Dating fraud or romance fraud is a situation where you are scammed by someone you met through a dating site, website, social media or online game. Your new love doesn't really exist. He or she is a scammer, who is only after your money. Because in many cases money is asked for a airline ticket and/or the cost of a Schengen visa we would like to warn against this type of fraud.
Dating fraudsters approach people who are open to a relationship. After the first contact, they respond to the feelings of their date. Once trust is built and a relationship is established, the scammer asks for money. For example to visit you, for a visum, a plane ticket or because there is an emergency. The goal is often to gain the victim's trust by building a relationship online before asking for money.
Scammers on dating sites or social media take much more time to gain the trust of their victims than other scams. They gradually build a relationship by having daily contact, sometimes for weeks or even months. By enticing their victims with nice words and promises, they increase confidence in the situation to the point of transferring money. This often happens once, but sometimes several times. When the victim realizes that it concerns dating fraud, several money transactions have often already taken place.
Russian dating fraud: asking for money for a Schengen visa or the trip
Russian dating fraud by women asking for money for a Schengen visa to be able to travel like this is a common scam. The scammers often use popular dating websites and apps to find victims and pose as Russian women looking for a serious relationship. Once established an online relationship, they ask for money to obtain a visa and travel expenses to travel to the victim. It's important to watch out for suspicious behavior, such as unrealistic requests for money and the inability to meet in person or talk via video chat. Never transfer money to someone you don't know well.
An example of real-life Russian dating fraud:
Someone gets to know a Russian lady through a dating website. After several weeks of intensive e-mail contact and even telephone conversations, she would like to come to the Netherlands for a holiday and to meet the Dutchman, but for this she must apply for a Schengen visa. To create extra confidence, she sends a copy of her passport and address. She is leaving, she says, for Moscow to arrange this at the Dutch embassy. Once in Moscow, she says she needs 2800 euros for one Schengen visa (in reality this visa only costs € 80).
The person confronts the Russian lady about this price difference. She adjusts her story and now claims that the Russian government requires her to have 2800 euros in the bank account in order to leave the country. The woman claims to return the amount as soon as she arrives in the Netherlands.
The above story exists in multiple variations and rattles on all sides because it is a lie and fraud. A number of tried and tested tricks are used for this. These are easy to recognize, because you are always asked to transfer a considerable amount of money to Russia. Various reasons are put forward for this. For example, the Russian lady will let you know the following:
- She tells you that she has to buy a special visa from the Russian immigration service for a few thousand euros, asking you to advance this (this is nonsense because the Russian immigration service has nothing to do with the provision of a Schengen visa).
- She will let you know that she must prove that she has € 100 per day to spend, and asks if you would like to transfer € 2.100 for three weeks of vacation. She promises to give it back to you when you arrive in the Netherlands (a lie, because if you are the sponsor, financial guarantee she does not have to prove anything).
- Travel insurance and/or plane ticket must be purchased and she asks if you want to transfer a few thousand euros (also nonsense because you are not required to have a Schengen visa for the application). airline ticket buy and one medical travel insurance costs at most € 3 per day.
In short, if a lot of money is asked for, the alarm bells should go off. In almost all cases you have lost your money and you never get to see the lady of your dreams because she is looking for a new victim. Although in the example it concerns a Russian woman, but other nationalities also occur such as Ukrainian, African or Thai ladies. Of course, it can also be men who target female victims or non-heterosexual romantic contacts.
'Red flags'
Dating fraud often involves so-called 'red flags', which are warnings that ensure that you have to be extra alert because the risk of fraud is very high. Examples are:
- You have a date who comes from abroad and who speaks good or poor English, or says she speaks Dutch because she has followed a Dutch language course.
- Your date seems perfect, too good to be true.
- You will be showered with love and compliments in a short time.
- Your date wants to move communication from the dating site to Whatsapp or email.
- Your date makes you enthusiastic about a successful investment and encourages you to participate.
- After some time in contact, your date promises to come to you in the Netherlands, but suddenly problems arise, for example, because it is not possible to obtain a Schengen visa, this problem can be solved by transferring money.
- You are asked to transfer money to solve the problems for her, such as paying hospital bills, travel expenses, plane ticket or the costs for a Schengen visa that are higher than normal.
- Your date says she's going to apply for a Schengen visa but doesn't ask you for any supporting documents, such as a form guarantee/accommodation provision.
- You will be asked to pay a small or large amount in bitcoins. Payments can also be requested via Western Union or Moneygram. Usually the request is urgent.
- You will be asked to deposit a guarantee amount that the lady needs to leave the country.
- You are asked for a loan with the promise that you will get back the loan amount.
- You may also be asked for money in other situations.
How can you prevent dating fraud?
Tips to avoid dating fraud:
- Always be vigilant and always suspect that the person on the other end of the line may be a scammer.
- Check photos you receive by searching them in Google Images or Yandex. This way you can see if they have appeared on the internet before.
- Be careful about sharing personal information, such as sexually explicit images, until you're sure who you're dealing with.
- Do not transfer money if someone asks. Scammers keep asking for money over and over again.
- Keep family and friends informed and talk to them about your new relationship or friendship. Scammers often try to isolate their victims.
- Do not share too much personal information on social media and protect your Facebook profile from strangers. Scammers sometimes specifically target people who have recently lost their partner or are divorced.
What to do in case of dating fraud?
If you are dealing with dating fraud, we recommend that you take the following steps:
- Report your fraud to the Fraud Help Desk.
- File a report with the police.
- Block the suspect's phone number and social media accounts.
- Stop contacting the suspect.
- Stop transferring money.
- Information the relevant dating site.
Dating fraud can have a strong emotional impact, such as anger, sadness, and a loss of trust in other people. It can also lead to financial problems and stress. Fortunately, Victim Support Netherlands is there to help you.
Sources:
- https://hetccv.nl/onderwerpen/datingfraude/
- https://www.politie.nl/onderwerpen/datingfraude.html
- https://www.fraudehelpdesk.nl/campagnes/verlies-je-hart-niet-aan-datingfraude/
- https://www.slachtofferhulp.nl/gebeurtenissen/fraude/datingfraude/
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