Marketplace Money is taking a look at whether questionnaires used by online dating services can help you find a financially compatible mate. If you’ve used dating services, did you get matched up with someone whose personal finances were in great shape….shockingly awful….or just plain incompatible?
Has insight into a potential match’s finances (or credit score) been the way to your heart?
We want to hear your story about how personal finance factors into online dating. (Go here to answer our questions outside of public view.)
Among the insights coming into my inbox on this is one from Lisa Twede of Burbank, CA. She says she found a good guy on Eharmony — their approaches to money aren’t the same, but it works out because they budget together: “We make plans together based on the money we feel we have available. We have creative but cheap dates - like going on hikes.” But before she found the good guy, she had some bad experiences of getting “matched” with scammers from abroad. And I have to share it with you because her warning is too great to not share:
How to spot a scammer:
1) Their English is usually bad.
2) For men, they are usually employed in the oil industry.
3) Again for men looking for women, they usually have a child who needs a mommy.
4) They “fall in love” with you really fast, without even really knowing you.
5) Sometimes they will check “Native American” and then the profile picture is of a white person. They don’t know what “Native American” means.
6) They often put their hometown with a lowercase letter instead of a capital letter.
7) They will usually be 8 or 9 hours ahead of you, even though their hometown is in America. The excuse will be that they have a brilliant international job that keeps them traveling.
8) They will ask you for money.
What about you? Share your story about money and dating services here.
Using the internet, I established a relationship with a woman who was in far better financial shape than I. She had taken annual trips all over the world with a tour group that flew in their own chartered jets to China, India, Africa, where ever. During our first year we took 5 trips and we always had to discuss cost. We shared expenses equally but she usually sacrificed by not flying first class. Using the name Gordon Scott Edwards, I tell the story of this relationship in my book Internet Safari, Finding Love Online at 65.