Ever since the creation of online chat rooms and then social networking, people have changed the way they interact with their friends and associates.
However, when it comes to anonymous chatting services, you don’t even know what kinds of individuals you are dealing with.
Sharing identifiable information about yourself with them could put you at risk of becoming a victim of stalking,
Romance, or Sweetheart, scammers troll for lonely, vulnerable people on dating sites
Many people search for love through online dating sites, dating apps, or social media. Unfortunately, before you find your prince (or princess), you have to eliminate the frogs.
“Romance” scammers, sometimes referred to as “sweetheart” scammers take advantage of vulnerable people, especially divorced women over 40, by posing as an eligible romantic prospect.
It all starts with a fake online profile. Scammers may use a fake name or steal the identity of a real person. There is often more than one person perpetuating the scam – there have been reports of a room full of people working from the same script. Often they portray their fictional selves as living overseas or on active duty in the military. This gives them a good reason for why they cannot meet their intended in person.
Romance scams are a long form of social engineering. The scammer can take weeks building an interesting backstory that draws their victim in, but they often express strong emotional feelings in a short period of time, which keeps the victim psychologically engaged. They use words filled with love, share personal information, and sometimes even send their victims small gifts.
Once trust is established, the scammer will push to take the communications to email or an instant messenger service. The new online lover will soon have a problem which requires money to fix. It could be a personal emergency like a family member who needs immediate medical attention, or some kind of financial hardship like a failed business or street mugging.
While declaring their love and devotion for the victim continually, the scammer may directly ask for money to be wired to them, send a check or money order and ask their sweetheart to cash it for them, or send a package and ask it to be reshipped to a different address. The Federal Trade Commission warns that scammers are now upping the ante and engaging in online bank fraud.
“They ask their love interest to set up a new bank account. The scammers transfer stolen money into the new account, and then tell their victims to wire the money out of the country. Victims think they’re just helping out their soulmate, never realizing they’re aiding and abetting a crime,” writes the FTC in their consumer blog.
The FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) reports that the average complainant loses over a hundred thousand dollars to internet dating scams. They saw more than $82 million in victim losses in the last six months of 2014. Females suffered 82 percent of the losses; males sustained the remaining 18 percent.
The online dating scam is a variation on the Nigerian scam, which started before the days of the internet. Here are tips from the FBI on how to identify a dating scammer.
Your online “date” may only be interested in your money if he or she:
If an online dating scam happens to you or someone you care about, please report it at ftc.gov/complaint — click on Scams and Rip-Offs, then select Romance Scams.
Many of us are already familiar with the little “check mark” found on social networks that signifies that an account is legitimate. Most often seen with celebrities or famous sports personalities, it’s a simple way of letting everyone know that the account holder is the person they claim to be.
Now, mobile dating app Tinder has followed suit by introducing verified accounts to their service and we’ll no doubt see blue check marks next to Lindsay Lohan and Katy Perry who are apparently fans of the app.
Here are three quick tips to help you have fun and avoid scandal while dating online.
Use throwaway accounts: Some dating apps require an email or a Facebook account to log in. If you want to use one of these sites, it may be smart to create a new account just for dating. That way you can close them down easily if you need to.
Use secure messaging in app: Don’t rush to move to off-app communications (email, phone, etc). Take your time and communicate through the app, there are measures in place to help you stay private and get support when you need it.
Be wary of fake accounts: Just like we’ve said in this article, online dating services can have a lot of fake dating profiles, known as Catfish scams. You can help protect yourself and your data by not giving out any personal details unless you are sure you’re talking to a real person.
Be careful what you share: Remember that anything you upload to an app will likely become their property, so don’t be surprised if you log in to find your picture on the homepage as “hot date of the week” or even used in promotional material! Make sure you’re happy for anything you share to be seen publicly.
If you want to meet, tell someone where you’re going: Common sense rules that you shouldn’t rush out to meet someone you don’t know in the middle of the night. Meet in a public place during the day and make sure someone knows you’re going and check in from time to time to let them know everything is ok.
Casual dating website ‘Adult FriendFinder’ has been hacked, leaking data from as many as 3.9 million accounts, according to an investigation by Channel 4 News.
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With Valentine’s Day nearly upon us, millions will be looking for love online. Here’s six online dating scams to look out for.
The post Is your valentine for real? Six signs you might be falling for an online dating scam appeared first on We Live Security.
Like many services, dating has made the move from your desktop to your pocket thanks to mobile apps that help you find love just around the corner.
In fact, because of that move to pockets and purses worldwide, there’s been a massive popularity explosion in online dating.
The country with the most online daters by far is the USA, merely because of the sheer number of people using mobile phones and downloading dating apps, according to our own research. As the birthplace of the mobile app industry, this doesn’t really come as surprise.
However, Americans are not the most likely to be dating online when viewed as a percentage.
When you break down how many people per 1000 are downloading dating apps, Americans are blown away by the United Kingdom, Australians and Canadians, and are only marginally ahead of the Argentinians. But even the Saudis are getting in on the online dating tango.
If you’ve ever been tempted to try your hand at online dating, choosing the right service is one of the most important decisions you can make.
Whatever your age, interests or demographic there will be a site out there catering to your needs. I would advise sticking to well-known sites so that you can get support if you need it.
Interestingly, AVG’s research showed that app popularity differed greatly between countries. For example, Tinder is neck and neck with Plenty of Fish in the USA, but is dominant in Argentina.
If you do your research, you can pick the right service that will give you the best chance of success in your country.
If you’re ready to jump into online dating, I would advise taking a few precautions to ensure you have a fun and safe time. Here are five simple tips to help you stay safe:
20 million usernames and email addresses for a popular Russian dating website have been leaked, according to Bloomberg. Techworld highlights the targeted website as Topface, which has 91.5 million users. Anti-fraud firm Easy Solutions claimed that of the leaked users, 50 percent were Russian citizens, and 40 percent from the EU. Seven million of the logins
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For many of us, online dating is a daunting prospect. After all, you’re often not sure who you are talking to or sharing with in the online world.
However, with more than 40 million Americans looking for a for love online, it is really important that they know how to behave in a safe and appropriate way.
Watch the video to find out more!
I noticed that this past weekend marked a lesser holiday known as ‘Sweetest Day’ (also known as a Hallmark holiday), which is celebrated in some parts of the U.S. – largely in the Midwest and Northeast.  Very similar to Valentine’s Day, it offers an opportunity to bestow candy and cards to those you are “sweet on.â€
It’s a holiday my generation grew up with, though I’m not sure how the holiday is faring in terms of current popularity. But it brought to mind the latest stats on Internet dating: more than a whopping 41,000,000 Americans have gone online to find a match or a date.
Increasingly, it’s the most popular way for people over 50 to meet and marry. Research suggests that Boomers who date online is now growing two times as fast as the number of younger users. According to recent research by eHarmony, the biggest growth segment in online dating for the next decade is going to be the 55-64 age group.
Match.com, one of the largest online dating sites, claims that 25 percent of its membership is between the ages of 50 and 65 and Boomer members have grown 90 percent in the last 5 years. With at 21 million plus members, that’s approximately 5 million Boomers on Match.com alone!   (You can find all sorts of online dating stats, if you are interested, on Statisticbrain.)
There also has been a notable rise in dating sites specifically catering to Boomers and Seniors, such as Ourtime.com, SilverSingles.com and SeniorPassions.com.
Why this growth? A study conducted for OurTime.com reveals unmarried people over 50 consider companionship more important now than they did during their 20s. There also are numerous studies that support a correlation between one’s interpersonal relationships and their health and longevity. Plus, let’s face it, dating can fun!
But for many people (Boomers and not), especially those who are newly single because of divorce or death, the thought of dating and finding a partner also can be daunting and scary. And though society’s comfort level has grown with the emergence of respected online dating communities over the last decade, a healthy amount of cautiousness persists – and rightly so.
So, where to start?
If you’re trying online dating for the first time, or even if you’ve tried it before and it didn’t work out, and you may want to try it again, you should look at one of our own resources, the AVG Guide to Dating Safely Online (free download here).
In the meantime, here are a few tips:
Readers of my column know that I’m a big fan of second acts (and third acts, and beyond!). And that doesn’t only apply to careers – but to relationships as well. J So whether you decide to try online dating – or to go the old fashioned route – I say do some homework and then just go for it!
On a separate note, but on the topic of choices: I’m delighted to report that I have just learned that I have been selected to speak at SXSW 2015 Interactive on “Boardroom or Baby? The Choices Women Have in Tech.†A big thank you to everyone who supported me and voted for my submission. I hope to see many of you in Austin next March 13-17!
