Background check investigations are becoming very important in many parts of the world, and the field of international background checks is one of the fastest growing markets.  In places like West Africa, Russia, the Philippines, Malaysia, Ukraine, Romania, United Arab Emirates and the U.K., increased hiring risk and higher incidences of fraud and online dating scam cases have made international relationships a high risk game.  Sydney and Melbourne investigators say many singles in Australia who use online dating avoid meeting people from these countries due to their bad reputation. But avoiding people just based on the nationality in their profile description will not guarantee that you are safe. Scamming is indeed greater in certain countries, but it is a worldwide problem that costs Australians millions.

Australian private investigators say that many of the online profiles that you will find are fake. Criminals use the identities, pictures and information of real people living in Australia or elsewhere. Furthermore, they often use an Australian IP address and an internet based phone number from Australia to make their stories are believable, while operating from any other place in the world.

Internet criminals and scammers are pretending to be real Australian citizens in order to conduct fraud online.  But, real Australians are being victim to online scam every day as well. According to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, Australians lost more money to scammers in 2017 than in any other year. Based on just the reports provided to the ACCC, victims have lost $42 million to dating and romance scams, with an average of $6500 per victim. In some cases people have lost more than $1 million.  Most victims never even report the crime, so the real numbers are much higher.

Prevention is key in these circumstances, which is why hiring a professional investigator to conduct an online dating verification in Australia and any other necessary country is crucial.

Are you a victim of dating fraud?

It is not easy to identify a romance scam situation or fake online profile. If you have developed a relationship with someone you met online through a dating website or app, social media, Google Hangouts or even Skype, you should hire professional assistance as soon as possible.

Some of the most common red flags are relationships that advance too fast, requests for financial assistance due to some kind of hardship, and avoidance to answer personal questions.  Watch out for red flags and things that don’t feel right.  However, romance scams have evolved into very complex schemes and the only way to be safe is to conduct a real international background check investigation in Australia to verify if the person you have been communicating with is who they claim to be.

Remember that scammers look for anything that could be useful, so their priority might be your money, but your personal information can be just as good because they can use it to deceive someone else. Be very selfish with your personal information and your money when dating online!

Contact us for a quote if you meet someone claiming to be from Australia, or if you are an Australian who has met someone online from a foreign country.  We can help you lower the risk with our dating verifications and discreet private investigation services in over 100 countries.

C. Wright
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