Ways to Spot a Love Scam

Common Love Scams

Some common love scams involve the follow scenarios:

1. A woman trapped in a hotel (ID seized to ensure bill payment):
2. Traveller (your interest) already has tickets to travel to visit you, but there are extra expenses, and she (usually it is a she) needs help for some unexpected expenses.
3. Money for a visa.
4. Sick parents or accident.

Don’t fall for these!

How They Do It

It’s pretty easy for the scammers to get onto a free or cheap internet dating site and write several people, hoping that one or more of them will bite. It’s even better if the other person writes first. Sometimes she will not come out and ask for money, but wants you to offer it first. The best is if she draws out the correspondence for a little bit, claiming she is falling for the North American person after several letters. If she ever claims she loves you after only two or three letters, stop writing! That person is a scammer. Report it to the RCMP or FBI and at least one of the following sites:

internet-love-scams.org

anti-scam.org

Some Signs She’s Trying to Scam You

There are some clues about whether she is a scammer or not:

1. The pictures she sends are low quality, and she claims she doesn’t have or can’t get better.
2. She loves you almost instantly and calls you endearing names within the first letter or two.
3. She claims she has a visa to travel to America or Canada, but needs help with the tickets.
4. There is a sudden illness, death, or accident, and she needs your help.
5. She asks for money before ever meeting in person.

Countering the Scammer

The best way to counter these people is just to stop writing and to report them to the scam sites, and possibly the authorities. Some things you should know about the scenarios:

1. Hotel trap: if a Canadian or American ever finds herself in this situation, the government will help, call the embassy.
2. She has bought a ticket: it’s extremely difficult to get a visa to visit Canada or the USA, next to impossible. And she must show who she is visiting, and demonstrate before she gets the visa that she will be able to support herself or has the support of someone here. In most (99%) of instances she must also have a letter of invitation sent directly to the visa office.
3. Money for a visa: you can pay the visa office directly, either online or through wire transfer.
4. Sick parents or accident: ask for proof or just ignore the request!

These last three are very common with Russian and Former Soviet Union scammers. It’s always good to get proof of the person’s identification. ID’s can be forged, but if there is any protest, then there could be an issue. Say your lawyer needs it for your visa or her visa, or whatever. Then send it to your embassy where she is from and ask to get it confirmed.

Also make sure you talk to her on the phone a few times first. Call her! There are private detectives who will check to see if she really is who she says she is. As well, you can simply get her picture and address confirmed by sending flowers – there are several agencies that take her picture when she gets the flowers. Use one.

Remember, most of the women (especially on Russian dating sites) and men out there are looking for legitimate relationships, but the scammers are around, so be careful. Good luck!

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