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You have money questions. Bankrate has answers. Our experts have been helping you master your money for over four decades. We continually strive to provide consumers with the expert advice and tools needed to succeed throughout life’s financial journey. Bankrate follows a strict , so you can trust that our content is honest and accurate. Our award-winning editors and reporters create honest and accurate content to help you make the right financial decisions. The content created by our editorial staff is objective, factual, and not influenced by our advertisers. We’re transparent about how we are able to bring quality content, competitive rates, and useful tools to you by explaining how we make money. Bankrate.com is an independent, advertising-supported publisher and comparison service. We are compensated in exchange for placement of sponsored products and, services, or by you clicking on certain links posted on our site. Therefore, this compensation may impact how, where and in what order products appear within listing categories. Other factors, such as our own proprietary website rules and whether a product is offered in your area or at your self-selected credit score range can also impact how and where products appear on this site. While we strive to provide a wide range offers, Bankrate does not include information about every financial or credit product or service. iStock.com Who falls prey to online dating scams? A lot of people, apparently. Connie G.’s small Southern town has a dating pool about the size of the average kitchen sink. So, when a relative urged her to give online dating a try, she did. But instead of catching a great guy, Connie almost ended up on a scam artist’s hook. Connie’s personal posting on a popular site yielded a quick email from a purported career soldier stationed in Afghanistan. The 2 exchanged photos and talked about meeting someday, and he confided that he had some financial problems arising out of his divorce. But when she shared his messages with a friend, the friend questioned his motives and authenticity. “She pointed out that he wrote English like it was a 2nd language,” says Connie, who broke off the correspondence. He disappeared. Now, she’s convinced the man’s identity was not only fake, but that he was targeting her. “He brought up the money thing right off the bat,” she says. Fake relationships
The Federal Trade Commission says the online dating scam called “catfishing” — when someone online pretends to be something or someone they’re not — costs Americans millions of dollars. The full amount will never be known because many victims are too embarrassed to step forward. These con artists find their targets by joining online dating sites and posting fake profiles. One Colorado-based mother-and-daughter team alone took victims for $1.1 million by pretending to be soldiers in Afghanistan. Robert Siciliano, personal security expert and CEO of IDTheftSecurity.com, says you can avoid being hooked by checking out potential love matches. “Search names, addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, usernames. The deeper you dig, the more bodies you will find.” Catfishers often tip their hands early by bringing love, romance — and money — into the conversation. Siciliano says that’s a clue to their real goal, and they seal the deal by saying what the victim longs to hear. Check your credit report for signs of identity theft. at myBankrate. A new twist on the old sweetheart scam
The term “catfishing” was coined after a group of filmmakers sought out a beautiful young woman involved in an online relationship with one of them. That woman turned out to be middle-aged, married and a mom. Nev Schulman, the filmmaker who was duped, now hosts an MTV show that introduces people who have met online to one another in person, often with devastating personal results. Not all online relationships are suspect — some do work out. But experts like Siciliano say if potential matches display any reluctance to meet face to face, talk on Skype or do anything that brings the 2 parties together in real time, then alarm bells should start clanging. Red flags
Signs that your alluring prospective mate may be a con artist in disguise include the following: Claims to be in a glamorous profession, such as a model, actor or musician. Brings money into the conversation early on. Says they’re traveling outside of the country. Wants to move off the online dating site to email or another unmonitored forum. If an online dating scam is suspected, Siciliano says to go dark and silent. Con artists won’t waste time wooing a mark that isn’t going to pay off. And even if you think the relationship is legitimate, remember to never give out personal information to strangers, especially when it has to do with finances. After all, that charming dreamboat online could be simply working to hook the next victim. Related Links: Other things $11.4B in political ads could buy You could be single because you went to college Related Articles: 5 money numbers to know 6 Valentine’s Day gifts SHARE: Carole Moore Related Articles