Men have also been victimized. Love can make you do anything. It's one of the oldest cons there is. The scammer often claims to be working overseas and therefore cannot meet in person. After developing a relationship, he will ask for a loan, often to finish some sort of project he is working on abroad.

The site romancescam.

Ways to Spot an Online Dating Scammer

He then blackmails the victim by threatening to release the videos or photos on Facebook or email unless she pays him off. The victim is often all too willing to believe him. A few have even accepted invitations to travel to Nigeria or another country, with frightening results.

Taking some commonsense precautions can greatly reduce the risk of falling victim to a romance scam. Do your research. Once money is wired overseas, it is virtually impossible to recover, according to Eimiller. And beware of anyone who asks you to mail packages on his or her behalf: Cut off all contact with a scammer. Block the person from your email and social media. Ask that packages not be delivered to your home or work.

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The scammer will soon move on to another victim and leave you alone. Some victims who try to taunt their tormentors have had their families threatened or sent malware that destroyed their computer, according to romancescams. That was 2, more reports than the previous year. Russian fraudsters are also heavily involved in romance scams, according to romancescam.

Although it may feel tempting to get back at someone who has hurt you so badly, realize that you are dealing with a professional crime syndicate. Diana Hembree is a former senior content director for MoneyGeek.

They can be male or female, young or old, straight or gay. The majority of the scammers are overseas crime rings operating out of West Africa, particularly Nigeria, and Russia and the Ukraine. The study estimates there may be 25, scammers online at any given time, with as many as 14 percent of profiles being fakes.

Scammers meet their victims on dating websites, dating apps, or social media; attempt to quickly move communication off the website to email or texting; and then spend months building a relationship before asking for money. They start out with small amounts before requesting a large sum to deal with a medical emergency, buy a business, travel to meet the victim, or for some other reason.

The victim and scammer never actually meet. The scammers often portray themselves as members of the military, using pictures of soldiers killed in action or high ranking officers. The U.

Army Criminal Investigation Command receives hundreds of reports a month from people who got involved in an online relationship with someone they thought was in the military. In more serious cases, the victim may become an unwitting accomplice in money laundering or drug smuggling or be blackmailed in a sextortion scheme after agreeing to share compromising videos.

Share This Story! Post to Facebook. Romance scams take financial, emotional toll Column by Randy Hutchinson with the Better Business Bureau Check out this story on jacksonsun.