How to spot an online scammer, fraudster or fake

If you have spent any time using online dating websites you will have heard about or been warned about the dangers of online scams and scammers. We, at ChristiansUK.com, do our best to guard you from those that we consider may be a danger to you. This may be in the form of potential exploitation physically or financially.

Single Christians may be more prone than most to falling for the wrong person because the attitude of most single Christians is to be naturally trusting. This is an admirable quality but when you are venturing out into the un-charted waters of the Internet you need to remember that people may not be who they claim to be. They may also not be the type of person they claim to be either.

So what are the various scams and dangers you should be looking out for?

First of all we will describe the more obvious financial scams. You may be emailing someone and feel that you are getting along quite well. What you do not know is that the person may not be living where they say they are and are in fact from somewhere like Russia or Nigeria. Their real aim is to extract a great deal of money from as many people as possible. They may come clean about their location if they feel you are keen on them and after that you may find that a request for money to travel over to meet you is asked for. This is where the fraud starts and where many people have been duped. Another scam along these lines is the so-called “Nigerian 419” scam. This is basically a request to have access to a bank account into which (so they say) they will deposit large amounts of money in order to get this out of a country. Needless to say, the only money being deposited will be yours into their account if you get duped this way!

ChristiansUK screening

At ChristiansUK we only serve the UK and the USA and we check that all members details add up as best as we can. It is not fool-proof but is has deterred many scammers.

The second way you may be vulnerable can be to the person who is not all they seem to be. If you are a single parent with children living with you then you will need to be particularly wary of single men who are not actually after you but your children. Do not be shocked by this statement because, as we said before, single Christians are less wary than people in the world to these issues. You may say that a committed Christian would not be like that and you may be right. However, until you know that person well, and have some background on them you cannot be sure.

So what are the signs to look out for?

Firstly, make sure that you never let them alone with your children until you are absolutely sure about them. If it seems they want to have un-warranted attention to them, make a note of it. Initially they should be getting to know you not them.

Secondly, make sure you get to know their friends and get some character references about them. If they are cagey about you meeting their friends or seem not to have people who can vouch for them be cautious.

Jesus said that He did not put His trust in men because He knew what was in them. (John 2:24-25). This should be our guide too. The devil can appears as an angel of light and you need to be on your guard.