The online dating industry goes on growing and becoming more lucrative. However, over 6.400 Americans were scammed after visiting dating websites in the 2nd half of 2019. If you’re interested in secure and cheap adult merchant processing, as well as how you can avoid online dating scams, you’re at the right place.
Adult Merchant Processing & Dating Scams
Dating has undergone major changes in the last few decades, featuring both better and worse sides. The Federal Trade Commission reports that online dating scams represent the highest total reported scams. In the U.S., such criminals stole $220 million dollars in 2016, and in 2018, that amount was $143 million dollars.
The growth of online dating has resulted in a new scam called “catfishing.” Thousands of people are being catfished online on a yearly basis. So, who is the so-called “catfish?” This is a person who builds a false online identity with the purpose of defrauding someone.
With all this in mind, working with a secure and reliable high risk payment specialist is just a must. A respectable high risk processor committed to offering the safest adult merchant processing with the cheapest rates is critical to the success of your online dating business.
Dating Scam Signs: How to Protect Yourself
In 2019, a New Jersey man was charged for a $2.1 million online dating scam. According to federal prosecutors, the man tricked victims into transferring money to non-existent U.S. soldiers stationed overseas.
What should you do when targeted by a scammer?
- Never fail to report the scams to as many agencies as you can
- Frequently check to see how your images and other representations of your brand are being used online to be sure everything is OK
- Save any incriminating messages received and block the account
- Have the right protection for your personal brand
How to know if a person is real or a scammer? Watch out for the following signs:
- No friends/followers
- Refuses to meet or participate in Skype sessions
- Has a picture that’s too good to be true
- Claims you’re neighbors
- Gets serious too fast
- Always shows need for help
- Has stories that’re far-fetched or extremely vague
As you see, the rise of the online dating industry comes with both good and bad. To avoid scammers, take the right measures and work with secure processors.
Author Bio: Blair Thomas has been a music producer, bouncer, screenwriter and for over a decade has been the proud Co-Founder of eMerchantBroker, the highest-rated high risk merchant account processor in the country that offers the most secure and cheapest adult merchant processing in the field. He has climbed in the Himalayas, survived a hurricane, and lived on a gold mine in the Yukon. He currently calls Thailand his home with a lifetime collection of his favorite books.