With the entire world currently having some 7 billion people living in it, finding “the one” may seem like such a difficult, if not impossible, quest. Lifelong loneliness being one of the major consequences of failure in this said quest, people around the world over have resorted to diverse methods – one of which is the internet – in finding their one true love. Scams dating sites have been on the rise. Many scammers take advantage of the vulnerability of lonely hearts. If you are looking into finding love online, then keep the following 5 key identifying signs of scams in mind to protect yourself from scammers.

SIGN NO. 1: PICTURE PERFECT

This sign alone can help you weed out potential scams from potential life partners in under a minute. Note the quantity, quality, and consistency of the photos in other members’ profiles. Too few photos can serve as a scam alert, although this is not always the case. Profiles with highly attractive or professionally done photos should also arouse your suspicion. Lastly, note the faces on the profile photos – if the face from one photo to another does not quite match, then you are most likely dealing with a scammer.

SIGN NO. 2: COMMUNICATION

One of the key features of successful online dating sites is their communication platform. Usually scammers look to communicate with victims outside dating sites. To protect yourself, create a special email address meant only for online dating and never share sensitive information such as your mobile and landline numbers, bank account, credit card number, and social security.

SIGN NO. 3: TOO FAST, TOO SOON

For lonely hearts, hearing those 3 key words that promise romance and emotional stability can be overwhelming – possibly to such extent that it blocks common sense. Do yourself a favor and keep things in perspective, no matter how much you want to be in a relationship. An “I love you” on your second e-mail should serve as enough of a warning that something fishy is going on.

SIGN NO. 4: LANGUAGE BARRIERS

While the online dating scene has widely diversified over the past couple of decades in terms of their target niche, do keep in mind that scammers tend to target members of English-language dating sites. Most of these scammers, however, have a profoundly poor command of the English language. Note how a member uses English, or your native language for that matter (in the case of more targeted dating sites): if you note a progressively worsening command of the language in question, then it’s time to cut the communication short.

SIGN NO. 5: SOB STORIES

People are sympathetic by nature, which is why sob stories tend to be such hits in all forms of media. If you are being bombarded with one sob story after the other, then break it off before you get in too deep. Do so especially if the member in question starts exhibiting clingy and needy behavior: the presence of these traits, outside of being a key sign in identifying a scam, is just not appealing in a possible romantic partner.

Hoping to find love should never put you in a situation wherein you are in an even more disadvantaged position than you were before joining an online dating site. Hope should be accompanied by vigilance at all times. With time and a little patience, who knows – you might just find the perfect one without being robbed of your money, personal information, and emotional reserves.