We have all seen news stories about lonely individuals who fell in love with a con artist that bilked them out of thousands of dollars before disappearing, never to be seen again. The advent of online dating sites has taken this scam to the next level. The full extent of the fraud is unknown as many victims are too embarrassed to admit to being scammed. Even so, the National Consumers League reports that “sweetheart swindles” are now the ninth most commonly reported form of Internet fraud. “Sweetheart swindles” typically involve a long, drawn-out process to gain the victim’s trust. Scammers troll chat rooms and dating sites in search of lonely people. Once they find a good prospect, romantic e-mail messages are exchanged for days, weeks and even months.

Eventually, the scammer relates that some kind of tragic event has occurred, resulting in a desperate need to borrow money. Circumstances fail to improve, resulting in the need for yet another loan. The goal is to get the victim to send money, repeatedly, over an extended period of time. The average victim lost more than $3,000 in 2007 to “sweetheart swindles.”

Online dating services, chat rooms and social networking sites have helped thousands of individuals to make new friends and form new relationships. Anything is possible. The person on the other end could be your soul mate and perfect match. Unfortunately, he or she may also be a professional con artist out to take advantage of you. It is important to use common sense and caution when dealing with someone you have not met in person.

No two “sweetheart swindles” are the same. There are however, red flags that you might be dealing with a scammer. You need to be very careful if the person:

• Asks you for money or to cash a check or money order.

• Professes love for you almost immediately.

• Claims to be well-off, with status.

• Claims to be a U.S. citizen working abroad.

• Claims to need your help with a business deal or banking transaction.

• Needs help cashing a check in order to travel.

There may be sincere, well-off individuals with status that are U.S. citizens working abroad that will quickly profess to love you. But if they ask for money, beware. The bottom line is that consumers should never send someone they do not know and trust money in any form, no matter how heart-wrenching or convincing the story may be.

Take care of yourself!

Joan Mason is Sumter County Extension coordinator, University of Georgia Cooperative Extension Service. Contact her at 924-4476.