Tag Archives: tinder

Panda Security

That no-good-Tinder-match wants to steal your money!

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pandasecurity-tinder-botsMillions of people have been virtually stood-up by a potential partner that swiped left on the dating service, Tinder. To swipe left or swipe right—a decision made in an instant—is love in the times of the Smartphone…or so we think.

 

There is something that we didn’t take into account while using Tinder to find our future soulmates: many of our matches, and potential hook-ups, are actually robots that want to take us for all we’re worth. And unfortunately, these scammers are getting better and better at what they do.

 

Once they have established contact with their victim, the scammers use Tinder’s chat service to message their victim a link that will lead them outside of the app, usually to a premium service that takes users to a payment area (or any area where they may have to submit credit card credentials).

 

A seemingly less-dangerous variant of this scam encourages the victim to download some type of software, so that the bot’s creator can pocket some change for every visitor they deceive. In the worst cases, the download will contain a malicious code that might infect the victim’s phone.

Your “match” will lead you to a premium service area where you will have to pass through a payment page.

 

How can I detect them?

 

You will be able to recognize these scammers by the type of actions they attempt to carry out, like asking you to exit the app to an external private chat, tempt you with a better “glimpse of them” by asking you to pay for “their” videos or photos, or even try to play a game with you to see if you can beat them. They might attempt the classic “Nigerian Prince” illusion, and ask for a money transfer so they can buy a ticket to come see you, since they are so far away.

You can recognize these robots by the appealing yet limited phrases they use

 

You can also recognize the Tinder bots by their profile photos. The scammers use photos of models and actors from the internet, sometimes from pornographic pages, to attract their victims. If the procedure is automated, the language used will be very limited…whatever you say, the response will be similar. If you find anything like this, be suspicious!

The post That no-good-Tinder-match wants to steal your money! appeared first on Panda Security Mediacenter.

AVG

Tinder introduce verified profiles

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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.

Tinder Verified Profiles

 

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.

Avira

Adult FriendFinder & Co.: Dangerous Cyber Liaisons

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Let me start out by saying that this post is not about whether dating websites/apps are good or bad. I’m not qualified to make that call. But if you’re using them, you should understand the risks. And as your reward for reading (and hopefully sharing this post), I’ve listed at the bottom Tinder’s best – and most dangerous pickup lines… So let’s get started – with a quiz!

What do Adult FriendFinder, CupidMedia, eHarmony and Tinder have in common?

Yes, they all regularly lead to matches made in cyber heaven (and no doubt, hellish heartbreaks), but that’s not the point: they all display(ed) security vulnerabilities. Let’s walk through them one-by-one.

1. Putting yourself out there… And all your data too

Adult FriendFinder was just hacked. Happens to companies all the time you say? Fair enough, but what is remarkable here is the quality of leaked data: 3.5 million gorgeous profile pics and sexy alias’ – along with names, emails, zip codes, IP addresses, passwords and sexual preferences. In other words, the perfect cocktail needed for targeted spam and identity theft.

TIPS:

  1. Create a new email address dedicated to the dating website.
  2. Use a nickname or alias instead of your full name.
  3. Create a unique and complex password for that platform (back in 2012, eHarmony accounts with the glorious password – “password”, were compromised).
  4. If twitterpated makes you forgetful, use a password manager to create and store these passwords for you.

2. I know where you hang out

Tinder is a very popular dating app, which is premised on selecting profiles of people who are located close to you (very popular with Olympians at Sochi…). Once both parties ‘like’ each other’s profiles, they can start chatting.

Back in 2014, a vulnerability was identified that enabled hackers to pinpoint users’ exact location in real-time. This facilitated stalking and opened the door (quite literally) to burglaries, knowing that the user was not at home.

Although this vulnerability has since been fixed, a recent study by IBM identified 26 out of 41 dating apps on Android that had “medium or high security vulnerabilities”. These apps tend to request excessive permissions and run up expensive charges…

TIPS:

  1. Although the names of unsafe apps were not divulged, IBM did say that Match, OkCupid and Tinder were not on the “blacklist”…
  2. Always keep your apps up-to-date to reduce the chances of falling prey to security vulnerabilities.

I can see you… Through your camera and webcam…

Remember Blackshades – that creepy Trojan that gave hackers access to webcams (and was used by a sextortionist to prey on Miss Teen USA)? Like most chatting platforms, dating websites and apps are popular avenues for distributing malware. After all, an innocuous-looking link, promising a revealing picture, can just as easily open a harmful website or file. To paraphrase the late Robin Williams, we were given a brain and nether regions but only enough blood to run one at a time.

TIPS:

  1. Use common sense: if an unknown user is offering to share revealing pictures, pass.
  2. Use an antivirus on your devices. I also recommend you use an app that shows you what permissions your mobile apps are getting. Avira’s free Android app includes both these functionalities and can be found on Google Play.

 

As promised… Tinder’s Most Dangerous Pickup Lines…*

  1. I know this profile’s fake, but can I get the name of the model you used?
  2. Going to undress… want to watch on webcam?
  3. Credit card is to prove your age… Can’t show stuff to minors…
  4. I don’t have any pics on my phone, but here’s one I have in email, answer me on text, not here.
  5. I’m still recovering from last night with this iPhone game. Play with me and I’ll give you my number.

* Disclosure: explicit sexual content was removed from the pick-up lines.

The post Adult FriendFinder & Co.: Dangerous Cyber Liaisons appeared first on Avira Blog.

AVG

Who’s dating who online & how do you get in safely?

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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.

Dating App Downloads Per 1000 People

 

 

Choosing a site

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.

Dating App Popularity By Country

 

Staying safe while online dating:

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:

  • Use throwaway accounts: Some apps require an email or a Facebook account to log in. It may be best to create a new email or Facebook account, so that if things go sour, you can always limit your exposure and just close them down.
  • Use secure messaging in app: Don’t rush to move to off-app communications (emails, phone, etc). Take your time and communicate through the app, it’s there to help you stay private and get support when you need it.
  • Be wary of fake accounts: Fake dating profiles are known as Catfish scams. Don’t give out any personal details unless you are sure you’re talking to a real person. And remember that until you actually meet in person, you can never truly be sure—so try to get on a video call.
  • Be careful what you share: Most people know that the photos you share on social media sites become their property, but you may still be surprised to become the “hot date of the week” promoted on the app. Make sure you’re for anything you share to be seen publicly.
  • If you want to meet, tell someone where you’re going: It goes without saying that you shouldn’t rush out to meet someone you don’t know in the middle of the night. Make sure someone knows you’re out there and check in with them from time to time to let them know everything is ok.