Spam Protection While Using Dating Websites
Before emailing dating site members, set up a free, unique email address that identifies which dating service you are using. Include ten or so digits in the email address so that spambots would not randomly send emails to such an address. Example: Matchdotcom9871454521@yahoo.com. "Matchdotcom" will remind you of the dating service which you used with that email address. Now if you start to get spam, you know it was because you gave that email address to a fake member who is a spammer. Then you can report the spammer to the dating site.

Identifying Fake Personals Profiles
Here are key tips for safety and avoiding wasted effort.
1. The fake profiles will have men and women who are quite attractive. The fake profiles have professionally shot photos, rather than the standard "party pic". The pro shots may not be obvious model shot or portrait studio shots (e.g. Glamor Shots), but still professionally done. In addition, members will get spam and emails from fake members.
2. A fake profile will show a low level of selectivity. It will cast a wide net of attributes sought. Here is an example of a fake profile: It is enticingly written, showing a very attractive (see no. 1 above), 24 year-old woman seeking men from 18 to 49 years old. Very unlikely. But, a high percentage of the 40-something men viewing this profile are going to find her irresistable. Besides age, look for wide ranges of other attributes sought such as weight, height, education level...you get the idea. Men: beware especially of the fake profile of a hotty seeking men who are not just single, divorced, etc., but also married.
3. Tug of hearts: Women and men both, don't fall for the person who gives you some sob story. S/He will scam you out of money after s/he has hooked your emotions, whether or not you ever meet her/him. Here is a classic profile of a scamming man: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9722208/

Other Resources
Check out MSNBC's Red Tape Chronicle's article on online dating. The comments (blog), which appear below Bob Sullivan's article, are better than the article itself.

If you are interested in Eastern European and Russian dating sites, see this listing of fraudulent sites and profiles.

Yahoo! Groups has a group which is all about romance scams.