Meta: Read about the anti-scam policy of Flisk.

Unfortunately, scam is a common problem for dating websites. And many website owners don’t even try to tackle this problem, because they also have the benefits of scammers. Scammers create good-looking profiles with beautiful photos and descriptions. And these profiles attract more visitors to the website.

At Flisk, we have a totally different approach. We put a lot of effort into fighting against scammers. Our managers monitor and delete suspicious profiles every day. Still, however hard we try, there are scammers who manage to escape from us. You can help us get rid of scammers if you report any suspicious activity so that we could later check the information. Please, see below for the most common excuses of a scammer, and don’t get deceived.

A user asks you to cover transportation expenses to meet you
Scammers often start the scheme with a long exchange of emails and phone calls. When your relationship gets stronger, the scammer offers to meet in person. However, the scammer suddenly gets into financial trouble and asks you to help them cover transportation costs. You send the needed money, and the scammer disappears. Sometimes, they can ask for even more money and explain that it is needed to cover the delays and travel problems.

A user gets into trouble and asks you for financial help
You should be careful if a user asks you to financially help their sick kid or relative on a dating website. Sometimes the story is about the trouble of the scammer, for example, he is stuck in a bad country and needs money for a lawyer. In this scenario, the scammer can tell that their credit card or ID was stolen. The scammer wants you to feel guilty and responsible for their survival. Don’t believe that this person can be your future spouse. Most likely this is a scammer.

A user invites you to take part in their charity project
Before donating, just think for a minute: Do true charity organizations use dating sites to gather donations? No. But scammers do. Report it immediately.

A user wants to send you money
There are several possible schemes. First, a scammer can send you cashier checks and then demand the money back as if you took a loan. They will start to threaten you when you understand that you can’t pay the money back.
Second, scammers may pretend that they are visiting your country and you. They send you fake cashier checks and ask you to cash them. They can also ask you to buy some things, but in the end, the scammer will cancel their trip, take your money, and you can even get in trouble for cashing fake checks.

A user looks too pushy and wants your personal information
Sometimes you will encounter users who are too willing to get your e-mail address. They may be collecting this data to sell it later to a worldwide database. The reason to get your e-mail can be quite trivial. For example, a user may want to send you a photo. Be careful with such users, as most likely they will disappear as soon as they get your email address.

A user is too romantic
A romance scam is the type of scam that implies a very romantic behavior of a person. They will win your loyalty and then get access to your money, credit cards, passport, and other sensitive data. If a person quickly wants to schedule a date, check our safety tips before you go.

Watch out for these signs

1. Scammers don’t like communication on dating websites, because we protect your privacy. So, a scammer will quickly give you an email address and ask you to go on talking via email.
2. Photos from modeling sites and magazines are a sign of a scammer.
3. Scammers want to give you money. However, they never want you good. The real reason is to develop trust and then draw you into an affair with counterfeit checks.
4. Scammers often create drama stories and make you feel sorry for them and willing to help.
5. You will often hear stories from scammers about how they lost their IDs, got injured, or got in any other trouble while being abroad. Your money is the only means of saving them from this hell.
6. Scammers often say that they come from the US but are in a different country because of military service or work.
7. Be careful when you see too good photos, as those can belong to super-models and the profiles can be fake. Usually, these profiles are female ones and targeted at men. A man will get enticed by the beauty and will want to help her with her health and life problems.
8. Many scammers come from Africa, for example, such countries as Nigeria. In some developing countries, there are special companies that hire people to send fake letters to real users. Though African countries are not allowed to be members of Flisk because of a potential scam threat, sometimes they still manage to register. Please, report them and we will run a check.
9. Report any such situation, because most likely it’s a scam.
10. Pay attention to the language. Scammers are not good at English. They often have to use automated translators, which makes their profiles look a bit weird.
11. As scammers are not very good at English, they often use the same message for everyone. So, be careful if you see a message similar to this one: “My name is John Snow, am 35 years, not married. am from germany. I found your profile here and want to be friends for very long time and get to know you. I am searching for a serious relationship. i want to meet you in person. we can talk more on yahoo ID. If you have, add me I wait for your reply. Love, John”.
12. Sometimes scammers simply copy the info and photos from other profiles so as to sound more realistic.
13. The emails of scammers often contain a lot of flirtatious content and compliments which are often unsuitable.
14. Unfortunately, even poetic words and compliments can be a sign of a scam. Scammers like being seductive, they will often call you “dear” and other cute names. However, despite the compliments, the message still sounds too general because they send it to many users at the same time.
15. You can start to get suspicious if someone is too willing to share information with you. By being too open about their personal data, scammers often try to persuade you to share your info as well.
16. Be careful if you see profiles with strange names or names written with mistakes.
17. They will often push you to switch from the website to another means of communication. Remember that our team can protect you only while you stay on Flisk.
18. Never go to other websites after a scammer’s invitation. These websites often just gather your personal info or send you spyware.
19. Be careful if someone mimics your interests too much. Often, scammers use this “ideal match” image to lure the victim.

What to do if you think that you are talking to a scammer?
Report it immediately! Don’t waste time on scammers. They are not suffering, they are trying to make use of you. Help us stay 100% scammer-free.
Remember that you shouldn’t rush with actions if someone asks for your money. Instead, ask the opinion of people who are close to you. You can also cross-check the data that the person gives you. Look through the information on social networks.
Never send money to a scammer. But if you have already done it, be quick to contact your bank and report the scam.

Be careful and enjoy your time with Flisk!