SUNDAY TIMES - Nov 28 - Romance scammers are to be targeted by the Serious Organised Crime Agency (Soca). According to Soca ~200K people have already been tricked by overseas conmen. Online dating scams have become one of the most lucrative methods. This is because online dating has itself become so successful, with 1,400 dating sites operating in Britain, including Plentyoffish, eHarmony and match.com. Mark Brooks, who runs Courtland Brooks, a consultancy specialising in the online dating industry, said: “Every site has significant problems in dealing with scammers. It is the bane of the industry.” Karl Gregory, head of match.com’s UK division, said cases of fraud were still rare. “Our advice”, he said, “is to stay within the site to build up relationships over time rather than giving out personal details, and never to give money to anyone for any reason.”
by Jonathan Leake
See full article at Sunday Times
Mark Brooks: Actually, this is far more a problem in the USA than the UK. Most sites are fighting and winning the battle against scammers, I think. But the isolated cases of date scamming are still very newsworthy and bad for the dating industry.
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There's no doubt that "date scamming" is very newsworthy. Just keep an eye on the media coverage around the world.
If dating sites get out in front of this issue and make sure that their members know they are making a real commitment to fighting the problem, the benefits derived will be tremendous. Plus, it's just the right thing to do.
Posted by: Jerry Buchs | Dec 01, 2011 at 12:13 AM
I agree, the idea that you can hide behind a website profile and try to manipulate the other party is something that will continue to attract those thieves. But heed the warnings, most sites in the dating game tell you never to send money.
Communicate on the site for a long while too, instead of swapping personal information.
Posted by: female escorts orange county | Dec 20, 2011 at 11:06 PM
I agree with you guys that many people are afraid of sharing their personal information on many dating sites because of the many scandals that are involved. To correct this impression by the dating site's owners will take a long time. The dating scams on the internet are just too many!
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