Private Investigators see spike in business thanks to online dating sites

CINCINNATI - Millions of people look for love through personal dating websites. But as more of us open ourselves up to romance, we're also opening up to big risks.

Meet Cheryl. She's a widow who loves to read and spend time with friends and dogs.

Cheryl lost her husband of 35 years in 2007. Recently she decided it was time to date.

She went on match.com and before long, met a potential Mr. Right.

"I saw his picture. I'm the one that winked at him," she said.

His name is Karl Jens. He says he's 60-year-old construction engineer, also a widower and father of a teenager from Kansas City, Kansas, raised in Denmark.

He came complete with an accent and all the right things to say. He wrote: I'm a gentleman looking to meet a lady, first as friends and see what life has to offer us.

Cheryl says she believed he was interested in her.

"He saw my picture. Very interested. Kinda saying the things that women like to hear."

The two talked for weeks, but when it came time to meet, Karl suddenly got called away to Malaysia on business. Then there was a business emergency and he said he needed money. He asked Cheryl for $10,000.

She eventually wired him $2,000 and had second thoughts right away. "I went on and sent the money but then I think I knew that I had done the wrong thing."

And it didn't stop there.

Next, Cheryl says Karl's 13-year-old son needed surgery and Karl needed money again.

Cheryl was suspicious and called Barstow, the Kansas City school where Karl said his son was enrolled. She learned no one by that name went there.

Upset and out $2,000, Cheryl ended it with Karl.

"I told him the gravy train stops here."

Cheryl is not alone.

In November, the Federal Trade Commission issued a warning to anyone using dating websites to be on guard. The typical scenario: A scammer creates a fake profile, gains trust, then asks for money to be wired outside the U.S.

Chuck Stephenson is a private investigator who says these days more and more people are turning to him to check the background of someone. And most times, the person is not who they say they are.

"A lot of these we run into, I'd say close to 60 percent are money issues, where that individual will eventually ask for money."

A recent New York Times article shows online "date detectives can unmask Mr. or Ms. wrong." Everything from websites to smart phone apps offer to check the background of your potential mate for a price.

But there are ways for you to dig up dirt on your potential mate-- for free.

Sites like Zabasearch let you type in a name and a state to unearth information.

Next, check court records with sites like courtclerk.com , hamiltoncountyauditor.org , and courts.Ky.Gov that are open to the public and easy to access.

So is the sex offender registry . Each state has one, and there's a national database too.

But you can dig deeper than just criminal checks.

County websites list property including homes, cars and other toys.

As for Cheryl, she thought her guy was legit. He sent her copies of business contracts and documents that appeaedr real, but weren't. She says she regrets being so trusting.

"I feel very gullable. I feel very stupid. I think I learned my lesson."

Keep in mind these dating sites are absolved of liability. The site is not the publisher of information, the members are.