2013-06-18
How do you protect yourself from being scammed in an online relationship?

Let's face it, once we are in love, infatuated or mesmerized over someone, we stay focused on the feeling of being in love. We let ourself get involved too much and we do not notice that the man we are falling in love with has a different intention other than loving us. And before we realize that we are being fooled, our partner is nowhere to be found leaving us with a broken-heart.

So before it happens to any of you, here are some friendly tips on how you can protect yourself from being romantically scammed.

Be vigilant
Know your partner. If possible from head to toe. If you meet him from through some online dating website, ask some questions about his life, his family or ask for any information that you think that would help you to know him more. Don't get too excited if he's trying to impress you of how good his life is, or how much he earns or even his promises of loving you for the rest of your life. If he's not hiding anything, he will be honest and sincere to tell you more about him.

One of my friends met a handsome guy through a popular online dating website. They only communicate through emails but the guy didn't give too much information about himself. So my friend did some online research and Behold!!! She found his picture in the list of online romantic scammers. She never again wasted her time with him.

Don't get fooled by his false promises.
"I will marry you and will love you for the rest of our lives" - sounds too good to be true, right? Well, to hear this is music to a woman's ear, especially if this is being romantically whispered in a romantic ambiance. But if this was said to you via lengthy love letter in your Facebook inbox, think a bit. Ask yourself "Why does he need to profess his undying love via a lengthy love letter via email?" Though it sounds romantic it's also a form of a trap just waiting for its prey to fall into it.

Rose met Charles via Facebook. Charles was unstoppable in professing his love to Rose even though they had just met a few days. They didn't talk over phone or have a video call. But Charles made Rose feel so special, so loved. And for Rose, Charles was so romantic, as he emailed her of his plans of coming to her country, marry her and live a good life together for the rest of their lives. It was an answered prayer, according to Rose. But her friends were skeptical about Charles' real intentions because his letter didn't sound sincere. And why would a man write a marriage proposal to someone he just met online and haven't even seen on a web cam? Sounds silly, right?

Don't give your trust right away.
It's easy to trust someone, especially if you love him. But it doesn't mean you have to give everything that you have including your own bank savings. I can imagine that you are totally convinced that he truly loves you and that you feel that he's not going to fool you. There's nothing wrong in believing that, but once he starts telling you stories of his misfortunes and asking you to help him financially, think a hundred of times before you give in. Be sure to seek advice of your trusted friends.

Robert informed Sarah that he's coming to her country by the end of the month to stay with her for good. She was informed that he shipped all his belongings to Sarah and is expected to reach her before the month ends. A few days after, Sarah received an email from the cargo forwarder informing her that the package was put on temporary hold because Robert wasn't able to send the exact shipment fee. Robert asked Sarah if she can send $750 to the forwarder because he couldn't send the payment because he is working off shore. Convinced that there's no way for him to send the payment, Sarah went to the nearest Western Union and sent $800 addressed to the cargo forwarder. Fortunately, when she reached home, she told her friend about the money that she had sent. Her friend convinced her to go back to Western Union and get her money back. A few hours later, Robert deleted her in Facebook. She lost her ideal man, but she was thankful that she was saved from making a big mistake.

Being involved in an online relationship takes a lot of courage, especially for women. It's a risk that they have to take without a guarantee of a happy ending. But it's worth trying, all we need to do is for us to be able to distinguish what is true or not.