Sweetheart Scams: Online Dating's Billion-Dollar Swindle

The popularity of online dating has grown so rapidly in recent years that nearly half the couples who marry now, or begin committed relationships, meet each other through Internet websites.

Love is blind, they used to say. And as this new technique for finding the love of your life grows, swindlers are cashing in on those eyesight problems. Many who use the services are emotionally vulnerable and easy to fleece.

So vulnerable, the FBI said in a 2016 report, scammers stole more than a billion dollars from them that year. The losses and emotional pain are expected to grow.

That’s what this book is about. It explains how the scammers work, how they think and plot, and how you can detect and avoid them. It’s a very personal story, written by Clarence Jones, one of America’s most honored investigative reporters.

After a divorce, Jones signed up with two online dating services. He was astounded by the massive fraud and deception he encountered. To do the research for this book, he eventually became a member of a dozen services. He divides them into two types – Meetup dating sites and Hookup dating sites.

He learned that many Hookup websites are actually interactive pornography, where members – both men and women – are fully nude in their profile photos. On some of the overloaded Hookup sites, virtually all the members you’ll chat with are phony “bots” cleverly designed to increase profits for the website owner.

Some websites specialize in helping husbands and wives cheat on their spouses. And some of Hookup websites have become today’s version of a pimp – a clever way to manage escorts and prostitutes and avoid prosecution.

He’ll walk you through the process he encountered, step-by-step. Then show you how to detect fictitious members who claim to have fallen in love with you. If you’re searching for a date -- or or the love of your life -- this book can save you a lot of money; and help you avoid a lot of embarrassment and emotional distress.