February 02, 2006

Beware of Chatroom Blondes

Beware of chatroom blonde, she's a fraud, the Telegraph reports.

If you find yourself on the brink of a steamy cyber-relationship with a woman who looks like a model, talks only about herself and is strangely secretive about her job there are only two explanations.

Either you've found yourself a genuine Page 3 girl desperate for a relationship with a slightly overweight, socially inept man, or you are about to become the latest victim of a very 21st-century honey trap.

The odds are not in your favour. Fraud experts say criminals increasingly use online dating services, posing as young attractive women to rip off gullible men.

Once they have the victim's trust - and for some men that can take only a few minutes - they ask for money, either for travel expenses or because they have just been robbed.