So, you think you’ve finally met a great guy on the Internet? Did you know that 21% of online daters misrepresent their true identities according to a new social study into the behaviours of online daters. Source: TodaysDating.com
The online dating industry has shrugged off its social stigma and has now become an integral part of the social climate for single people both young and old. Aside from the fact that all that’s required is an Internet connection to get started, social media and online dating apps have transformed the once somewhat shady industry into a super cool trend that allows singles to not only date from their home pc, but also while on the go via their mobile devices.
The problem the online dating space now finds itself in is not being compared to social desperation like previous times, no, rather trying to decide which people you meet are on the level, and which ones are simply trying to trick or deceive you for self gain.
The study also revealed that an average of 23% of males dating online were married men posing as someone single. Further to this, people looking to openly cheat online
is on the increase with more than 30% of the entire online dating crowd world-wide signing up to married/cheating specific online dating sites.
A report that recently surfaced through free dating sites Australia, the popular Oasis Active Aussie dating site, occurred in June 2011: A Nigerian woman posing as a local Melbourne woman romanced 3 different men at the same time via the sites instant messaging system, each guy unawares that he was being played for a fool. After convincing each man to pay $5000 each for her plan ticket and other costs, the 3 men all turned up simultaneously at the same airport each holding a bunch of flowers and left red faced standing at the boarding gate waiting for the girl of their dreams to exit the gate. Needless to say, she never arrived…!
Even though the Internet dating industry is experiencing some incredible growth right now, reports of increased fraudulent activity are exceeding the growth of the industry itself. Never ever send money to someone you’ve just met online, said relationships expert, Diane Bishop “Even though it might seem like common sense, even the smartest people do the craziest things when there is the potential to meet the person of their dreams, particularly online, online dating sites provide a sense of fantasy that rarely stacks up against the harshness of reality.”
Ms Bishop also said, “Even before you agree to meet your new online friend in person for the first time, regardless how amazing they appear, do a little homework on him or her first. Something as simple as checking out their Facebook or Myspace page so you can see how they interact with others, or what types of comments and updates people are posting about the person.”
In countries like Nigeria and Senegal, illegal Internet scam gangs make up a whopping 30% of their countries entire work force. We could go on and on about how to avoid being conned online, but at the end of the day, use what God gave you as your best line of defence – your brain! Or your common sense as we like to refer it by.
