How to Spot an Online Scammer
By Lovla's blog team
The worldwide and far-reaching internet has brought a lot of new positive inventions with it. As the internet has become an integrated part of our daily lives, we’ve discovered how distance and borders slowly have been erased in the sand and people of the world have never been closer to each other. Once upon a time, we used pigeons, horsebacks, and long travels at sea to deliver a message from point A to point B. Now, we can - with just a few clicks, send virtual kisses within seconds.
But as it is with open public spaces, a large group of people, can attract dishonest con artists in hopes of exploiting the situation - and the internet is no exception.
Even though our own security team reviews all new profiles to prevent any scammers from getting success on Lovla, there are few cases where our members may encounter them before we do. In such cases, we ask members to report the situation to us immediately.
If you’re ever in doubt what red flag to look for, keep reading; We’ve gathered 5 signs, that could indicate a warning:
1. Asking for Money
The main focus of a scammer isn’t to get in your pants. But they basically just want to get to your wallet. Some try finding innovative and persuasive ways to get money out of you, while others just go straight to the point. The excuses vary from one to another but it can be anything from paying for transportation or a fake hospital bill.
2. Asking to Move Communication to Another Place
Removing the conversation from Lovla to another place will eliminate your safety blanket. A phone number is a direct link to another person and can be traced without the person knowing. Scammers will use private communication to get as close to their victims as possible.
3. Claiming to Love You Right Away
A weapon that scammers use very often is trust. When someone has earned your trust, you’re more likely to go out of your way to help. A scammer is willing to profess strong feelings early on and push for a serious relationship. That way they’ll be able to take advantage of your trust and ask for financial help in regards to paying for different expenses or giving them your financial info.
4. Pressuring You for Your Sensitive Info
The more info a scammer can get out of you, the more they’ll be able to harass you and exploit you for identity theft. Sensitive data such as your bank info or social security number can get you in serious financial trouble. If you’ve experienced identity theft, your chances of getting money back or receiving compensation are very limited.
5. Avoiding to Answer Your Questions
A scammer on a social platform is not here to make new friends or find love. So, in their quest to find people to capitalise on, telling you about their hobbies or describing their upbringing, isn’t really in their interest at all. If you ask a personal question, the most convenient action is simply to avoid any answers regarding their own matters.
To sum up: The most effective way to stay clear of online scammers is to trust in your intuition. If it looks like a duck, swims like a duck, and quacks like a duck, well then it probably is a duck…
Should it turn out to be a scam, then you report it to Lovla pron-to.