How to identify an internet fraudster (Yahoo Boys).

If you’re going to improve your online vetting skills, you’re going to have to swap your human detection skills for those of the computer. These four relatively simple steps can help you learn to decipher people’s online profiles:

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• Longer is better. - An internet profile rich in self-description is likely to be more truthful. Liars may be afraid of getting caught in their own traps. The more detailed a person’s story, the more likely it contains accurate self-depictions.
• Look for consistency. - When people describe themselves in one part of an online profile, they should be able to provide back-up evidence somewhere else that confirms it. Don’t just read an online self-description from top to bottom. Go back and double check within the profile to make sure it all fits together. You could also, if you are seriously interested in pursuing a relationship with this person, resort to a Google search.
• Recognize that liars avoid negative emotions. - The person strying to sway you will try to avoid negative associations. The liar will want you to feel warm and fuzzy, not uncomfortable: “It’s all good.” An unrealistically positive image may be just that – unrealistic.
•  Watch out for the “we’s.” - Avoid being drawn into the liar’s web of deception that puts you and a stranger on a par. An unusually high number of first-person plural pronouns may signify a profile that is intended to make you feel emotionally close to the writer but not one that is particularly honest.

The truth bias may operate far more in online dating situations than in other everyday situations in life. If we like someone’s photo (which, remember, is unlikely to be accurate), we’re willing to suspend disbelief. However, the online world has plenty of traps set by people who do not have your best interests at  heart. Learn to let your head rule your heart, and your online experiences can be far more fulfilling.