How Do I Report Scams on Dating Sites?
A 2007 study by Online Dating Magazine showed that 20 million people visit dating websites at least once a month and more than 120,000 couples marry each year after meeting online. There are plenty of sincere singles, but more scammers are joining too. According to Julie Ferguson, executive director of the Merchant Risk Council, at one time she got one complaint each month month, but now gets one every two weeks, MSNBC reports. Scammers seek vulnerable victims, pretend to be madly in love and then ask for money for various fake emergencies. Report them whenever you spot them, so they cannot continue their scams.
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Instructions
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Report the scam to the dating site. Its contact page should have an email address for reporting problems. Forward copies of all correspondence and other proof that the person is a scammer. The dating site is more likely to shut down the fraudulent account if it has solid evidence.
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Forward copies of email messages to the scammer's email provider. The Consumer Fraud Reporting website advises including the email headers, if possible, because they provide information on the scammer's location. There will be a button or link to "view headers" if this option is available. Most unscrupulous people use free email providers. These sites all have an address for scam reports, which is usually "abuse@," followed by the .com name. They shut down accounts that are used for illegal activity.
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Report any phone numbers used by the scammer on websites like 800notes.com. These sites list phone numbers and descriptions of date-site scammers and other rip-off artists. There are other sites like RomanceScams.org where you can add all the information you have, including photographs, to a warning database.
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Fill out a police report, the Federal Trade Commission advises. Your local police department may not be able to recover any money you've lost since most dating site scammers are based overseas or use false identities. However, the report is useful if you discover that the person got enough information to steal your identity. It lets you put an extended fraud alert on your credit reports and keep creditors from holding you responsible for accounts opened by the scammer.
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Report the scammer to the Internet Crime Complaint Center. The site is a joint venture of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the National White Collar Crime Center and the Bureau of Justice Assistance. It tracks criminal activity online and shares information with local law enforcement agencies.
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Tips & Warnings
There are many red flags to warn you of an online dating scam, so you do not lose any money. ABC 7 News in San Francisco reports that scammers use flowery words and act overly romantic, but they do not give verifiable personal information. They ask for money to be sent through wire services like Western Union. Stop contact with anyone who fits this method and make a report with the dating site.
