Dating online is a risky business in today’s world. Every time people contact Philippine PI regarding a romance case, investigators learn many of the myths that are being reproduced and that are not helping those who want to avoid being a victim. Despite the alerts and growing list of victims worldwide, people make the same mistakes over and over again.

Understanding the real dangers of online dating is important to stop this type of crime and to avoid being involved in a very unpleasant situation. The following are some of the myths that Philippines investigators have put together and that need to be eliminated:

It’s just an invitation, I’ll block them if they don’t seem right.

Thousands of victims of online dating scams were not even actively dating. Someone just contacted them by email or through social media profiles like Facebook. Accepting an invitation and engaging in a conversation with a stranger online can be extremely dangerous, especially if you have not been cautious enough to protect your personal information and privacy ahead of time. Online criminals need access to your personal profile for just a quick second to learn enough about you, copy your contacts and be able to blackmail you or use the information they gathered against you. It is not just an invitation, it is not only a chat, and Facebook will not do anything to help you recover from the damage. Do not let strangers into your private life even if they seem nice people.

If it was a scam I would know right away.

Too many people think that romance scammers still use the same techniques they used when the internet began. The Nigerian prince scheme is still around, but most of the cases of romance fraud these days are quite more sophisticated than that. Online criminals have studied their targets before even contacting them, and they have accumulated a lot of experience on how to manipulate them.  Make no mistakes, online fraudsters are experts! The best way to avoid being a victim is to hire a professional background check investigation in Philippines that will provide evidence on the subject’s identity, criminal and court records, and other relevant information about their lives, like marriage status.

I’ll play the game and see where it takes me, there is not much to lose.

A lot of the people who contact Philippine PI™ were skeptical about the real intentions of their online date since the beginning of the relationship, but they still decided to go through with it. Many of these victims thought that if they didn’t send money, nothing would be lost. The problem is there are many other ways in which a criminal can take advantage of you, from hacking your accounts to blackmail, or worse.  Some people even risk their lives by traveling to the Philippines to meet their online partner without verifying first if this is someone they can trust, and not a criminal.

A tip: Be smart and get some professional help!

The attitude of “this is never going to happen to me” does not help anyone. The best way to avoid being scammed is by hiring a professional investigation and obtaining clear evidence early in the relationship.  Smarter decisions can be taken when you have reliable information in your hands.

C. Wright
© 2018 Philippine PI

© Copyright 2018 Philippine PI.  All Rights Reserved.  This content is the property of Philippine PI, LLC and is protected by United States of America and international copyright laws.