If someone’s online dating profile seems too good to be true, it might be since it is.
Researchers have narrowed down the key indicators of a liar as they browse online dates and outlined the “stages” of a romantic cheater’s deception.
“Romance cheating continues to be a growing problem, and research on this area is vital in reducing victimization,” Dr. Lynsay A. Shepherd, whose work on the subject was previously published on arXiv, he said Tech Xplore in Thursday’s report.
This kind of dating scam has turn out to be commonplace in the last decade, said Shepherd, who hopes that by spreading awareness of the warning signs, her research colleagues can prevent more cybercrime incidents.
Shepherd, together with co-authors Alexander Bilz and Professor Graham Johnson, reviewed a whole lot of studies to provide you with a comprehensive overview of how romantic deception occurs.
![A person holding a smartphone with a heart.](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/NYPICHPDPICT000009626852.jpg?w=1024)
Scammers tend to appear hopeless romantics, using tactics like curiosity, flattery, pet nicknames, and poetic overtures to emotionally manipulate their victims into believing their online relationship is real.
Researchers have also identified a few of the common profile characteristics that scammers use as online cover-ups, equivalent to boasting of military affiliation or describing themselves as “God-fearing”, and should fabricate past “tragedies” equivalent to being a widower to ingratiate themselves. victims.
As for his or her victims, they are often well-educated, single women between the ages of 35 and 54. Individuals with poor computer skills can also be targeted; on the lookout for love abroad; or have impulsive tendencies.
Romantic scammers often start by initiating a conversation with their victims, then quickly try to make contact online.
Once they’ve emotionally “addicted” their victims and invested in a virtual relationship, they perform the scam by asking for money using “emotional and instinctive language”, the report described.
![Someone is holding a smartphone with a dating app.](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/NYPICHPDPICT000009626851.jpg?w=1024)
Shepherd noted that the COVID-19 pandemic has caused an “increase” in romance scams, which helped bring this report to fruition and “function a start line for future research on this area.”
To further combat such a cybercrime, experts recommend introducing machine systems that may discover language patterns related to dating scams, and creating resources that may help victims discover if a profile is fake.
“Researchers, dating sites and law enforcement must work together to tackle romance scams,” Shepherd said. “Scammers are consistently coming up with latest ways to scam people, so it’s extremely vital to research and find latest ways to protect people from these scams, equivalent to higher training, awareness programs and fraud detection.”