First of all I want to say that I have not encountered any scammers on this site.

However, confidence is High that some are on other dating sites where scammers troll for victims. So here are some pointers for Identifying scammers.

NOTE: The folks are very organized and DANGEROUS. The picture you see is NOT the person/persons you are talking with!! You are dealing with a very organized people whose goal is to take emotional and financial advantage of you.

1) The have had a recent tragedy in their lives - parent died (often in a tragic way) in the last 1 - 3 years.
2) Parents are divorced and they have gone looking for their "lost" parent.
3) They caught their best friend with their boyfriend/girlfriend in bed together or some such varient.
4) They have recently been robbed or in a car accident.
5) The are currently living or working in West Africa - Nigeria or Ghana.
6) They are stranded in a foreign country and need help getting money they are owed or just flat out ask for money with a promise of repaying it when they are back in the US.
7) If you talk with them on YM or receive e-mails from them their spelling and grammer is very poor.
8) In an the first e-mail you recieve you get a "life story".
9) Your profile is the best they have ever seen and they know you are the "soul mate". (Had one that immediately said she wanted to move in with me in her first e-mail!!!!)
10) The want to know all about you and say little about themselves - other then what is on the script they are using.
11) Pictures they send are often small and only of them. Look at the pictures for signs that don't match their story. (Had one claiming she was in a refugee camp and her pictures were from a resort in Jamacia. DUH!!!!)
12) They give a hard luck story about something that has recently happened and they need you to send money via Western Union.
13) Ask you if you have a web cam so they can see you. (They won't have one.)
14) Ask you for your phone number so they can call you or ask you to send money so they can buy a phone card to call you.
15) Their YM ID is something like - "honestsoulxx"

IF YOU SUSPECT YOU ARE TALKING WITH A SCAMMER WHAT DO YOU DO?

1) Get the IP off the header of any e-mail and use dnsstuff.com to track it.
2) Check out focushawaii.com to see if their picture is there. It is one of the many sites used by scammers to steal pictures form.
3) google their name.
4) google internet love scams and check out the sites that post known scammers. There are a number of sites dedicated to busting and posting scammers. They are probably on one or more of those sites.

ONCE CONFIRMED AS A SCAMMER

CUT OFF ALL COMMUNICATION IMMEDIATELY!!!!! ADD THEM TO THE IGNORE LIST ON YM OR MS MESSENGER.

DO NOT - REPEAT DO NOT ATTEMPT TO BAIT OR PLAY WITH THEM!!!!!!! This is EXTREMELY DANGEROUS. Internet Love Scams are a Multi-Million dollar industry. You are dealing with Organized Crime. And they are "Masters of the Mind Game".

If you have been scammed. Their are sites available for support.

wow........i guess the gig is up now!

What the hell are you talking about? Why would you copy/paste this here? Are you talking about "those who lie in order to get laid"? What is this crap?

go back to church and preach there

This "crap" as you put it is reality! You may not like it. But it is out there. To be for warned may save some one thousands of dollars.

This is not about gettng laid......this is real, I have heard horror stories........

The only people who would have a problem with this post would be ...hmmm, scammers.

Thanks so much for informing all of us........I have heard of horror stories

Send me 150$ and I will transfer my fortune of 6.6 Million dollars into your account, but I need the 150 for security fee's.

sounds like your in desperate need of some "crap" like that! go preach somewhere else.....and please take your morals with you!

Thanks for posting this, Redshirt. I think people really do want to know what to do in this situation.

I have been a victim of several of them, but all they were able to do to me was hijack my personal e-mail account. I was too suspicious to ever send money to ANYONE.

Your welcome Diamond. How is Peoria. Miss driving up and looking at the "Million Dollar View". But that was before scammers discovered how to use the internet.

What is your problem, dude? Do you think we should all get together to make the world a better place for scammers?

damnit man she busted ya....we're done....:::STOMPING AWAY:::::

You're takin' the rap

I agree..........

Scammer's have been around since the dawn of time, there is more availability with the growing popularity of the internet which causes a large security concern for many. When in doubt google a certain sentence or phrase that just jumps out at you, generally you will get a number of other references to the same names, places, or story. Snopes.com is also helpful from time to time. AND DON'T EVER SEND MONEY TO SOMEONE YOU'VE NEVER MET.

That is all.

Thank you for sharing! This is good information to share!

no you didn't read the thread.

the MO of the scammers is that they suck you in with a story of a personal tragedy.

He never said that every one who loses their parents is a scammer.
I am sorry for your loss, by the way.

My suggestion - read it again! You missed the first line. Having experience tragedy in one's life is not what makes one a scammer. Put all the pieces together.

I don't appreciate being called an idiot.

He is trying to help people who are getting scammed.