Asian Women Find Themselves the Victims of Online Dating Scams

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We've all heard the tales of innocent, lonely western men turning to Asian specific profiles, falling head over heels for a breathtakingly perfect little lady and being scammed out of thousands of pounds. Firstly; lets ignore how it's all a bit yuck and naive because it seems the tables have turned and it's now the Asian woman who find themselves ill fated as they are lied to and exploited by western/pretending to be western males. It seems that we will never learn in our quest to find someone to share our life with. Since 2014 there has been an increase in reported crimes of this nature from 29 cases to 62.

These catfishing men have been signing up to dating websites and apps, projecting themselves as successful western professionals looking to find an equally successful woman to bring home and woo. Their main targets are women aged between 30 and 40 years old. Woman this age are probably prone to vulnerability because of their desire to marry and start a family, as it's traditional in their culture to find a mate very early on in life. They are seen as less desirable by their male peers and thus have to turn to less traditional means of settling down. They're also a target because they are women that are still in or have achieved tertiary education, meaning they have the one characteristic that scammers adore; a steady cash flow to their name. In fact these women make up 90% of the targeted numbers.
It's unfortunate really that they fall subject to the dupes as they are women that really do have something going for them, they might not be as young as the typical desired Asian female, but they clearly have drive, brains, independence and a hell of a lot more to offer someone then just youth.

One victim told South China Morning Post about how she was tricked out of more than HK$200,000 by her British lover in March of last year. That's a staggering amount that would have taken years of hard work and saving. However it's not the loss of money that leaves the lasting damage, it's the emotional manipulation and breach of trust. She had met her beau after finalising a divorce in late 2014 and he was helping her through the trauma with round the clock support and promises of a future together. There was even a marriage proposal which transpired into nothing. She had sent him thousands to help him get out of tricky situations when his bank accounts were 'frozen'. He later disappeared and so did the promises of a wedding and a future. Although it left her medication dependent she did not make a claim to the police as "it wouldn't heal the wounds in my heart anyway".

A word of advice... please be careful on the internet everyone. We might scoff at people and wonder how on earth this happening but it really is an entirely different situation when you're caught up in it. Love is blind they say and when you desperately want to trust someone it can be easy to over look the warning signs, such as: them asking for money, them having limited images of themselves and no social media, them refusing to go on webcam or asking for money for the privilege, their feelings being strong very fast and promises of marriage. Check them out extensively and don't send your hard earned money! Curiosity may have killed the cat but at least he found out the truth.

Robyn Tillett

Robyn is a self-proclaimed book nerd/punk goddess. She has always had an adoration for writing and is hoping to find her feet in this creative and intrinsically exciting career path. She may only be an intern but don't underestimate this girl. Follow her @Songbird_Robyn

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