Online Dating Scams Dupe 200,000 Study Finds

GUARDIAN.CO.UK - Sep 28 - More than 200K people in Britain may have been conned by fraudsters posing as would-be romantic partners on dating sites, according a study by the universities of Leicester and Westminster, working with the Serious Organised Crime Agency (Soca). They found 2% of people surveyed personally knew someone who had experienced the crime. Victims tend to be middle-aged women. The faked romances can last for a long time – the longest the researchers heard of was five years. 
Soca has compiled a list of tell-tale signs for people to look out for
- A distant location and/or a job in the military
- A fondness for Windows Messenger or similar applications
- A suspiciously attractive and/or rugged-looking photo
- A quick adoption of a pet name:
- A predisposition towards financial or other misfortunes

by Peter Walker
See full article at Guardian.co.uk

Comments

[S. Marlin]

This article highlights the importance of consumer education. Automated fraud detection tools go a long way in preventing these types of activities, but an aware and informed user provides the final layer of protection. Site operators have an excellent opportunity to improve user relations by providing palatable dating education content that extends beyond traditional FAQ pages.

[twitter.com/rosswilliams]

This article highlights massive journalistic imbalance - why didn't they speak to me or other high profile industry execs?

We spend millions of pounds each protecting our customers from such problems - scammers are a much bigger problem on free sites (the biggest site in the UK by traffic is Plenty Of Fish). Not all dating site operators are the same and consumers are much safer on our sites than others.

It's also vital for dating site operators to educate their customers and remind them never to send cash to people they don't know.

If the researchers behind this piece wanted something more than sensationalist press, they should have tried to engage with the people running the sites. It's not difficult to find me or others ;)

Ross

[Markus]

Scamming for the most part doesn't even exist in the UK on pof. well over 90% of what i see is all directed at the US.

[web design Landon]

It's also vital for dating site operators to educate their customers and remind them never to send cash to people they don't know.

[Jerry Buchs]

Since the issue of scammers won’t go away, the best way to deal with it is to address the issue head on and focus on your customers.

Do your customers know everything you’re doing on their behalf? You should tell them very clearly. And, is there more you can do for your customers in the way of providing articles, instructional videos, or maybe even a full-fledged Customer Safety Center?

Some “publishers” will always look for the sensational headlines, but that’s becoming less and less important as social media enables you to reach the public directly. If you make an honest and sincere commitment to your customers’ safety, you’ll be recognized for it – and it will set your dating site apart.