What is scam? Scamming is a fraudent scheme performed by dishonest people or group of people to obtain money or any other value from you. There are many ways to scam and most of them you can find in any business, dating business isn't an exception!

 With growing of online dating business, scamming start to grow with same strength.

Scam in dating can include many things and in most cases it is possible through all functions of any dating site such as correspondence, chats, calls, even on dates. It is easy to scam through first three ways as you often don't see person on video and don't see recent photos often, you don't call any time you want but by requested time (which sets up site) etc. Harder to scam on dates but it is possible as there are professional daters-scammers who can get your trust and use your feelings for own needs.

So when can you be sure that the way which person is using to communicate with you is scam? Here you go:

1. For sure any money request for any purpose you can consider scam from any client (man or woman!). It can be direct requests like requests on some urgent needs or non-direct requests with hidden purposes.
For sure scam is when somebody wants to get as much information about you as can. When you give all personal contact information about yourself to someone and don't know nothing about your partner or can't check it yourself or through site/agency! For example you don't get answers on your straight personal questions. You don't see wish to exchange contact information even after long-term correspondence.

2. For sure scam is when you get a lot of love-confessions, compliments, signs of admiration and promises from person without understanding how your virtual relations grew suddenly from "how are you" to "I love you". When you feel you are missing something and somebody is trying to push on your emotions and turn off your brain, satisfy your ego with love-words and makes you believe that you are the only one for him/her. Relationship is a process, not easy one, it can't develop so fast) love is a hard work.

Nota Bene:

1) you can't be sure that person with whom you communicate has no real personal problems (so don't suspect everybody is scammer just because you get answer on your question about real life situation immediately: it can be different!);

2) you can't be sure that all can allow come to your country on first meeting, know your language well enough – you can ask these question on first stage of your communication!

3) you can’t be sure that all women who have professional photos are scammers just because they want look better on photos (we all want look and feel better, this is normal need and if there is possibility to get professional photos why don’t use it?!).

You can't claim all scammers because generalization is not a key to solve this problem and will not help recognize scammer but can spoil someone's real relations with such doubts! Relationships are not easy to develop, and here is no sense in generalization, all is individual!

Must say when I started making matches, I did it for free)))) I never took money for search, for selection, for interviewing, making profiles, translation of intro etc))) I just wanted to introduce best service to my clients, but through time I understood that what you get for free you never value! The only thing I am against for is membership system on dating sites and some matchmaking sites which they advertise and provide, using credit-system. People must know what they pay for and understand that all services conditions are equal for all customers.

Almost all dating sites have antiscam policy and the content of it is typically the same. They promise that they check (passports) and verify all profiles, meet all in person (or deliver this function to local partners), can deliver gifts ordered by you to ladies to prove they are real etc. I cannot judge who is doing or not doing what they declare in their policies. I only know that there is no real antiscam support. If site has thousands of members they can't check all, know personally all of the users, and control all of the profiles and information in them, check status of all the girls in recent time (good if local agencies do their job well instead of big dating sites – their partners).

You can control situation with scamming and avoid it in your agency only if you meet all clients personally as I do, if you interview them personally, check all documents personally and keep contact with them personally all the time. But this is possible if you have small database in one local city and personal interest of team to have good reputation, high level of responsibility and orientation of effective honest and secure service which you introduce to your clients. Reputation is a key, when you keep your word and your words became your actions.

Be careful and good luck in search, yours Naina, psychologist, matchmaker and dating coach of RealDateStudio, local marriage agency in Poltava, Ukraine