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Romance Scam

Please report romance scams and dating scams here. We accept reports on Russian scammers and Nigerian scammers.

Disclaimer regarding pictures posted on the board: please understand that you are NOT looking at the pictures of people who are actually scamming you. The people portrayed on these photos are innocent men and women, NOT involved in scamming in any way and have nothing to do with scammers. The scammers are using their images without their knowledge or permission to deceive their victims and steal their money.




Match.com - NEGATIVE!

Scam-related reviews of the dating and social networking sites. Only people with a 10+ postcount can post in this section.
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ucantbserious
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Re: Match.com - NEGATIVE!

Postby ucantbserious » Mon Nov 02, 2009 7:50 am

I really believe the scammers on Match.com are allowed because Match makes money off them. Probably lots of money judging from the number of scammers. They could, if they chose to do so, greatly reduce the number of scammers. If they were losing money, they would get rid of the scammers. The only solution I can see is for legitimate users to refuse to use Match any longer. That is what I have done and in the process, I've eliminated the misleading guys and the married men from match. I ran into a lot of that too. I joined a free dating site and have had very few scammers and when reported those scammers were immediately removed. I've met several guys on this site and the experience has been much better than match, although I still haven't found "the one". There are still misleaders and married men out there-boys will be boys but I've developed my own screening tools to quickly identify them. Finally, although I've not been a paying member of match for a couple years and I hid my profile on match, they continue to send me emails tell me someone noticed my profile and he's interested. If I would only subscribe again I could find out who. The last time I fell for that one-over a couple years ago-ALL of the emails from interested guys were scammers. 'Nuff said!
Some days all I want to be is a missing person!

Re: Match.com - NEGATIVE!

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tharri76
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Re: Match.com - NEGATIVE!

Postby tharri76 » Mon Feb 01, 2010 2:52 am

You know I have to agree with this entire thread. I was new to onoine dating (I am in the IT field, go figure) and had never done it before but had heard great things about it. Joined Match and wouldn't ya know.. it was where I was scammed. The site is a load of C^%$!! I have met nothing but scammers on that site and it was the one that runined it for me. Their sister site, Chemistry, is just as bad. Also just alot of jerks on the site, but unfortunately it is not illegal to be a jerk. Not a reputable site at all. They credited me one month free when i reported the scammer and they did remove the profile right away, only after they hacked into my profile also, which I had to go in a recreate an entire profile, password etc. I let it expire. I wouldn't recommend this site to anyone at all.

27Veer
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Re: Match.com - NEGATIVE!

Postby 27Veer » Sat Nov 27, 2010 7:08 am

Match.com allowed Lyn Martinez to post using three different e-mail addresses and three completely different stories. This has to be one of the prime scammer sites on the net.

aloysius
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Re: Match.com - NEGATIVE!

Postby aloysius » Mon Jul 04, 2011 10:15 pm

Wow my experience of Match would appear to be almost heavenly compared to the posts on here and heres me whinging over 4 Italians and a dodgy Englishman. I am sure I have sidestepped countless others but it was more luck than wisdom and all I've been parted from is a few tears of self pity and a bit of passing heartache.

I am appalled that Match have such a laisse faire attitude to scammers. I knew it was dodgy at best which is why I came here, but the true extent of it shocks me.

My concerns include the one already raised here - how likely is it that my picture will turn up on a poor unwitting targets screen with a false name? - Does anyone know how often this happens.?

The others are concering the help desk. What nationality precisely are these people it is definately not European or Asian. After gleaning so much information regarding the Nigerian scams on this site and hearing that Match too was being scammed by false credit cards I was left pondering why they seem so unconcerned by scamming activity. I'm not going to expand further because its highly libellous. Hands up who doesnt like cream in their coffee.
Why be so suspicious? - Well it could be the way the helpline operatives are most unhelpful even mockingly cynical when you report a scammer. Twice I have tried and twice I have been told, after spelling the Id out 3 times and having it read back, that the Id does not exist. Only when I pointed out i was looking at it on ther website or had copy pasted it to an external file did they vanish, reappear and say 'oh yes sorry'. And was I hearing things when an operative actually sniggered his way through the whole affair? I was told thankyou and they would 'keep and eye out for him'. The guy is still there. But strangely for a known scammer he has not yet emailed me though i returned his wink more than a few days ago. These guys are skilled at multi tasking and I am a prime target - an over 50 professional single woman.

Match do not actively seek to educate its users on scammers and it seems pretty clear they do not seem to take it seriously. I can understand the reluctance to invite bad PR, but if its costing them money too then why condone it. Why not be more proactive and sympathetic? Good PR is worth gold in such a public forum as this.

Anyway I will end on high note. Maybe I am part of a lucky minority, but through Match I have made friends, good, honest and trustworthy ones with nothing but honourable intent. Just a few mind you, but enough to keep the faith.
The moral seems to be:
Shop local. Avoid imported goods or at least check its covenance carefully. Go to the market in person and see what you might be buying. If you cant hold its hand leave it alone.
And gives thanks for sites like this that offer a well rounded education and somewhere to exchange views and opinions. :applause: A little knowledge is no bad thing.

wayne


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Re: Match.com - NEGATIVE!

Postby wayne » Mon Jul 04, 2011 10:20 pm

My concerns include the one already raised here - how likely is it that my picture will turn up on a poor unwitting targets screen with a false name? - Does anyone know how often this happens.?
I am a prime target - an over 50 professional single woman.
Realistically, scammers won't really be interested in using your pictures. Now if you were a 20 year old with massive funbags and lots of provocative photos online they can steal..... that's a whole other story.

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Re: Match.com - NEGATIVE!

Postby aloysius » Mon Jul 04, 2011 11:59 pm

aloysius wrote:
My concerns include the one already raised here - how likely is it that my picture will turn up on a poor unwitting targets screen with a false name? - Does anyone know how often this happens.?

aloysius wrote:
I am a prime target - an over 50 professional single woman.
To which Wayne replied :
Realistically, scammers won't really be interested in using your pictures. Now if you were a 20 year old with massive funbags and lots of provocative photos online they can steal..... that's a whole other story.
OK Thanks, point taken, my funbags may have lost some of their potential for fun - Men tsk! :) . And unless scammers are aiming to hit the over 60's retired and sitting on a large annuity male population with a female version of 'lost my family and off to Africa to do business' scam, then I am pretty safe. It may not necessarily exclude the photographs of my blonde, slender 23 year old daughter that are in circulation though. 'My' rather implied the royal 'we', should have been a bit clearer sorry :(

That does kinda possibly raise a point but maybe not for this thread. :thinking:

wayne


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Re: Match.com - NEGATIVE!

Postby wayne » Tue Jul 05, 2011 12:17 am

Scammers can and sometimes do use pictures they obtained while scamming, but they tend to use pictures of younger females and older males. If you were a guy then I'd say it could be possible they'd use them. As it is I'd say you're pretty safe. The safest thing you can do is put your email address across it in a way that the scammer can't remove it. Here's an example with a picture of me.

Image

See, now no scammer can ever use it and pretend it's them.

aloysius
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Re: Match.com - NEGATIVE!

Postby aloysius » Tue Jul 05, 2011 12:34 am

Hi Wayne

What a guy ! :)

Thank you, I will protect my photos in future before I release them into the big bad world and I will be sensible and not release pictures of my family. One bitten twice shy.

scottishladyca
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Re: Match.com - NEGATIVE!

Postby scottishladyca » Tue Jul 05, 2011 12:58 am

Match.com is not the only site full of scammers.. I have found them on Seniors Plus, Badoo and Spark and even Facebook and have been contacted many times by scammers posing to be not only from USA, and the UK but also from Toronto which is the city I live in. They are everywhere and the only thing you can do to protect yourself is use all the tools available to you to check out these people, never send money and until you can smell them and touch them don't believe they are real..
It is a terrible way to be, but I have met some lovely, genuine people amongst all the garbage so it just takes time, a lot of frustration, and common sense..
If they say they love you before they can spell your name correctly ( for some reason my name is always spelled "Dear" "sweetheart" "Honey" or "Babe" or if they seem too good to be true.. then let them be.. report them when you can so other's can learn... the more we report the less people they can find to scam.. at least hoping so..

Good luck in your search

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southern lady
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Re: Match.com - NEGATIVE!

Postby southern lady » Sat Jul 09, 2011 8:31 pm

Hi everyone, I didn't know anything about scamming either until "Match". When my scammer took my photo off Match contacted me and not only refunded my money right away but offered me a month for free!! :shock: I just took my money and ran :lol: I had enough of scammers in a short 5 weeks.They are every where!!
Southern Lady

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Re: Match.com - NEGATIVE!

Postby bartmoss » Wed Jul 13, 2011 5:12 pm

I do have to post my two Eurocents, my experience with match.com has been pretty good. Now, mind you, this was EU/Germany, and it's been a while, but I met three girlfriends there, none of them scammed me out of anything. None of those relationships worked out but they were all three pretty interesting chicks.

Sure there were some weirdos there too but overall it has been one of my better experiences.

I am not currently using it tho.

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duckhunter
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Re: Match.com - NEGATIVE!

Postby duckhunter » Wed Jul 13, 2011 5:43 pm

In their defence (not that I really care to defend them), there are some very decent people at Match.com. If there weren't, you all wouldn't be having this discussion. It's a shame that Match.com's preference for the almighty dollar over a quality site is chasing their real clientele away and leaving them with a dating site that is dangerous.

What pisses me off the most is that they DO know they have a problem but fervently deny it in the press, hoping the problem will just go away on it's own without affecting profit margins. They even know that the way scammers pay for their memberships is with stolen credit cards ... yet they keep taking them. Talk about irresponsible business!
Help us keep scammers stupid Post his details here to warn others, then walk away without explanation. Confrontation alerts scammers & makes them change their identities...which makes all your hard work outdated. It messes with their minds if they don't know why you walked away.

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Re: Match.com - NEGATIVE!

Postby 27Veer » Thu Jul 21, 2011 8:03 pm

By knowingly taking stolen credit cards they are part of the criminal scheme.

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Pinky
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National TV Talk Show plans to do a story on "Romance Scams"

Postby Pinky » Mon Jul 25, 2011 3:38 am

i am confused on how to submit a story. I would be willing. I lost almost 20k this month and by accident I met someone else he scammed too. I am in the process of getting an attorney to sue match.com. She reported him as a scammer March 6th and they did not take him down. I met him march 30th
In my opinion it's about time someone went after Match. They are by far the most egregious of enablers of these scams and their members pay for it.
If your question isn't answered in the FAQ, please message a green Moderator or red Admin. We need to know.

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Ralph Warner
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Re: National TV Talk Show plans to do a story on "Romance Sc

Postby Ralph Warner » Mon Jul 25, 2011 6:37 am

kbo
This is a little off topic but did you go back and check the terms and conditions for match.com.

Even if Match did take the profile down, the scammer could just as easily have created another almost identical profile.

I am on your side here and I am not one to be defending any dating site, I would just hate to see you spending more money or emotion on getting a lawyer if there was no hope of taking legal action against them.
"Thou shall read thy FAQ" CLICK HERE for salvation
Has your scammer sent you to any websites, it may have been fake.

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