Identity theft and online dating sites

Internet dating sites have exploded and made it ever easier for women to connect with one another no matter their geographic location.  It's not suprising that internet scams have also proliferated and have targeted those looking for love online using false identities and relieving unsuspecting women of their money.

One recent instance of this type of fraud was uncovered by a Dayton, Ohio internet security consultant, Mary Leal, who confronted a Nigerian born man who had been using the stolen photo of a 50-year-old American man to court women online and then scam them for money.

In 2007 the Internet Crime Complaint Center (a partnership between the FBI, the National White Collar Crime Center and the Bureau of Justice Assistance) received 206,884 complaints of internet crimes during 2007 which amounted to nearly $240 million in reported losses.

“The Internet presents a wealth of opportunity for would be criminals to prey on unsuspecting victims, and this report shows how extensive these types of crime have become,” said FBI Cyber Division Assistant Director James E. Finch. “What this report does not show is how often this type of activity goes unreported. Filing a complaint through IC3 is the best way to alert law enforcement authorities of Internet crime.”

If you suspect you are the victim of an internet crime contact the Internet Crime Complaint Center.

Want to hear from others or share your scammed experience? Check out Scam club.