They are offering the chance of finding true love and happiness, and there are plenty of takers!

However sooner or later, the vulnerable hearts receive requests that will ultimately lead to financial losses and heartbreak.

They ask if their soul mate can re-ship them to Nigeria.

Or the alternative is to say their wallet has been stolen, hotel owner holding their passport, custom officials need to be bribed, new plane tickets are needed, they have been victimized and put in jail and need money to bribe their way out, or they need money for an operation etc.

They are often told to keep some of the money for their trouble [which helps to build trust and also helps make them an accessory to the crime! After a few weeks the bank will advise the Money Orders are fraudulent and then the victim is responsible for paying the money back to the bank, and in some cases face charges of passing counterfeit instrument.

Sometimes the scammer purchases goods with stolen credit cards but have trouble getting them delivered as many US merchants are now wary of shipping to Nigeria.

The photos are usually stolen from modeling sites with reports that 90% of them are being taken from Focus Hawaii.

The scammers start by stealing a photo from an internet site.

They prefer to use images of white people capitalising on stereotypes and perceptions.

I am unsure what other false names have been used for … I too met an oil drilling contractor who works on a rig in the Gulf of Mexico.

In August, a British man was sent to jail after defrauding two women of over £300,000 (5,300) through online dating sites.