# online dating scams
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/online-dating-scams/563200
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [December 6, 2010, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/online-dating-scams/563200 "2010-12-06T21:42:24Z")
**Posts on this page:** 13
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)
#### Post date: [December 6, 2010, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/online-dating-scams/563200/1 "2010-12-06T21:42:24Z")
Ok I’ve been going through a divorce for a while and a friend suggested I try online dating. So I signed up for [Match.com](http://Match.com) a couple days ago. A couple things set off my very strong bullshit detector. If you don’t know on match you can “wink” at someone. I have received several winks from women that all seem to fit the same pattern. They are very attractive but not impossibly so. Their criteria for matchs seem overly broad (men 30-60 nonsmoker). They come from further than it would make sense to look for a match (a couple of states away). In a few cases their profile disappears in a couple days. Everything screams scam to me.
So my GQ question is what scams are being run on dating sites? I can see no benefit to anyone from what is being done. How is the scam supposed to progress?
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### Author:  [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)
#### Post date: [December 6, 2010, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/online-dating-scams/563200/2 "2010-12-06T21:48:26Z")
The most common is “she” directs you to see her nude pictures on another site for which you give them your CC.
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### Author:  [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)
#### Post date: [December 6, 2010, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/online-dating-scams/563200/3 "2010-12-06T21:51:14Z")
There are two kinds of scams
1. where they get your money
2. where they send you a picture of them taken in 1999 🙂
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### Author:  [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)
#### Post date: [December 6, 2010, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/online-dating-scams/563200/4 "2010-12-06T22:06:42Z")
> [@runner pat](#):
>
> The most common is “she” directs you to see her nude pictures on another site for which you give them your CC.
That I’ve seen on facebook out of the blue friend requests. Nothing like that here. At least so far.
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### Author:  [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)
#### Post date: [December 6, 2010, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/online-dating-scams/563200/5 "2010-12-06T22:37:28Z")
Read up on [match.com](http://match.com) —\> [match.com scam - Google Search](http://www.google.com/search?q=match.com+scam)
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### Author:  [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)
#### Post date: [December 6, 2010, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/online-dating-scams/563200/6 "2010-12-06T23:12:08Z")
> [@Markxxx](#):
>
> There are two kinds of scams
>
> 1. where they get your money
>
> 2. where they send you a picture of them taken in 1999 🙂
There is the third kind that a friend of mine once experienced. She went on a date only to find herself the subject of a mid-level marketing scheme pitch.
Stranger
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### Author:  [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)
#### Post date: [December 6, 2010, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/online-dating-scams/563200/7 "2010-12-06T23:42:04Z")
> [@Duckster](#):
>
> Read up on [match.com](http://match.com) —\> [Google Search](http://www.google.com/search?q=match.com+scam)
That is not a helpful GQ answer. If you have any credible sources please link. A google page is not. A quick look at the first few show that they are just speculation and not answers such as “My theory [MAtch.com](http://MAtch.com) employs people to repost old disabled accounts…” I come here to read factual answers not speculation and not to get linked to google.
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### Author:  [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)
#### Post date: [December 6, 2010, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/online-dating-scams/563200/8 "2010-12-06T23:43:10Z")
> [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](#):
>
> There is the third kind that a friend of mine once experienced. She went on a date only to find herself the subject of a mid-level marketing scheme pitch.
>
> Stranger
Ouch thats the worst one.
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### Author:  [@tellyworth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tellyworth)
#### Post date: [December 6, 2010, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/online-dating-scams/563200/9 "2010-12-06T23:49:57Z")
Another scam that happens frequently outside the dating services themselves is to do with their referral programs. Some dating sites pay a few dollars for each new user you refer to them. So scammers pretend to be pretty girls on Twitter, Facebook, blog comments etc to trick people into signing up.
There may be a variant on that operating within some dating sites, I don’t know.
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### Author:  [@kimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kimera)
#### Post date: [December 7, 2010, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/online-dating-scams/563200/10 "2010-12-07T18:25:22Z")
In the past, I’ve seen my profile on websites that I’ve never joined. I think some of the fake users are bots meant to increase the ratio of male-to-female on the websites, as well as to generate income, as there were always adds on the fake profiles.
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### Author:  [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)
#### Post date: [December 7, 2010, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/online-dating-scams/563200/11 "2010-12-07T19:03:02Z")
There’s also the “Russian model wants to meet you” scam.
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### Author:  [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)
#### Post date: [December 7, 2010, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/online-dating-scams/563200/12 "2010-12-07T19:08:36Z")
> [@kimera](#):
>
> In the past, I’ve seen my profile on websites that I’ve never joined. I think some of the fake users are bots meant to increase the ratio of male-to-female on the websites, as well as to generate income, as there were always adds on the fake profiles.
There’s a setting in [Match.com](http://Match.com) to turn that off.
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### Author:  [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)
#### Post date: [December 7, 2010, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/online-dating-scams/563200/13 "2010-12-07T19:12:50Z")
> [@Loach](#):
>
> So my GQ question is what scams are being run on dating sites? I can see no benefit to anyone from what is being done. How is the scam supposed to progress?
They’ll direct you to another site. Often times, somewhere in their profile you’ll see something along the lines of “I’m not a full member yet, if you want to message me, your best bet would be at a place call serious dates (or a handful or other sites).”
Even if they don’t have that line the other dead give away is a empty profile. One short paragraph about themselves, nothing down the left side and the “About My Date” section is blank. The pictures will be attractive, but generic. Also, if they wink at you without ever having viewed your profile that’s another clue.