Just how big is yours?

[Willy The Londoner]

That is just how big are the romance scams in your country.

This latest report make shocking reading and it is for the UK alone.


'Internet dating fraud is vastly under-reported and may have claimed more than 200,000 victims in the UK, research suggests.

So-called online romance scams typically involve criminals setting up fake identities using stolen photos of attractive individuals, often models or Army officers.

A relationship is struck up with the victim who at a certain point is asked for financial help.

Some of those targeted have been duped out of hundreds of thousands of pounds, but frequently the crimes remain unreported and hidden. Others have killed themselves.

Action Fraud, the reporting and advice centre run by the National Fraud Authority, identified 592 victims of the scams between 2010-11.

Of these, 203 lost sums of more than £5,000.


But a new study by researchers at the universities of Leicester and Westminster suggests the problem is far bigger.

More than 2,000 people were questioned about dating site fraud by internet pollsters YouGov.

From the results, the scientists estimated that in excess of 200,000 Britons have been conned by romance scammers.'

Some of those interviewed may well have been involved with our 'favourite Chnlove'

Willy

[Pineau]

I bet mine is bigger than yours.
So big that the US government and the military have issued warnings.

Official government warning.
http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/financial_scams/financial_scams_4554.html
US Army
http://afps.dodlive.mil/2010/03/25/army-warns-of-internet-romance-scams/
Department of state.
http://ghana.usembassy.gov/romance_scam.html

Not just for men either.
http://www.ripoffreport.com/liars/james-charles/james-charles-unknown-i-was-a-dc7f6.htm

[Scottish_Robbie]

WTF. I was always lead to believe size doesn't matter

[Neil]

WTF. I was always lead to believe size doesn't matter

The little guys always say that.   

[Scottish_Robbie]

only in height mate, only in height

[shaun]

Well....   If you can't boast about the main issue then there is always the lesser issues ones can boast about.   Those who are confident in all aspects don't see the need to boast. 

[Mag00]

So-called online romance scams typically involve criminals setting up fake identities using stolen photos of attractive individuals, often models or Army officers.....WTF?  models or  ARMY OFFICERS?

[shaun]

Scams are not limited to China, Russia or the internet.  Scams are hatched face to face; lip to lip everyday here in America.  I only thought at my age there was less of a chance to be scammed via internet with a Chinese woman that day to day contact with an America woman.

I think that many wester women are much better con artist than chnlove anyway.

Just my 2 cents.

[lfputman3]

Mag00, yes, Army Officers, particularly young handsome academy types, not just army though, they use naval officers as well, any picture they can snitch for an online identity with 'good looks' that would suffice to lure in someone to 'help' financially, they target the dating websites and any idiot with half a pea brain in their native language can usually catch the perps in the act as most of them are not adept at languages outside of their own. If they are, it's the whole, they gave me money orders/traveler's checks for pay, I had one with good English writing skills try that on me, when I questioned that, they bailed and made a comment that any western women would not make. Reported it to the server, they tracked it to an African IP....

[Peter Arnold]

I have a small story to tell about a possible scammer on CLL. The other day I logged on to the site, and immediately was contacted by a 33 year old 'woman' who wanted to talk with me. She had no photo on her profile as she said this was her first time, and very little details on her profile. I told her I thought she was too young for me, but she insisted age was not a problem for her.
She wanted my email address so she could send me a photo of herself. I thought, well this could be interesting, so I gave her my email address. She had said to me she was actually 31 y.o and from Ghana. WTF. So she sent me a photo, and she was very gorgeous. I sent her back an email saying she was still too young and that she should be patient and try for someone younger.
Later that day I received two emails from 'Her' just checking in with me and saying hello. On the second email, she sent two more photos of herself. They were once again two photos of a gorgeous Chinese woman. I told her to leave me alone as I was too old for her.
I suspect that this was a possible scammer trying to hook me. Lucky she wasn't older or I may have been strung along further.
I didn't realise this could have been a scam until I read this thread.
So thanks for the warning. Other than that, I have found that site to be very good