Plenty of Fish is one of the most popular dating sites in the world. Currently it has 100 million users and it is estimated that 500,000 are paid members and about 3.5 million are active users on a daily basis. Within its millions of users there is something you can count on: plenty of them are fraudsters and romance scammers. As with all online dating sites and social media websites, there are also countless fake profiles and profiles that use false photos.  The online dating scam problem is not exclusive of POF, it happens in OKCupid, Meet Me, Adult Friend Finder, Match, Tinder, Fakebook, and almost every platform out there. The bigger the site, the more chances of finding a fake profile or being targeted by a a criminal.  Criminals use such websites as a hunting ground to find their victims.

There are so many fake profiles that it is difficult for a dating platform to keep up and remove them all. Even when people report them, new accounts are opened in a matter of minutes with different names and emails. With that being said,  Wymoo international investigators offer sound advice and say to be cautious and learn what to watch out for, to minimize your risk online.

Always remain skeptical

The first mistake a victim makes is to blindly believe in what the other party (an unknown and anonymous individual behind a computer) tells them. The other person can be located anywhere in the world, they could be anyone! While you get to know this person better, try to remain skeptical and do not provide personal information.  Do not share personal data to anyone you have not met in person.  That means your exact date of birth, address, employer, and other details are strictly private.  Sharing too much information online puts you and your family members at risk.

Ask the right questions

Requesting for photos is definitely not an effective method to identify a scammer. A lot of people ask for a picture and then search for romance scammer photos online, hoping that it will be enough to identify a scammer. The problem is that photos and even videos can be edited and online criminals continuously change the pictures they use. Some romance mafia rings even hire beautiful women to do the video chatting sessions, or to pre-record them. It is best to ask for specific things, factual evidence, that can later help a professional investigator find out the truth.  Ask for a date of birth, a place of birth, an address, an employer, where they went to school, etc. All these facts can be used to confirm whether they are being truthful or not, because they cannot be easily changed (or edited like a photo).   Scammers are often experienced criminals and they know how to gain your trust and information, which can be used to blackmail you, steal your identity, or drain your bank account.

Hire a professional dating background check   

Once you have asked the questions, you can hire a professional investigator in the country where you need it to conduct an international dating background check. Trained private investigators in the country or countries where you need them will confirm birth records, marriage records, address, telephone, employment and education claims, and any other important information you can provide. As part of the investigation, investigators check criminal and court records, verify ID, passport and document samples, etc.  Official birth records can’t be changed, schools have alumni records, employers can confirm if someone works for them or not. Professional investigators will verify all information directly at the source, and provide you with the evidence you need.

Report the fraudsters

Romance scam is a huge problem, and it moves billions of dollars a year from victims to criminals. If you cut their profits by not falling victim, and if you report them to the local police and authorities once you have the evidence, you will already be contributing a lot to stop these criminals. In the U.S. the FBI has an internet crime complaint center that can take your reports. Beating a romance scammer is not easy, but if you use the help of professional investigators you will surely remain safe.

Have you recently met someone online?  Contact today for an investigation quote.

C. Wright
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