Uganda is located within Africa, a country known for elaborate online dating scams (e..g, check out articles on Nigeria, Ghana) throughout the world. And while it is filled with wonderful people, there is always the spoiled seed in the packet.
Online dating scammers have been around for quite some time now; and many of them have come up with very creative and deceptive ways of luring in and grooming their victims.
This is exactly why we have created this help guide, which includes the most popular methods used by these low life Uganda scammers that steal millions from victims every year.
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Uganda Dating Scams: Things To Know
Sudden Emergency
Initial Contact
Usually both parties meet online using social media or some online dating website. The conversation may not seem unusual at first, but will quickly lead to him falling in love at warp speed; all without even talking over the phone or seeing each other on video chat.
Mentions Emergency
After the scammer feels he has groomed his victim well enough, he will quickly turn from intimate conversations, to suddenly having all sorts of issues pop up in a short span of time, such as different kinds of “emergencies.” It usually takes them around three to four weeks before they start mentioning this, however.
Life Saving Surgery Needed
When the scammer feels comfortable enough, he will mention that he has had a sudden emergency and lacks the necessary funds to tend to it properly. This could be either himself or a relative, who has supposedly just been in a terrible car accident and needs emergency life-saving surgery. After the money is sent, though, this cycle could continue until the victim comes to their senses.
Traveling Abroad
First Contact
As usual, they will both begin chatting with each other on social media or a dating website; typically for a few weeks, before the scammer makes his move. At first, he will try to pull this victim into some sort of trance using keywords such as the reason they both met is due to “destiny” or their other favorite, “fate.”
Wallet’s Overboard
Once the scammer is confident that he has groomed his victim well enough, he will mention that he is going to leave home to travel abroad. In some cases, they will even claim to be coming to visit the victim. However, once the scammer is in the midst of travel, he will suddenly have a huge problem; his wallet has fallen overboard, for example.
Request For Money
He uses this to give him the excuse of asking for money to continue his journey to either his original destination, or back home. Nevertheless, the victim proceeds to send the money and very likely will never hear from this person again; a double whammy for both heartbreak and loss of money.
Soldier Based Out Of Uganda
Day One
This type of scam involves a person claiming to be a Marine and Military soldier, currently deployed within Uganda. It will start out as most others do online, using social media or a dating website. Initially this individual will claim to have grown a deep love for the victim, also using keywords as we will go over soon. This will all happen rather quickly — within two weeks.
Held By Authorities
Once the scammer thinks that he has groomed this victim well enough and gained their trust, he will explain that he has suddenly been held by Uganda authorities. A common reason given is not having the proper documents or funds to pass through the territory he is currently in, causing him to be stuck there until he pays a required fee to do so.
Request Money Due To Lack of Funds
At this point, he will explain all of this to the victim who has been groomed into a romance trance; and almost every time, the victim falls for the ruse and sends the money. It may not end here, though. This could continue for months, sometimes even years in extreme cases. Make sure to watch for grammar too. Most of the US Military service members have at least average English, so if you notice either an overuse of extravagant words or very poor grammar, then you should be suspicious. We should also mention that the US Military does not take this sort of stuff lightly — and will take care of this person who is supposedly held captive.
Uganda Dating Scam Prevention
Social Media
Often, online dating scammers forget to strengthen and build up their social media accounts before the fact. This means that checking it could easily give you the information needed to determine their honesty. Lack of structure such as page likes, lack of friends, and poor engagement could mean that this profile was specifically created for you. New accounts are something to watch for as well.
Google Reverse Image Search
This feature of Google gives you the opportunity to upload the suspected scammer’s profile photo and see the matching results pulled from millions of different websites. When you do check, make sure the photo is not connected to more than one name. If you find that it is connected to more than one name, then this should be a definite red flag.
Video Chat
Video chats give you the ability to judge the person’s facial expressions live, largely taking away their ability to take time to create a completely scripted response. Online dating scammers almost always deny video chats and love to create excuses as to why they can’t; so if they deny this request, especially more than twice, then you should certainly proceed with caution.
Things To Keep In Mind
Never Send Money
Almost all online dating scammers will ask you for money eventually; and most will have very creative and deceptive reasons. It should go without saying when it comes to your finances, but you should never send money to anyone online whom you have never met, especially when it involves romance.
Pay Attention To Keywords
We find that most online dating scammers love to use scripts; and they are, more often than not, very polished, often with a response to almost any question. However, this is especially noticeable within the first week or two, most of all when they start mentioning that the reason you met online is due to either “destiny” or “fate.” When you see these keywords used in a response to you, it’s time to proceed with caution.
Keep Personal Information Private
Online dating scammers may not ask for money from their victims, but instead simply take it. They can do this by stealing your identity and personal details, taking money from your bank account, or using other elaborate methods. Sometimes, they can be very creative when asking for this information, so be cautious; keep your personal information such as your social security number, address and banking details private.
Further Information
Over at RomanceScams.org, we have a plethora of articles to help you do your research from the types of scams, to scams via social media tools like Google Hangouts, Facebook, Instagram, to scams in different countries like Dubai, Ghana, Nigeria.
The FBI works hard every day to research these criminals and learn their ways. In 2016, nearly 15,000 complaints were filed directly to the FBI and were labeled as romance scams. During that year, the overall amount taken from victims by romance scammers was a grand total of $230 million. A statement that they made that is something that we definitely agree on and acknowledge it as a real issue — is that the majority of those scammed are embarrassed to report these individuals. If you have been a victim of a romance scam, report them immediately to the IC3.GOV.
Could You Be A Victim Of A Uganda Dating Scam?!
It is important that you perform a quick background check on who you are actually speaking to on the internet (you can do that here). The common questions that spring to mind are:
- Are they using fake identities?
- Am I really speaking to a real person from the USA?
To help the users of this site we have partnered with BeenVerified so you can check exactly that. This checking service reveals everything about this would be romance scammer and if they are a real person!
Helpful Information Available on BeenVerified:
- Arrest Records (Please check this!)
- Photos (Helps check if the same photos are used for multiple profiles with different names)
- Email Addresses
- Phone Numbers
- Social Profiles (IMPORTANT – Do they have a real social profile or multiple)
- Home Addresses
- Relatives & Associates
- Sex Offenders Register (Be safe who you are meeting!)
- And More…
If you have the slightest doubt about who you are speaking to… Please use this service!
