Valentine’s Day: Here’s how not to fall for romance scams on dating apps

Are you single and looking for a partner on various dating apps ahead of the festival of love? Finding the right person may be exhausting but with carelessness, you could end up being scammed. Dating apps such as Tinder, Bumble, and OkCupid have become quite popular among people, irrespective of their age. You must know the signs of an online romance scam if you are among those who are on the dating apps.

To create awareness about the romance scam, the FBI Columbia field office has shared some warning signs of fraudsters using dating apps to cheat people. According to the FBI, if a person immediately attempts to communicate by email or messaging services other than a dating site and claims to be from the country, but is currently living or traveling abroad.

Besides, some of them narrate a sudden personal crisis and pressure you to provide financial help, goods, and other types of financial assistance without having met in person. FBI also emphasizes that these fraudsters also introduce themselves as ‘destiny’ or ‘fate’.

The other signs of people involved in online romance scams are they disappear suddenly from a site but reappears under a different name soon after.

Defense against romance scams

The best defense against romance scams is education and awareness. Here are some tips to help avoid becoming a victim:

Dating app users are advised not to share banking or credit card details with anyone without verifying the recipient’s identity. They are also advised not to send money to someone you meet online.

Additionally, never share your personal details with someone who does not need to know the information.

Be wise while posting something on social media. Scammers can use details shared on social media and dating sites to better understand and target you.

You must research the person’s photo and profile using online searches to see if the image, name, or details have been used elsewhere. You must start slowly and keep asking questions to other people.

In 2020, complaints filed with the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), showed that victims lost more than $281 million to romance scams.

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