Scammers have many things in common when chatting on instant messaging. One of the first
and definitely the most annoying is they use the "buzz" or "ding" way too much. Another
one is that sometimes they seem to take forever between responses. This is usually
because they are chatting with many people (possible victims) at one time. Another very
annoying thing they like to do is use backgrounds, especially the falling hearts.
This is a partial list of things to pay attention to when chatting with someone you just
met: Do they use terms that usually only kids use like "coz" or "cuz" (because), "ur"
(you're or you are), "u" (you) "wud" (would), "gud" (good), "dat" (that), "wit" (with),
"hit me up", etc.? Do they call you baby, sweety, hun, etc. constantly? Do they reply
with just "ok" frequently? Do they avoid certain questions you ask or are their answers
vague? Do they seem to overuse emoticons, smileys, etc.?