This
is the Tom P. Blake "Finding Love after 50" and "Finding Love after 60" newsletter for Friday, July
3, 2015.
Online dating: Success stories and romance scams
My
life partner Greta and I were in Costco this week. As we were leaving the
store, an older gentleman walked up and asked if I was Tom Blake. He said he
had been reading my newspaper articles for years and wanted to know if I'd be
willing to give a speech to a retired men's club he belongs to.
"On
what topic?" I asked.
"Retirement,
and perhaps some dating tips for older guys."
I
said I'd be happy to and gave him my business card.
And
then he said, "I'm 77 and met my girlfriend on Match.com last year. She
lives about an hour away; we see each other several times per week. It is quite
an interesting story."
I asked him to email me the details and perhaps I could do a story about them. I like to hear good news stories regarding how older people met because meeting a mate later in life can be difficult. I particularly like hearing about older people who meet via the Internet. When I get his story, I will share it with you.
When
I got home, there was an email from Barbara Sluppick, a woman I've known for
years, who heads up an organization called Romance Scams.org. She has dedicated
more than a decade trying to warn people about the dangers of romance scams.
Romance
Scams.org website home page statistics:
Membership
as of March 15, 2015: 20,689
Total
membership since June 6, 2005: 59,000+
Scammers
reported as of May, 2013: 5,529
Scammer
photographs submitted as of May, 2013: 10,502
Money
Loss reported as of May, 2013: $25,892,000 by 1,813 people
Barbara
was excited because she is quoted in a very detailed, heart-wrenching story in
the latest AARP magazine about a widow who lost $300,000, her retirement
savings, to a scammer. I strongly
encourage all Champs to take the time to read this story. We've got to protect
our Champs from getting scammed (link below).
So,
today we have the good news and bad news sides of Internet dating. My intention
is not to make our Champs so leery of using the Internet for dating that they
stop using it. After all, there are success stories we keep hearing about. It
can be a helpful tool for meeting potential mates. But, I want you to be so
educated about it that you will never fall victim to scammers and people who
have bad intentions.
That
being said, I recommend people who plan to date online or are dating online to
also read a post on our Finding Love after 50 Facebook page by Champ Patricia
Klages Thomas regarding what she has learned about online dating. She posted it
late Tuesday and you can find it there if you are a member of our Facebook
group. There is a lot of common sense in her post.
Informational
links from today's newsletter:
www.RomanceScams.org (remember, it is .org and not .com)
AARP
article about woman who lost $300,000
Finding
Love after 50 Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/groups/48063349638/
Enjoy
your July 4th week-end. Be safe.
Part 2
-Solo travel and Facebook update
A. More
about women traveling alone
My
sister Pam in San Diego
- "A Woman Alone: Travel Tales from Around the Globe" (stories by different authors)
- "Nothing to Declare" by Mary Morris
Our
closed Facebook group - Finding Love
After 50 is up to 98 members and there are now 12 men. There are many sage
comments from the members. Heck, I am even learning from what is being posted.
For example, look at Gordon Grimm's comments about marriage later in life on July 1. I agree with him.
And
give a big shout out to Larry Coats, the widower from West
Texas who so graciously shared his story with us three weeks ago.
And now look at him, he's on our Finding
Love After 50 Facebook page with a nice photo.
Remember, you must request to join the group and I will approve your request.
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