It's such a shame that we have to be so careful online

I am a member of some great social network, and I love them. I some some great online friends. I think it's such a shame that in this the "Information Age" we have to be so careful, especially with our details, and what we share with others online! This is one thing I have seen online, especially on my social network, but this could also apply to a dating site. This makes me feel somewhat sad, but I hope it doesn't make me totally cynical to people I meet online.

Firstly the practice of getting peoples details is called phishing. So when anyone asks for you to chat on yahoo or msn or wherever, they are looking to get your details. Please be careful with this. I don't mean to sound rude or horrible here, but there are people who are more vulnerable than others.

People who are looking for that special someone or who are a little bit lonely are bigger targets than anyone else. They will flatter your profile, your looks everything that will make you feel special. Then comes the crunch. After a short while they will tell you that they are in love with you, and want to be with you but can't afford to get to you, would you pay for them to travel to you and you will both live happily ever after. It's all bogus of course, but you would be surprised how many people both male and female will believe this.

Always remember that in a lot of cases this is not a personal attack, it's more to do with casting a line and see what bites (see Phishing). It is completely random, and in a lot of cases the culprit is sitting in an internet cafe in Nigeria (I am not slagging off a complete nation, but statistics prove that quiet a lot of these scam come from Nigeria, but they are worldwide too). When they get a bite they call the victim a MUGU! I think this means something like stupid rich person, especially as they will try to fleece you for everything they can.

NEVER offer to pay for anything, or accept a cheque/check or money gram from these people, they will bounce and you are legally responsible for any funds you draw.

Most of all, never, never, never (I cannot stress this enough) give your personal details to anyone you meet on a social network or dating site. If you do meet someone from a dating site, tell someone where you are going and what you are doing. Protect yourself from madmen, con artists and scammers at all times