Romance scammers create fake IDs on dating apps and contact targeted individuals from various social media apps such as Instagram and Facebook. These scammers then try to build trust by talking several times a day. They can also try to trap the victim by sharing things and personal stories with them. In addition, over time when they consider that now is the time to ask for a favor, then they easily ask for money. Moreover, sometimes they don’t even ask for money directly instead they say that they want to visit you and so for the tickets they need money or maybe they are having an emergency surgery.
Common Lies of Romance Scammers
It becomes very obvious to ask for money directly so the scammer tries to say something that the targeted person can’t deny. Here are some of the lies they use:
- The most common lie they use is that they want to meet you and for this purpose, they need money to travel from a different country. Upon inquiring about why they are living in a different country, they may say that have been working in an oil rig or they work in an internal company.
- Not just the romance scam but all the fraudsters ask to pay via the apps through which it is impossible to get the money back. They explain the method of payment to the targetted person desperately to get money immediately.
Prevention Tips
Over time, scams are rapidly growing and scammers are learning new ways of committing fraud. It is essential to ensure prevention and here is how it can be done:
- It is crucial to understand that everything should not be posted on social media platforms. It is important to keep a personal life away from social media. This material can be easily used to manipulate individuals.
- It is also important to research the name, profile, and other information of the fraudster to know who he is.
- It is also recommended to ask a lot of questions. If he answers everything and asks you to leave the app and contact via another platform, never do that.
- Do not share any inappropriate pictures or information with such people. They can anything use that information for exploitation.
- Never send an amount to a person whom you have only met online and also never meet someone you don’t know.
Impact on the Targeted Individuals
Such deepfake romance scams can have a severe impact on the victims. The harm can be physical or psychological. There are several cases of severe depression, stress, and anxiety. Sometimes, this stress and severe anxiety leads to the cases of suicide.
Moreover, if not suicide, then such scams can lead the person to be traumatized for life or a longer period. It can also lead to post-traumatic disorder which means that if the scammer always wears black while harming the targeted person, then the victim will always remain fearful of the men wearing black. Furthermore, the perspective of the victim will change after being scammed. He or she will see the world with affected eyes. If the victim is a girl, then she will likely develop this misconception that all men are the same and any man can harm her physically, mentally, and emotionally.
Catfishing VS. Romance Scams
There is a minor between the two types of scams. Catfishing scams can be used for various purposes such as emotional reasons, boredom, revenge, and self-respect problems). In this scam, the scammer doesn’t necessarily have to build an emotional relationship with the victim.
Moreover, in online dating scams, scammers always try to build a romantic relationship with the victim. It is always done to get money. They also trap people by creating fake identities for monetary gains. Besides, they build trust and invent urgency to gain money immediately.
Conclusion
To prevent such scams, it is crucial to know about how they can be used and what harm they can cause. Most importantly, people need to understand that their private stuff is not supposed to be shared with anyone. In this way, the scammers will easily take advantage and blackmail by using the weak points. One should be aware of the deepfake detection and prevention of catfishing frauds and other scams and make the safe and protected use of online platforms. li
