Cyber Safety: Dating & Romance Online Scams

In a world filled with technology, many people are turning to online dating apps or social networking sites to meet someone. It can be an exciting and fun way to meet new people and even find love. But seeking companionship or romance online can have major down sides. Cyberspace is full of scammers eager to take advantage of lonely hearts that can ruin the lives of individuals and their families.

Dating and romance scams cost Australians over 28.6 million reported to Scamwatch last year according to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC). Scammers create fake profiles on legitimate dating websites, mobile apps or social media platforms like Facebook, using photos and identities often stolen from other people’s accounts. They use these profiles to try to enter into a relationship and then they build a connection, trust and expectation over months or even years. By the end, scammers have taken advantage of the person emotionally and potentially obtained a large sum of money.

Take a look at some potential clues that could be a sign of an online dating scam.

1. Be careful of the information your giving away
   Most of the time, to sign up to a dating website, you will begin with entering certain information about yourself. From your personal attributes to your favourite hobbies, all in order to help you match with other alike people. The questions should be based on personality and interest and not financial information. Scammers will go to great lengths to gain your personal information, so avoid giving too much away.
2. Watch out for spelling & grammar
   A lot of the time, scammers are likely to be foreigners, where English is not their native language. If the person you are communicating with displays grammatical errors, overly flowery language, or phrases that don’t make any sense, be cautious as they may not be the person they claim to be. In particular, if they have identified themselves as having a tertiary level education or a degree on their profile, it could be an indication that this profile is questionable.
3. Dating profile displays only professional photos on them
   An image can last a lifetime once uploaded to the big wide web, and scammers take advantage of this to obtain a new identity of someone else and then pretending to be that person to seduce a victim. This type of scam can be described as catfishing. Take the time and double check the pictures uploaded to their profile or shared with you. There are a handful of useful websites and applications where you can search if the image has served on another website. A simple example is to do a quick Google Search of their image.
4. Someone gets overly emotional too soon
   If you find yourself in a situation whereby someone has sent you a long email saying ‘that you are the person that they’ve been waiting for all their life’ after only a couple of days of talking with one another; or if you are having to apologise to them because you haven’t sent them a message since morning tea, it might be a sign that someone is taking you for a ride. Often scammers try to emotionally manipulate you into doing something, and a lot of the time using it to prolong a relationship. Once they build the connection and have gained your trust, then comes the guilt and manipulation that could put your finance and well-being in jeopardy.

Scammers can be very deceptive and manipulative, and can target anyone. They especially pray on those who are looking for romance or simply someone to talk to. Even if you feel you have a strong connection with someone, you should never send money to someone you have met online or agree to receive money into your account on their behalf. It is so important when you are on these platforms that you are protecting yourself. Watch out for any online admirers who display the above clues, and be mindful if they present something completely out of the norm. And ask yourself the golden rule of online scams, if it sounds too good to be true, it is probably not real.