1.  DON'T GIVE OUT PERSONAL EMAIL OR IM HANDLES  

By allowing someone access to your personal email address, you are opening yourself up to viruses, physical threats and other abuses, spamming and identity theft. The selling of personal email addresses to junk and bulk mailing consortiums is a huge business, so beware of strangers keen to find yours out.

Moreover, you should be aware that every computer in the world has a unique IP address assigned to it. Some IP addresses are permanently issued to you by your Internet Service Provider (ISP) and some are randomly assigned every time you log onto your ISP. Regardless of which type of IP address you have, this information can be traced to your front door— even if you use an anonymous email server such as Hotmail or Yahoo. Therefore, unless you are certain of the person you are communicating with, NEVER give out your personal email address..

Sometimes you will be invited to use another online instant messenger system such as Yahoo! Messenger or MSN Instant Messenger. The reasons that you will be given for this will range from photo and file exchange to privacy concerns. However, you should be aware that once you leave our website, you will no longer have access to our security services.

While Desiyaar does not monitor online chat conversations, we do log specific IP addresses from our members so that we may undertake an investigation should one of our members file a complaint. If someone sends you a virus, threatens you or offends you in any way on an off-site instant messenger, there is very little we can do about it. 

2.  WHEN A STRANGER ASKS YOU FOR MONEY 

Desiyaar has thousands of members from a wide variety of backgrounds and nationalities. While the majority of these members are honest people looking for love, there are a desperate few who troll the internet taking advantage of the kindness of strangers.

Soliciting for money is forbidden on Desiyaar, and we ask you to report anyone who does so by clicking on the “Complaint” link on that person’s profile, or by contacting support@desiyaar.com

3.  AIRFARE AND FOREIGN TRAVEL AGENCIES: BEWARE 

One common scam is for a foreign member to flirt with you online and, after a brief correspondence or chat session, ask you for money for an airline ticket in order to come and visit you. Under no circumstances should you send any money to any such member, nor should you send money to a “travel agency” that he or she claims to know. That said, not all members needing help acquiring airfare are dishonest. Some are genuine. If you want to fly someone in, you should do so by purchasing a non-redeemable ticket for that person yourself.  However this is only if you are sure!

4.  TOURIST AND FIANCÉ VISA FEES: BEWARE 

If someone asks for help acquiring a tourist or fiancé visa, be sure to do your homework before sending any money. Call your country’s embassy or consulate in the individual’s home country to find out what the visa requirements are. If possible, send visa fees directly to the embassy.

5.  POSTAL MONEY ORDER SCAMS 

Another scam involves postal money orders. A person from another country—usually an African country— or someone claiming to be an American temporarily visiting an African country will ask for help cashing a postal money order. This person will claim that he/she will be charged exorbitant interest in the country he/she is in, and will ask to send you the money order so that you may cash it at your bank and send back the money via Western Union. Do NOT fall for this very common trick. The money order is almost certain to be counterfeit, and because the person who sends it to you will be using a false identity, you will be personally liable for defrauding the US Postal Service.

You should immediately report anyone who attempts this trick to Desiyaar, either by clicking the “complaint” button on their profile or by emailing support@desiyaar.com

6.  WESTERN UNION SCAMS 

We can hardly emphasize this enough: you should not, under any circumstances, send money to a stranger via Western Union. Western Union does not require any identification—just a code number supplied by you. Once you have sent the money, you can’t recover it. You may never hear from the recipient again, and he/she will be untraceable.

7.  NIGERIA AND GHANA SCAMS 

A large number of financial scams originate from the countries of Nigeria and Ghana. The reason for this is that these countries do not have laws against wire or internet fraud, and consequently have become hotbeds for criminal activity online. If someone contacts you from a profile that appears to be in North America or Europe, but then tells you they are temporarily in Nigeria or Ghana, there is a significant chance they are involved in a scam of some sort. You should immediately report them DesiYaar  for investigation, either by clicking the “Complaint” link on their profile or by emailing support@desiyaar.com