From mass emails to web sites
Today, scammers have a much better way to reach more people on a more personal level
through social networking and dating web sites. Many web sites are very familiar with
scammers, the pictures they use, the mass messages they send and most of all their real
locations as opposed to what the scammers put on their profiles. Based on this, it should
be very easy to keep the scammers from even signing up or at least catch them once they
start sending their mass messages. Sadly, high member numbers and traffic seem to be more
important than member safety.
Reply from a social site
Unfortunately, we had to delete your profile for spamming....no, we will not reinstate the
profile. Evidently, posting comments on a profile with links to a graphics comment site
is ok but links to a scammer information page to warn others is considered "spamming".
Warning from a dating site
A moderator noticed abuse on your profile and provided the following reason: "Stop posting
comments that are abusive to other users." If [site] notices further abuse, your account
will be blocked. A Scam Buster recieved this from the site for posting warnings on
scammers profiles.
No matter what good you try to do in this world, there will always be those against you
- Ralph Waldo Emerson
The Frustration Almost anyone who has been a Scam Buster long enough
will tell you that scammers are not the only obstacle they face. What's more frustating than
dealing with scammers is trying to warn others on the sites and suddenly your account is
deleted but not the scammer. Sometimes it seems like it's ok with some sites to warn others
but warning too many brings an awareness that the site has a big scammer problem and that
can give the site a bad reputation. The end result is almost always to delete the one member
warning others instead of reducing those high member numbers and traffic by getting rid of
the scammers.
The Reward Anyone that has been on the larger social network or dating sites long
enough has seen the many volunteers who actively seek out scammers and try to warn others.
These volunteers, often called Scam Busters, devote much of their time
to what is sometimes a very thankless task but the reward of knowing someone might have
been saved from a severe financial loss or emotional devastation is well worth the time and
effort they put into it.
Try not to get so wrapped up in a picture of someone that you ignore inconsistencies, flags and warning signs