Category: Scammer

Dating Scams Prey on the Lonely – and the Stupid

Posted on November 25, 2005

Myspacecom_2GANNETT NEWS SERVICE — Nov 23 — Morgan wrote me an e-mail saying she was "looking to definitely become intimate" with me.  She really wanted me to call her, but in order to get her phone number, I had to go to her Web site.  I found a slightly naked Morgan; I had to plug in my e-mail address and credit card number to see more pictures of her. But she was only asking me to do this "so not just anyone can see all of me!"  "Don't worry," she said. "It's free!"  On MySpace, a cheerleader law student identified only as "C"…"I like what I've seen from you so far," she said, even though she had seen nothing of me so far.  She wanted to make sure I liked her also, so she sent me to her Web site, where for $19.95 I could see pictures of married women who wanted "discreet affairs." 

The full article was originally published at The Hub, but is no longer available.

Mark Brooks: The internet dating industry is putting up a fight against these kinds of scams.  'Abuse teams' monitor profiles and reported scams. Most services have a button on profiles inviting users to report people for abuse.

Scammers Dupe Online Daters for Millions of Dollars

Posted on October 17, 2005

Internetweek_1— Oct 14 — Markus Frind, of Plentyoffish, estimates that scammers operating on Internet dating sites steal at least $100 million a year. Those performing a ruse could be women in Russia asking for money to leave their country; or a Nigerian sending "business proposition" emails. Crooks often use stolen credit cards to join a site, send out messages to other members, wait for responses then sometimes chat for four or five months before asking for money. "It's bad for someone like Yahoo because it reduces the value of their service, it tarnishes their service," says Dave Evans, a consultant to the online dating and social networking industry who also writes a blog. Nelson Rodriguez, CEO of LoveAccess.com, explained that two and a half years ago Nigerian scammers used stolen credit cards to join the site causing so many charge backs (about 1% of all transactions) that it threatened his merchant account with his bank. But he's since blocked Russian and Nigerian IP addresses and cut that rate down by three-quarters. LoveAccess.com, with 3.5 million members, also reviews profiles manually, like its bigger competitors. TRUE created a stir in the industry last summer when it announced a nationwide campaign for legislation to require dating sites to conduct criminal checks of their members. Not everyone agrees with Evans, who estimates that on the majority of dating sites, nearly 10% of all profiles are fake. Mark Brooks, a former executive with Cupid.com, FriendFinder and Friendster, disputes that figure and says the actual dating sites, not their members, are even bigger targets. Fraudsters will set up an affiliate Web site to send traffic and fake members, which earn them a commission that can exceed the price of the monthly membership, says Brooks, who also writes a blog, Online Personals Watch.

Mark Brooks: Of 120 employees onsite at Friendfinder in Palo Alto, CA, over half are dedicated to customer service and the 'abuse team'…which grooms for scammers amongst other things.  Smaller sites rely on automated methods for spotting scammers.  Larger sites usually apply people resources for checking profiles and dealing with scammers more proactively.   

Beware Russian Brides

Posted on April 19, 2005

Russian_bride_web_ripoffCBS NEWS — Apr 14 — Vladimir is an undercover detective hunting down Russian women who bill themselves online as brides. "They suck out $3,000 to $5,000, then simply disappear," he says. He helps clients find out if their online love is real or an Internet phantom. "I’m a little surprised at the sheer volume – three to four a day is pretty significant and you have to bear in mind that we’re probably not receiving all of the complaints," says James Pettit, the U.S. Consul General in Moscow. "One big warning, do not send money for visa and tickets," says Garrett.  FULL ARTICLE @ CBS NEWS

Internet Scam that Led to Heartbreak

Posted on April 19, 2005

Russian_scamARIZONA REPUBLIC — Apr 15 — The Russian brunette he met online appeared to be everything Steven Coffman was looking for. He had known her for less than two months. But he was ready to propose. Coffman arranged a visit to the US for the woman, who said her name was Elena. The cost was $2,000, which he thought would cover her visa and travel costs. Then the day came. Coffman went to Sky Harbor Airport. The Russian beauty didn’t ever arrive. "I never thought I could get fooled by something like this," Coffman said. "I know now I was naive.

Mark Brooks: Perhaps he could have flown to Russia and met her…and been duped by the Russian mob.  Best to play local.  Or, if you do want to date long distance, be mentally prepared to turn your visit to a distant love into a lone holiday.

From Russia with love? No, it’s a Web scam

Posted on November 3, 2004

HERALD TRIBUNE — …Medvedeva is one of scores, perhaps hundreds, of fictional characters in a resurgent Internet hustle that has become a Russian boom industry this year. Using fake names, forged visas and snapshots of young Russian women, a new crop of online swindlers is luring Western victims into confidence games. Each is an escalating flirtation between an unsuspecting man and a Russian grifter masquerading as a young woman. It typically ends when the victim wires money to Russia to pay for visas and airfare for a consummation of the affair. Then the beloved disappears.