Who is out there?
Online dating is a great way to meet new people, but some people will abuse the medium and will take advantage of the fact that online dating is limited to what a member will put on his profile, the fact that are not presented on a profile are the ones that might put other members at a risk. There are few types of online scammers:
• Spammers: You probably know what internet spam is, all those emails you get in your private mailbox which you never asked for. Online dating is a very successful way of meeting people and spammers are taking advantage of it by posing as a member of a site and trying to get other members to register on their site to contact them. The only mission behind those spammers is to get you to register to another site or to expose your email address so they can send you advertisements. • Scammers: While spammers will try to lure you into other website and get you to pay for it, scammers will try to take your money in any means possible. Many people try to make their living by taking other people’s money, this is consider crime but most of the time it’s hard to trace those criminals because they use different ways to hide their tracks. Some of the scammers are from countries that have are lacking the law enforcement man power or are not organized to fight international online crime. Among those states are former USSR countries and African countries like Ghana and Nigeria (Nigerian sting/scam). Those criminals will pose as lawyers or as people who inherited a big sum of money and need you to help them to claim it by financial support that will be paid back to you when the money will be claimed. They will pose as lonely girls who have no one to help them and will correspond with you and try to convince you with any means possible. Many people have lost their money and never retrieved it. Beware and be careful with your money. Dating is suppose to be a two way connection, a gentleman will always treat a lady but a confidence have to be built before any spending is occurred. To read more about scammers and internet fraud go to http://www.stop-scammers.com/
How to avoid scammers and spammers.
Hotmatchup.com provide many ways for you to get to know someone without exposing your identity. Same way as scammers and spammers can avoid revealing their identity, you can control yours. We provide an inbox for you on the site that can be used to communicate with other members, use it and avoid using any of your private email addresses. We also provide links on the site where you can report other user as potential scammers/spammers. We are checking those reports daily and suspending members who are proved to be illegitimate.
Here are a few ways that can help you identify who is a scammer/spammer and who is not:
• Always use Hotmatchup email system to communicate with new connections on the site. Try to send and reply to a few emails and find out who is sitting on the other side. Don’t send any personal information before you are sure that the other member is who they claim they are. If a member gives you their private email right away, ask few questions and insist on using the site for the initial connection. If someone wants to get to know you, they will be happy to know you care about your privacy and should have no problem using the site email system for the first few emails. • Identify members from foreign countries posing as local members. An easy way to do that is by reading what the other member wrote about them and noticing the word they choose to describe themselves. While the English language has a rich vocabulary, the choice of words will allow you to determine if they sound like your local friends or they sound like someone who is not using English on a day to day basis. Always consider that there are many immigrants who actually live in the states and are not proficient in the English language. In that case, asking the other members about hangout places in their neighborhood, what gym do they go to , what movie they saw last and where, are good questions to ask and by evaluating the answer you will know if the person on the other side is local or just trying to impose as one. • Avoid following links being sent by members pointing out their webpage on another site, those are fake members who get paid by other site to have you register there. You are using HotMatchup site already, why signing up for another site that uses illegal ways of attracting members. Recently many girls are trying to tempt members to come and check their webcam broadcast on other sites, those are not girls who wants to meet guys, those are girls who are exactly like strip club girls, you will need to pay to see them on the webcam and you will never get to meet them. HotMatchup is designed for you to meet people not to pay to watch them. • Never send money to anyone or help them financially unless you met them before and have established the confidence needed. If you met someone who lives far away and they are asking you to help them pay for a flight ticket in order to meet you, always offer to come and meet them or to pay them back when the meeting occurs. Don’t give your personal credit card or bank information, don’t send out money. If someone is looking for money they are most likely not looking for meeting…beware!
If you think you identified a spammer or a scammer, let us know by reporting to us using the links we had provided on all profile pages and inbox email. The link will state: “Is this profile offensive or suspected as spam, please let us know by clicking here.” Or “Is there something offensive in this e-mail? Let Us Know”
Use these links and help us and other members avoid scammers and spammers. Your safety is always our concern and we do all we can to identify and get rid of spammers and scammers.
Have a safe and productive dating experience
HotMatchup customer service
Signed : HotMatchup Anonymous Member
36 years old Man, from New Jersey
