Soldier online dating scams

You may think you spend a lot on flowers or chocolate, but losing money in a romance scam would cost you even more. What do we mean by romance scams? Usually they want the money by wire transfer or gift card. They might claim they need it for a medical emergency or to come visit you.

On Facebook and Instagram, there are lottery scams , celebrity impostors and even fake Mark Zuckerbergs. There is also a scheme where scammers pose as American service members to cheat vulnerable women out of their savings. To find victims, they search Facebook groups for targets — often single women and widows — and then message hundreds, hoping to hook a few. Once they have a potential mark, the scammers shift the conversations with their victims to Google Hangouts or WhatsApp, messaging services owned by Google and Facebook, in case Facebook deletes their accounts. For months or weeks, they try to seduce the women with sweet talk and promises of a future together.

If you thought online dating websites are on the rise, than you would be right. However, not everyone who creates a profile on these sites has honorable intentions. Most dating scams start innocently enough. Scammers contact victims via social media sites or through email, claiming common interests or a distant, mutual connection—such as an introduction at a wedding or other large gathering. Other scam artists make their fake profiles look as appealing as possible and wait from victims to reach out and begin the conversation.

If you feel you have been scammed by a person claiming to be a U. Army CID is warning anyone who is involved in online dating to proceed with caution when corresponding with persons claiming to be U. Soldiers currently serving in Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria or elsewhere.