Online Dating Scams: There are other fish in the sea, including scammers!

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In this day and age, many people turn to the internet and various dating apps to try and find love. However, it is sad that these online dating platforms have created so many potential victims for online scammers.

Online dating scams can affect both men and women, so be sure to look out for these signs!


1. Limit the info you share. Never, ever give out your financial information, this one is obvious, but what’s not so obvious is that scammers will find out about you from your other social media pages and trick you into thinking that you have so much in common. If you suddenly have so much in common with someone, it might be a red flag.

2. Keep an eye out for professions of love. Watch out for someone who confesses their love for you after only chatting for a short while as well as asking for your number so you can chat exclusively. It’s okay if you don’t want to give out your cell phone number or your email address to someone who is professing intense feelings for you. Always trust your gut!

3. Watch out if they ask for money. It is a huge red flag if the person you are chatting to starts asking for money. They may start off by dropping links or making up sad stories like they can’t pay for medical bills or they need money to travel to visit you. Scammers love to use sob stories to trick you into sending them funds.

Things happen and you could accidentally fall for a scam, if you do, stop communicating with the scammer immediately and report the scam. To report a scam, contact our OSINT department on 021 110 0422 or email contact@osint.co.za.

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