking to go offline through personal email or IM systems is standard with online dating sites.
 
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LongLocks is offline LongLocks Post #7  May 4,2011, 2:32pm
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Scammers are on all the dating sites. Just proceed with caution and NEVER send money in any amount to anyone!
 
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annother is offline annother Post #8  May 4,2011, 2:45pm
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mitchell175 wrote :
I have little sympathy for people who fall for this kind of thing. How stupid do you have to be to send money to someone that you've never even met?
Being the victim of fraud has little to do with the intelligence of the victim. In fact, many people are afraid to come forward because they fear exactly this type of response.

I have been defrauded and I have a very high IQ. It has more to do with emotional vulnerability than intelligence.
 
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HowICIt is offline HowICIt Post #9  May 4,2011, 2:45pm

This is just how this female sees it. Your mileage may vary.

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I have a hard time understanding it too but I think it is just because I automatically go to cynic if a guy is flowery and touchy-feely emotionally with me, especially online and we have not met.

I have an employee who almost got scammed. She realized once he asked for money but prior to that, she was head over heels thinking she found a keeper and that this person really cared about her.

I feel bad for the truly real sensitive dudes that are out there. I think it makes it harder for them since many women will automatically think they are scammers.

/shrug
Last edited by eH_Advice_Host_Renee; May 5,2011 at 7:19am.
 
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eH_Advice_Host_Renee is offline eH_Advice_Host_Renee Post #10  May 5,2011, 8:38am

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eH_Advice_Host_Renee wrote :
p.s brokensmile76, sorry to hear you had problems subscribing to our Singles site. You are welcome to PM if you need further help.
brokensmile76 wrote :
I was able to sign up, my credit card company just wanted to make sure my card was not stolen and that I was in fact signing up on eH. I didn't find it a nuisance or anything. This is a measure they take now because of people saying their cards are getting charged on dating sites that they didn't authorize, so I am glad they checked with me.

Oh and just to clarify, I didn't mean to sound as though eH wasn't good at security efforts etc, I just meant that scammers are crafty and find a way to slip into any dating site. I have personally experienced a few on yahoo personals and Match about 2 years ago and since then refuse to ever sign up for those services again.
Hi brokensmile76,

So sorry to hear about your experiences and the experience of anyone else who's encountered someone online trying to take advantage of them.

Glad you were able to subscribe. That is pretty impressive on your bank's part to follow up with you to make sure the charges were legit! Everyone benefits from such diligence. : )

No worries about your post. I did read it as meant. I just wanted to bring our Safety Tips to the attention of all our members so they can have a safe and successful experience. (Members on other online sites are also welcome to take a look!)

All the best,

Renee
eHarmony Advice Host
Last edited by eH_Advice_Host_Renee; May 5,2011 at 8:42am.
 
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