This fellow had a very VERY handsome pic .. but

He uses a yahoo address, which right away blows his cover; *sigh* ... another scam.

It's just one more ploy the scammers are pulling; instead of posting their own pictures, they find a photo of someone who is drop-dead gorgeous (basically someone who has his choice and would not need to resort to the typical spiel sent indiscriminately out to hundreds of *they hope* unsuspecting lonelies .. but that if he were so desperate, he has deeper issues than just being single!) and I'll grant sometimes it IS that guy's picture, but it's several years old, taken back when he still had good (or any) hair & teeth.

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2007-11-20 (http://www.singles.org/)
From: cscp194026
Subject: Hello
Message: Hi Dear, How are you doing today hope fine ,well am cool .this is the first time am using this dating site ,i was looking through single profile and i noticed that yours was different thats to say i like your pics and profile and i will like to get to know more about you ,pls go through my profile and se if we have alot in common ,for i know you are what i am looking for in a relationship and i hope i get to know you better . I am looking for a God fearing ,honest and truthful woman ,some one who will be there for me and the kids some one to be honest with for ever and watch the kid grow ,some one to get old together and above all some one to be a prayer partner .feel so free to write me back at john_albert2003@yahoo.com ,stay cool and God bless . Johnnie.
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These messages are also worded strategically with intent to instill a guilty conscience if the women turn them down, ... i.e. "how could you be so shallow and unwilling to give this really nice guy a chance?" The good looking picture is added for extra punch, making the sell even more aggressive.

The hapless uninformed are led to believe this man is on the level, because he's a sincere believer in God, and does things for the poor, helps in his church, values family, marriage and children, spends daily time reading his Bible, etc etc ... blah blah blah ..

I mean, those qualities and morals are all good, right? They are considered top-notch on the sites that draw these scammers to use whatever desire there is to trust a potential new mate.

Couple the pic with the puppy dog pitch and you have a recipe for heartache aimed at the naïve & unrealistic.

Consider this, then, a general warning to avoid users of yahoo email addresses.

Of course there are always exceptions but as a rule IF YOU DON'T KNOW the person, for safety's sake, presume it's a scammer.

If you're on a social connection website, likely many of the users have yahoo addresses, so watch for how wordy their first introductions are. Not only that, but a key tipoff is the poor literacy. Their text shows English may not be their primary language. For example, "i will like to" is inconsistent with the guy's picture. He's trying to pass off as a Caucasian, but his syntax ~ "I am looking for a God fearing ,honest and truthful woman ,some one who will be there for me and the kids some one to be honest with for ever and watch the kid grow ," .. shows he is trying wa-a-a-ay too hard to seem good at his English.

Watch out for these discrepancies in typed speech.

By the way, I'm not suggesting that foreign men are to be avoided. It's not the nationality that concerns me, but the attempt to disguise it by using a fake photo and having worded their messages in such a clumsy way that it's obvious they're scamming.

Honesty is international, as is dishonesty.

Also, if they're saying things that seem 'too good to be true', well .. that's the major red flag, especially if they don't know you either, and are slathering praise upon your profile, saying they think you may be the one, etc. They, like this twerp, may also begin with a term of endearment. This is highly inappropriate when they don't KNOW you!!

A legitimate note from a real seeker would be more awkward and shy. He would probably not know how to articulate more than something like "hi, I read your profile and I thought I'd say hi." .. y'know, bland and boring.

It's the overcharmers who are like too much caffeine and sugar; the rush is followed by the inevitable crash.

The 'boring' ones are the substantial types who, if allowed time to come out of their timid shells, will most likely prove the most loyal and strongest of character.