The search for someone special with whom to share life increasingly occurs in the online world. As a result, the global online dating market is projected to reach nearly $3.6 billion by 2025. But there’s one thing to keep in mind: You can’t believe everything you read or everyone you meet online. Internet. Research by ESET, a leading company in proactive threat detection, reveals that 52% of people believe that loneliness in the days leading up to Valentine’s Day makes them more vulnerable to the methods used by criminals looking for victims on sites or apps dating.
Romance or dating scams, sometimes also called catfishing scams, occur when the scammer adopts fake personas on dating sites and apps. They befriend the lonely hearts, build a relationship, and even go so far as to propose to them. But, very soon they ask for money or to open a new bank account to use. They use these accounts to launder the money they get from other victims, turning the romance fraud victim into unwitting money mules. Figures from 2018 stated that 30% of the victims were used as money mules. They may even try to persuade victims to send them compromising photos or videos and then attempt to blackmail them.
“One thing is clear: dating fraud is big business. Ranked eighth on the list of the most reported types of cybercrime in the United States, in 2021 romance scams ranked second in loss, allowing scammers to collect more than $600 million, a figure that exceeded 500 million dollars in 2020.”, mentions Camilo Gutiérrez Amaya, Head of the ESET Latin America Research Laboratory.
Fortunately, many of these scams follow a similar pattern. ESET shares below the signs to look out for when meeting a new person online:
Making believe that they live or work outside the country in which the victim is located
Claim to be working on an oil rig, in the military, or as a doctor
· Ask the victim a lot of personal questions.
· Be evasive when asked about their lives.
Try to move very fast in the relationship and declare your ‘love’ in a short time
Give increasingly elaborate excuses for not seeing each other in person or joining a video call
· They are often quick to move the conversation from the dating site or app to a private chat.
Have perfect profile photos
· Tell complicated life stories to argue why they need money. This usually includes the need to pay:
or travel expenses. For example, airline tickets
or medical expenses
o Visas and travel documents
or gambling debts
o Customs fees applied to imported items
If they ask for money, those behind the love deception will usually ask for a transfer, or possibly ask their love for gift cards or prepaid cards with money. If the victim refuses, the scammer will continue to harass him/her until she relents, possibly using increasingly elaborate excuses as to why she needs the money. Some victims have lost tens or even hundreds of thousands this way.
From ESET they recommend anticipating this situation and doing research on anyone you know on the Internet. While it doesn’t sound romantic, being almost anonymous contacts can save you headaches and money in the long run. When looking for information about the person, ESET advises you to consider: Carrying out a reverse search of their profile picture (for example, with Google Images) to see if it matches other names or details and thus find out if it is an image stolen.
· Search their name and other details to see if the person’s life story matches information on the Internet.
“To minimize the chances of being the target of a possible love scam, do not share too many personal details publicly on social networks. Go slow with any new online relationship and ask lots of questions. If the answers are evasive, you should be careful. It goes without saying that you should never send money to anyone you haven’t met in person, open new bank accounts for them, or send compromising photos or videos.
What to do if you suspect that you have become a victim?
Immediately cut off all types of communication with the person
· Talk to a friend or family member to get an honest opinion of them
If it was paid with a gift card, contact the supplier immediately and check if they can refund the money
Report the incident to the authorities in your country
“Remote dating has become increasingly common in times of pandemic. Unfortunately, this also opens the door for scammers. If the worst happens and you become a victim, it is very important that you do not suffer in silence. Don’t be ashamed and report the crime. Your actions could help others avoid pain.”, concludes the ESET researcher.
