Don't get scammed!

What is a scam? Dictionary.com defines it as "a confidence game or other fraudulent scheme, esp. for making a quick profit; swindle."  A scam is when a con artist trys to take your money and you let them.

The simple way to avoid being scammed is to simply not let anyone (keyword here is ANYONE) take your money.  If a mugger asks you for your money it is clear to you that you are being mugged and you then decide if you want to give your money to the mugger or risk physical confrontation.

In a scam the con artist convinces you to simply give them the money.  You don't even usually realize that you have been scammed until some time later.

The Nigerian Scam

The Nigerian Scam has been around in one form or another for years.  It was originally the Nigerian Letter Scam.  Copies of the orignal letters used in the scam can be found at snopes.com.  The basic concept of the Nigerian Letter Scam involves an individual that lives in Nigeria that must somehow deal with a large sum of money.  They need to put this money into a bank in the USA.  In exchange for your help they will give you a percentage of this money for simply depositing it into your account and then returning a portion of the money via Western Union or a similar wire service.

The most recent verison of this scam has been modified to attack singles using dating sites.  The scammer will represent themself as an engineer or other high paid individual that is currently working in Nigeria.  They claim that they are being paid in money orders and have found it difficult to cash these money orders in Nigeria.  They then ask your assistance in cashing them in exchange for a fee that they offer to pay you for your trouble.  The reason that they are using dating sites is that they convince you that they are NOT FROM NIGERIA by conversing with you and providing pictures of themself in another country.  ANYONE can get a photograph of someone else and send it to you.

Msnbc's story on this subject.

NEVER SEND ANYONE MONEY!

The best way to avoid being scammed is to never send anyone money, PERIOD.  NEVER!  But WC Fields always said "you can't cheat an honest man" .  This is because an honest man cannot be enticed with ill gotten gains, or promises of excessive profits.  While the scam above may not involve any return at all if the person has befriended you, it is still wise to follow the simple concept of "never send anyone money" and you should be able to avoid being scammed online.

Love and Money

Until you are actually married to someone (at which point the law sees all assets as common - for the most part) you should keep your money seperate from your love life.  While the internet has made it possible for you to view hundreds of profiles in a day to find the type of person that you would like to date it has also made it possible for a scam artist to view hundreds of victims a day to seek out his next victim.

If there is ever a member that you feel could be attempting such a scam here please report them at once via email using the feedback form.

Good luck, happy dating, and be careful out there...