Looking for love this Valentine's Day? Look out for scams on dating apps
Heart caught in pest trap (Getty)
Valentine’s Day is coming up, which means more people are searching for love. Since the popularity of online dating, BBB always sees a spike in romance scams this time of year. If you or someone you know is looking for love online, there are a few scams to be aware of.
BBB wants to inform you of three online dating scams that have been reported to us, as well as some tips to avoid these scams.
Cryptocurrency
You “swipe right” on an attractive man or woman on a dating app, and the app instantly matches you with them. After starting a conversation, the other person quickly takes the conversation off the platform and to a different app.
Once on another app, the scammer starts talking about how they have a family member who is a successful cryptocurrency investor. This person may mention they have insider trading information that could make you rich. They encourage you to take advantage of this "exclusive opportunity." All you need to do is deposit money in a cryptocurrency trading platform. But once you deposit, the money is gone forever, and you get blocked on all platforms.
Money mules
You join a dating app and start messaging someone who you really hit it off with. After chatting for a little while, they suggest you talk by text or email rather than through the app. You may also notice that they delete their dating profile.
Everything seems great, but soon they start to ask for unusual favors, such as receiving money for them and wiring it overseas. They may claim to be helping a loved one battling COVID-19, doing a business deal, or representing a charitable organization. If you refuse, they may suddenly become hostile or threaten you.
It turns out that the money they want you to receive is actually stolen. After stealing it, scammers send the money to someone in the United States or Canada through a wire transfer, which is typically untraceable and makes it harder for authorities to trace. This could lead to legal implications for you, even if you didn’t know where the money came from.
Identity theft
After chatting with someone new on an online dating app, they may try to develop an emotional bond with you more quickly than other people you have met. The reason the scammer is doing this is to manipulate you into giving them personal and sometimes financial information. If you give the scammers any piece of information, it could lead to them stealing your identity down the line.
Scammers know that vulnerable people can often turn a blind eye to some of the red flags of a romance scam. Romance scammers will use emotional manipulation tactics to get you to trust them so that you are more likely to share your personal information or wire them money.
BBB recommends these tips to help you spot scammers and protect both your heart and wallet:
- Ask specific questions about details given in a profile. A scammer may stumble over remembering details or making a story fit.
- Never send money or sensitive personal information to someone you’ve never met in person. Cut off contact if someone asks you for financial or personally identifiable information, like your credit card number or government ID number.
- Research the dating profile. Many scammers steal photos from the web to use in their profiles, so you can do a reverse image lookup using a website like tineye.com or images.google.com to see if the photos on a profile are stolen somewhere else. You can also search online for a profile name, email, or phone number to see what adds up and what doesn’t.
- Be very suspicious of requests to wire money or use a pre-paid debit card. These are scammers’ favorite ways to send payments because the money can’t be recovered once it’s sent.
For more information
Read the BBB Study on romance scams to learn more and avoid falling victim.
If you want to sign up for an online dating website, read BBB's tips on choosing a dating service.
If you’ve been the victim of a scam, please report it to BBB Scam Tracker. Your report can help others to stay alert and avoid similar scams.
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