Updates

• 12 Romance Scam Red Flags for Online DatersFebruary 12, 2020

  

  1. The individual’s online profile seems too-good-to-be-true or photos seem staged or like they are of professional models. ¹
  2. The individual’s online dating profile contains plagiarized content that appears on multiple dating profiles for different people.
  3. The individual claims to be highly educated, wealthy, and so forth, but the profile is littered with poor grammar, misspellings, etc.
  4. The individual’s social media profile is very sparse, generic or lacks historical posts.
  5. The individual’s dating profile and social media don’t seem to align with each other.
  6. The individual seems to be rushing the relationship—asking you lots of questions and proclaiming his/her love.
  7. The individual claims not to have or be able to use video chat services such as Skype, so you never get to see him or her. ²
  8. You complete a Google reverse image search of the individual’s photo and find it belongs to more than one person. Catfishers assume identities with random photos of attractive people.
  9. The individual tries to drive a wedge between you and your friends or family.
  10. The individual wants you to communicate directly outside the online dating service through email, instant messaging apps or texts. ³
  11. 11. You request an in-person date, but the individual keeps coming up with last-minute excuses, often claiming to have an important job that requires world travel. ⁴
  12. 12. The individual asks you to send money to him or her without ever having met you.

  ¹ “12 Signs That You Might Be Getting Catfished Online,” SocialCatfish.com, October 17, 2019.
  ² “12 Signs That You Might Be Getting Catfished Online,” SocialCatfish.com, October 17, 2019.
  ³ “Romance Fraud is a Top Cybercrime, the FBI Says,” Security Boulevard, April 29, 2019.
  ⁴ “Romance Fraud is a Top Cybercrime, the FBI Says,” Security Boulevard, April 29, 2019.

  We have partnered with CyberScout to offer comprehensive identity management services. If you detect suspicious activity or would like to proactively protect your identity, contact us at 417-843-6265 to be connected to a CyberScout fraud expert.

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