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Other Types of Online Romance Scams
Traditional romance scams like the one in our example have been around for a long time. They don't require an Internet connection, just a lonely victim, a patient con artist and a convincing sob story. Unfortunately, online dating allows con artists to cast their nets wider and disappear more easily than they could have 20 or 30 years ago.
Cons sometimes also use dating sites to perpetrate other types of scams including:
Check fraud. After spending time building an online relationship with his or her intended victim, a check fraud scammer (who often claims to be overseas) might claim he or she is unable to deposit their checks or money orders. They then send counterfeits to their victims, who wire the cons equivalent amounts of money. By the time the victims, and their banks, realize the check was a fake, the money is long gone.
Reshipping: Instead of asking them to pass a phony check, some Internet con artists charm their victims into acting as "middlemen" to facilitate their other crimes. In this scam the con has items bought with stolen credit cards shipped to their victim's home. The victim, who thinks they're doing a favor for their new love interest, then unwittingly breaks the law by sending the packages along to the scammer.
Identity Theft: Instead of romancing their victims out of money, some crooks go after personal information, which they then use to set up fraudulent credit cards, drain their victims' bank accounts or commit other crimes. Learn more at our Identity Theft page.