In the present era, millions of people are using dating apps and websites to chat and arrange meetings. For many of them, the dream is that they will lead to life-challenging romances and relationships. The youngsters sign up to online dating sites in the hope of finding love, but they are increasingly being targeted by fraudsters. Someone you have started to develop a relationship with online might first ask money for travel costs, or say they have lost their travel ticket also need to borrow some cash for a new one.
They also might say a family member is ill and they need funds for urgent medical treatment. The dating apps or sites had encounters mostly from the married man who have revealed plenty about himself but never shown his face to the date who was a decade older than her profile pictures.
Because of online dating is an easier one, anyone can use the forum to be whomever they want to be. Most of the sites do not require proof of information and if they do, it might be limited to very basic facts. It doesn’t allow you to talk with your potential date on the phone or in the phone.
When you are able to do this in more established dating settings, you can often immediately guess if you have a closer communication with that person. Email or texting is not the same as hearing and seeing a person on the first date. Safety must be in our mind when giving personal information to the third persons you doesn’t know and if you choose to meet a potential mate in person. Never give out the information over the net that you wouldn’t give to someone on a first date, such as financial information or your address.
If you choose to meet a date out in public, always tell someone who you are with, where you are with, where you are going, and what time you expect to be home. Dating sites require a person to sign up for its service and provide personal information and often photographs through on an online profile. In addition, it may be difficult for you to find a dating site in your location that meets your personal criteria.
How Fraudsters Are Scoring Millions
How to be safe in online:
First, we should ensure that our operating system and application software is up-to-date and also install anti-malware software. Check the emails containing attachments or hyperlinks particularly shortened links with extra caution. If an email offer looks too good to be true, the prices on a website are abnormally low or when you receive an unsolicited telephone call offering computer support, it is probably a scam and hence using your common sense here is more important. Be alert while installing software and also when downloading software, it is free or is not from a well-recognized and trustworthy brand there is a risk that the software may include features that spy on you.
How to protect yourself against dating fraud:
The most important thing is always guarding our privacy online and be careful about what information we share. Never send money or give credit card or online account details to anyone you don’t know and trust. Communicate with the folks locally and not from overseas, although you should be aware that someone might tell you that they are in the same country as you when they are not. Never reply to the communications from someone who you meet on a dating site or social networking website that then wants continue the communication by email.
If you think a profile is counterfeit, check the website for verification then report about it. Usually, there will be links provided to block or report illegitimate. If you feel something is wrong then trust your instincts. Don’t be afraid to question their authenticity and if you are suspicious about a profile report it to the site or app. The detective work should be done by the folks and ask them for their full name and look them up on Google and social media.
They may spend years or moths building up a relationship with you and will only ask for money once you are emotionally involved. Ask friends for advice as they will be able to give you a different perspective. There are several websites available to check whether the picture is real or fake stolen photos.
You can also do a reverse image search on Google to see whether it is a fake one. Never give too much of information, such as your home address, phone number or email. It is better to use a new email address to use for online dating.
According to the Report:
The online dating scams have become common nowadays. From the year 2013 to 2014, there were around three thousand cases of dating scams. The criminals are masquerading representatives from big brands, government agencies, revenue department, telecommunication companies etc.
The scammers are said to be influencing technology to send out mass mailers and make calls in huge number over VOIP (Voice over Internet Protocol), focusing the potential victims. According to the Australian Consumer Commission, the victims were asked by scammers to buy and share endowment cards and other prepaid cards worth thousands of dollars each, to settle tax arrears.
The victims were endangered of the outcome, including imprisonment if they don’t follow the information.
The total losses due to similar swindles are said to be somewhere around seventy million dollars, which made a huge block. The government and law enforcement agencies are trying hard to contain these scams, ranging from the enactment of government agents, investment schemes, dating and romance scams etc. But the illegitimate are always a step further, coming up with new ways to cheat people, using new payment methods.
Blackmail money attacks were also figured in the list of scams, where the criminals with malware that encrypts the contents. In order to gain the decryption key, the sufferer is forced to pay a sum of amount. By the last year, the total number of scams reported in the country at over one lakh thirty-four thousand.
In the shade of increasing swindles, the website users are advised to follow safe browsing practices and to conduct a complete background check before believing a third person and also sending money in any form to anyone.
When negotiating with anyone claiming to be from a government agency, it is advisable to verify and report such individuals to the concerned organization. The government agencies and tax office never ask the folks to settle their tax arrears in the form of prepaid cards.
A recent research report says that nearly one-third of the daters have been approached by users for financial help. Globally, most of the victims are ashamed to report the crime. But the numbers of cases are growing day by day. Over last year, there were three thousand three hundred and sixty-three reported cases of dating fraud.
The sums lost totalled twenty-four million pounds, according to the crime branch. The fraudsters usually create realistic profiles made up of stolen photographs and fake details. Once they have gained their victim’s trust they ask money for a range of emotive reasons.
