No offense to our new member, but I would recommend that any potential suitors insist on a video chat almost right away, before you invest too much time and/or emotion.
If this new member is for real, she won't mind video chatting with her suitor anyhow. But if it's a scam, it would be the kiss of death. You can't fake a video chat.
Pictures are obviously too easy to fake, and promises/excuses need to be dealt with almost mercilessly. She lives in the boonies and has only dial-up Internet? Good bye. Her computer is broken? Good bye. She doesn't have a tablet, phone, or webcam on her PC? Good bye then. And here's the best one, that only a charitable Trad Catholic would be naive enough to fall for: "I'm just too feminine and shy to show off my face in a video chat. I'm just too modest and demur for that." Again, as tempting as it would be to gush with love for the precious girl who said that, DON'T FALL FOR IT. :)
When something sounds too good to be true, it usually is.
I'm not an old man yet, but I'm halfway there. And I've already learned how true this old proverb is!
I've seen men who are quite intelligent become drooling idiots when a woman is at stake. For example: I know one young man who waited MONTHS to finally contact a "woman" by e-mail, phone, or in person. She didn't exist, but this compulsive liar co-worker had convinced this young man that she was the perfect girl for him -- and she was waiting for him! But thing after thing conspired to prevent their meeting...It was as bad as a soap opera. Anyone with a brain knew the whole thing was fake, but this young man just wouldn't admit it.
It's too easy to pretend you're a female, for a psychology experiment, "lulz", or a similar reason.
I remember back before the Internet, when I was 15, my best friend/cousin (who didn't have a computer) came over and used my computer to sign up for a free account on the BBS I was a member of: but he claimed to be a female. You should have seen how much attention he got! It was interesting in a way...
I think anyone who's been on the Internet very long knows he should be careful and prudent.