Lovefraud Continuing Education

California hairstylist loses $273,000 in online romance scam

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A con artist used this soldier’s photos to scam a woman out of $273,000.

“Yin,” a hairstylist from California, went looking for love on Match.com, the online dating site. She thought she found it when she met “David Perez,” a divorced major in the Marines with a 10-year-old daughter.

Major Perez told Yin he was deployed to Afghanistan. Then he told her that he needed money. Yin sent him $273,000 — her entire life savings.

Needless to say, the money is gone.

Unfortunately, Yin is not alone. According to the Federal Trade Commission, 21,000 people reported losing money in online dating romance scams last year. How much did they lose? More than $143 million. It’s the single largest … Read more

Posted in: Lovefraud Continuing Education, Sociopaths and money

Video: Mandy Friedman talks about Self-care for Complex PTSD

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If you endured physical, emotional, psychological, sexual and/or financial abuse for a long time, you may be suffering from complex post-traumatic stress disorder (C-PTSD). But you can learn how to recognize the symptoms and create your own recovery program.

In this upcoming Lovefraud webinar, Mandy Friedman, LPCC, CCDVC, will thoroughly explain the psychological, behavioral and physical symptoms of C-PTSD. She’ll explain how this disorder affects your brain. Then, she’ll teach you how to advocate for yourself if you seek therapy, and offer strategies for your own self-care.

Self-Care for Complex PTSD
Tuesday, March 26, 8-9 pm ET • $25
Instructor: Mandy Friedman, LPCC, CCDVC

Self-Care for Complex PTSD

Complex PTSD from relationships with sociopaths

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Photo by Merelize at FreeRange Stock Photos.

You’re pretty sure that you’re involved with a sociopath, but you feel helpless to do anything about it. You’re afraid of conflict and you feel a sense of paralyzing shame and loneliness.

You berate yourself for not being able to make a decision and get out. But your issue may not be a character flaw — indecision, helplessness and shame are all symptoms of complex PTSD (C-PTSD).

According to Dr. Karin Huffer, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a psychiatric injury caused by feeling helpless while in jeopardy. It is generally associated with a single traumatic episode, such a car crash, earthquake or sexual assault, or with combat and the atrocities … Read more

Posted in: Donna Andersen, Lovefraud Continuing Education, Recovery from a sociopath, Uncategorized

How to spot a dating scam

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Americans lost $143 million in dating scams in 2018, according to the Federal Trade Commission. That figure probably doesn’t include the more than $2 million that one con artist, Derek Alldred, took from the two dozen women that he, by himself, scammed.

These are examples of the two different types of dating scams: Online dating scams and In Real Life (IRL) dating scams. Here’s what you need to know about them.

Online dating scams

These dating scams take place totally over the Internet, social media and phones — the Internet predator and the target never meet in person. The objective is usually financial.

Many of these Internet predators are based in Nigeria or Asia. In fact, dating … Read more

Posted in: Donna Andersen, Lovefraud Continuing Education, Sociopaths and money

How to date after a narcissist, sociopath or other exploiter

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When you’re thinking about starting to date after a narcissist, sociopath or other exploiter, the last thing you need to hear is some so-called expert telling you to fix your low self-esteem.

I just read an article on PsychCentral, and the author says the reason you attracted a narcissist in the first place is because you lack confidence.

Hello?? I, for one, was not lacking in self-esteem when my sociopathic ex waltzed into my life. I’ve heard from plenty of successful, accomplished men and women who also found themselves in relationships with disordered individuals. Self-esteem is not the issue.

So what is the issue? Actually there are three:

Lack of awareness

We fall for sociopaths (Lovefraud’s umbrella term … Read more

Posted in: Donna Andersen, Lovefraud Continuing Education, Recovery from a sociopath

Wednesday Webinar: Why it’s hard to get over a sociopath and how to recover

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I hear from many people who have escaped from involvements with sociopaths — either because they’ve finally found the courage to leave, or were unceremoniously dumped. They are often in a lot of emotional pain, and, knowing how badly they were treated, they can’t understand why it is so hard to get over loving a sociopath.

If you’re in this situation, you know what I’m talking about.

Why does this happen? When you’re involved with a sociopath, the thrill at the beginning of the relationship is so intense, that the crash when the relationship ends is worse than anything you’ve ever experienced.

And why does this happen? Because the sociopath hijacks the human bonding system.

I explain all … Read more

Posted in: Donna Andersen, Lovefraud Continuing Education

Wednesday webinar: Escaping the Sociopath and Rebuilding Your Life

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You finally realize that there is something dramatically wrong with your partner. What you really want is to feel better. But how do you go about escaping the sociopath?

That’s what I address in the next webinar of the Lovefraud Understanding and Recovery 5-part Masterclass. The first three programs in the series explained how you got into the situation — the bottom line is that sociopaths are very, very good at what they do, and you were targeted. Now, in the webinar Escaping the Sociopath and Rebuilding Your Life, we’ll be talking about how to move forward. And that’s what you really want.

There are two parts to your recovery — dealing with the practical issues of life, … Read more

Posted in: Donna Andersen, Lovefraud Continuing Education

Issues you should consider before taking a sociopath to court

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Lovefraud received the following email:

I was previously married to a sociopath, and we have a 4-year-old son together. I have sole legal and physical custody of our son, but have been fighting to reduce the amount of visitation for quite some time. I recently read that having a forensic psychological analysis done on the entire family would reveal that my ex is a sociopath and possibly prevent him from having ANY visitation going forward. Is this true, in your experience? Do you have any advice for me as I embark on this process?

Many, many Lovefraud readers have realized — to their horror — that they’ve had a child or children with a sociopath. Once you realize … Read more

Posted in: Donna Andersen, Laws and courts, Lovefraud Continuing Education

Wednesday webinar: What do psychopaths, sociopaths and narcissists want?

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I’m prepping for my webinar on Wednesday — What did they want? Psychopaths, antisocial and other exploiters in romantic relationships — and I’m very excited about the material. If you’re trying to understand why sociopaths, narcissists and the rest of these toxic manipulators do what they do, this webinar is where you can get clarity.

I explain the clunky terminology of psychology researchers and mental health professionals (and why I refer to human predators collectively as “sociopaths”). I’ll show you Lovefraud’s research on when most people see the warning signs of exploitative behavior — if it took you awhile, you’re certainly not alone. And I explain how sociopaths become disordered — it’s their basic social motivation systems gone … Read more

Posted in: Donna Andersen, Lovefraud Continuing Education

Video: When sociopaths say, ‘I love you,’ what do they mean?

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Most sociopaths in romantic relationships are quick to proclaim their love. But when sociopaths say, ‘I love you,’ what do they really mean?

In this video, I offer 10 possible explanations — none of which have anything to do with real love.

I will be addressing this topic — and much more — in my upcoming webinar:

What did they want? Psychopaths, antisocials, and other exploiters in romantic relationships
Wednesday, February 6, 2019 • 8-9 pm ET
Instructor: Donna Andersen, author of Lovefraud.com

If you want a primer on personality-disorder partners, here it is. I explain how these people behave, what they want, and why they turn so callous and cold. Their motivations are totally different from yours; … Read more

Posted in: Lovefraud Continuing Education