Smartdate.com

I have had replies from several "men" from the Smartdate.com site: Fredrick Johnson, supposedly from UK, of German descent, lovely picture, promising undying love and God-fearing. His mother died, his wife died, is an importer/exporter. I told him I would like to have a conversation via IM & he disappeared.

Also Fred Dean, unsure what happened to his wife but lives in NJ, is of German descent, is an exporter/importer. He agreed to have a chat via IM, where he promised undying love and has disappeared.

Then Darren Penny, who lost his wife, lives with his 13 yr old son & Leonberger dog, who is supposedly American but sounds like he is from India when we chatted on the phone for a minute when he told me his phone connection wasn't working. I told him via email he sounded suspiciously not what he said he was and the correspondence ended.

Tom Bruce, who is from Houston, TX and American, when asked about his likes and dislikes, suddenly told me he was not in the States, and the food he eats is not the same kind of food I eat. Not sure, but I blocked him from email.

I think there are no real men available to date; just a scam to prey on women who are legitimately looking for a relationship. I believe that is deliberate in its focus to set women up to be preyed upon.

I think this site should be shut down!

Hi there!

It sure seems that way, doesn't it? I joined this forum at the beginning of January 2011 because I was the victim of two romance scams in a row......it really shakes your faith that there are any REAL and decent men out there to date. The whole experience was a nightmare for me but, thanks to this site, I became empowered to do something about it. By posting the two scammers here, they were forced to re-establish their fake identities and I was able to keep a couple of potential victims from becoming bankrupt through these scams. That is the positive that came from it...also, I became educated regarding what to look for when reviewing possible "dates" - and I cannot get over how easy it is to spot these liars knowing what I know now. I wanted to give up on the dating sites, too - believe me, I know how you feel. The only thing - besides my own need for a good relationship with a good guy - that kept me from throwing in the towel on this whole dating thing was that I knew the scammers would win if I did. After what they put me through, I am NOT willing to let them deter me....I WILL NOT LET THEM WIN!!!

I was also able to put two dating sites "on notice" that I filed a report with http://www.IC3.com - a site connected to the FBI - and mentioned them in the report. This site is linked to a huge database of these crimes - and, let's face it, that is what this is - a crime. Those two sites were Mate1 and Cupid.....I've reported numerous fake profiles to the sites and it took a lot to get them to remove the suspect profiles. All that did was piss me off and make me more determined than ever to do something about it.

It frustrates me the more and more I hear about innocent people who are putting their hearts out there to find someone real to spend their lives with being used and tormented by these bastards...that is why I continue to fight the good fight. Best of luck to you and, please, don't give up on your desire to find someone.

Take care,
dragonfly1970

Our team is very sorry to hear about your experience. Please, report this user by clicking to the link under his profile picture, so we can deactivate his account.
Best,
the Smartdate team

Welcome, Smartdate, and thank you for posting.

@Dragonfly and luvnyc: I can't vouch for SmartDate's website but can tell you that scammers are everywhere. They do infiltrate most all dating sites. Some sites are better than others at removing their accounts but regardless, they just return with new names and profiles. When you find scammers, please post information about them so that others will be alerted if they do searches.

Please dont give up on dating. I was completely taken in and scammed on Match.com.. From Oct until Dec. In the tune of $3000. I am not ashamed to say it anymore. I feel now since i have recovered...i can help others to do the same. If your scammers are giving up easily..they just have not " profected their craft". When they are more likely to have done it for a while....they dont give up easily. They are not afraid of you "finding" them out or getting caught. They will continue with lies and excuses. And they have many names and profiles. And most get very well versed and they even...i have found out...keep up on current events in the states. To add to their LIES.
If you read on this forum, including other scams too. You will find it sooo easy to spot and read profiles that present" red flags". Even if you are chatting or emailing....the signs are there. BUT as uneducated in the topic of scams (as i was). It is so easy to get so involved with them, it is almost like a brainwashing your mind to believe you actually really know them ! That is what they want
I have met a " real guy" on Match since. But I also have reported many scammers to the site....it is very hard to get them removed. We have to take control ourselves and learn from our mistakes. Good Luck to you

Greetings fellow lonely hearts and scam warners.
I have also had dealings with smartdate, that has led me to believe that they have a number of there own operators are trying to fraudulently encourage naive users to take up premium membership of their site.
These operators encourage messaging through the smartdate message system, a system that is limited to just a few free messages, these run out and lo and behold the only way to open these messages is to purchase the premium service, what a surprise!
There is no way to locate the level of this deception, it could come from the top or it could be generated at Lower management levels within the company, either way smartdate need to clean their act up, or enforce stricter controls over their staff in an increasingly sophisticated user base.Mugs, we are not!!!
Now maybe you think, "well they have to make money in some way".Well believe me, they make plenty through affiliated advertising and marketing, such sites generate huge internet traffic and this in itself is of of huge intrinsic commercial value, but the old saying rings true,"there is no such thing as a free lunch".So always be suspicious of free sites, I am sure there are some good ones out there and I shall try to rout them out as my investigations continue.
I can also confirm that as a man I have also been targeted by Female scamers, so the problem is not gender specific, but I believe that most "big", "tough" men would be too embarrassed to tell anyone about their bad experiences.
In conclusion I have found that my experiences on smartdate have left me felling somewhat used, love and relationships are difficult enough without the constant threat of vultures circling overhead, ready to pick you clean, peoples emotions are being abused here, particularly in regards to scammers who fleece there unsuspecting prey.I couldn't possibly print what I would personally like to do to these individuals, but one thing is for sure, the law enforcement agencies need to take these crimes much more seriously as this fraud is becoming endemic.I shall endeavor to uncover both good and bad sites as my quest continues.
Peace and "hopefully" Love