Online Dating Scams

The first time I chatted with a man from the dating site he insisted that I turn on my webcam, which was right off a bad start with me. But he was adamant because he said, "I am sick of games and scams." I was also adamant not to turn on my webcam. I told him that I have a webcam but that I could not find it, so he said he can't continue to talk to me. I did not ask what he meant by scams and games, but within a few days, I understood what he meant.

I received over a hundred flirt messages and I agreed to chat with 6 of them. Read this: 5 of the 6 were scammers, very likely from the same person who posted different pictures and different email addresses. Here's the common thread of their scam: They will tell you about having a child (minor) and that they're a widower. All of them will post a very good looking person which they probably copy pasted from the web. One person told me his daughter is 21-years old looking for a nursing college (in your State) but they're coming from Africa because he was there on a contract for a telecom company because he's an Engineer. His wife died from a car accident. The reason I caught his lie is because he said something about us going on vacation, which I didn't. I blocked him right away, then I got more emails from supposedly another person, this time saying he is from California but is in Malaysia right now because his son is spending time with his grandmother who is Malaysian and is sick. Then he lays the groundwork - telling me he was coming back to my State to start a business. I didn't give these two people more time than necessary - I blocked them right there and then simply on the basis that my spirit was uncomfortable with it.
But the 3rd one, which again, could still be the same person almost got me. He was so slick, telling me that he's from North Carolina but had to take his 12-year old daughter to Nigeria to take care of his father's business. He was hoping they could live there because his wife died suddenly (note: from a car accident) and he's so heartbroken. He thought he could have a new life in Nigeria with his daughter, but his daughter can't stand it there because she misses the United States so bad and she's crying all the time, reason he needed to have a woman in his life.
And I am not ashamed to admit, I almost fell for it, I gave him my cell number because he insisted to talk to me so I can talk to his daughter. And voila, the Nigerian accent, I hung up after the first hello and blocked him and reported it to Yahoo and the site.

If you're a man, they will post a woman's picture and a woman's profile so it doesn't matter if they have a picture or not. Now, how many elderly men and women out there who have actually been scammed and given money? Not many will admit that because they're embarrassed. I am thankful that I have the sense and the strenght to back off, but there are a lot of lonely men and women out there, who are just grateful for the conversation so they're very vulnerable. If you're reading this, warn your friends who are enrolled in online dating.