Common Dating Scams – Identifying the Red Flags By David Balaban

By David Balaban

Internet security is what people often neglect when visiting dating sites. I have compiled the most dangerous pitfalls you may come across on these websites, including the growingly common dating scams. Not only do you have to provide a ton of personally identifiable information to view a profile of interest on an arbitrary site of that kind, but you may also be required to reveal your banking data and other financial details.

In case you are reckless enough to disclose your sensitive info or even initiate physical contact with another user of such a website, then you should at least have an idea of some jeopardies inherent to these online resources. You run the risk of losing control of your personal data, falling victim to moral or physical injury, and losing money, property, or even your life.

Personal data loss

Malicious programs or hackers may monitor the traffic generated on popular dating sites in order to intercept potentially valuable information. The website itself may be a target as well, and a compromise can entail a leak of subscribers’ personal data. ISPs (Internet service providers), censors or government entities may track the visitors’ traffic for their peculiar purposes, too.

Financial data loss

Your information may be lost in the course of transmission or stolen by hackers and unscrupulous marketers from the site itself.

Malicious code

Target traffic can be used to distribute malicious software and viruses. The visitors may be redirected to a replica of the site, from where they will unknowingly download malware onto their devices. Governments that engage in censorship can embed cookies or utilize other technologies to track the geolocation of site visitors who fit a particular type of profile.

Falling victim to violence

Heedless users of dating sites who quickly agree to meet someone in person and have a physical flirt are often subject to violence. Criminals can set up fake profiles and use the catfishing technique to offer their online victim to meet in a “safe place”. In this case, it’s hard to foresee what happens next.

You don’t have to visit dozens of dating sites to understand that many users there, or perhaps most of them, aren’t the people they claim to be. Numerous dating scams are backed by sophisticated botnet malware aiming to contaminate your computer and get hold of your personal information. In order to steer clear of scams, consider creating an account – this way, most of the phony search results will be filtered out. It may also be a good idea to upgrade your subscription to premium, which will pretty much guarantee you will interact with real, verified users. If you feel that your online interlocutor is telling lies, you are better off not responding and deleting their message.

Some websites on the multilayered network dubbed the Dark Web even provide instructions on creating fake dating profiles to meet men for financial gain. The con artists who work “full time” can make more than $15,000 a month this way. Their preys are gullible, lonely people craving communication, or celebrities who are willing to give financial support to those in need. Lots of people are defrauded by felons who focus on stealing funds from bank accounts or perpetrating other forms of financial crime.

What is the workflow of a typical dating scam? Malicious actors create so-called sock puppets, or bogus profiles; get in touch with a would-be victim; ask them a bevy of questions to simulate sincere interest, build empathy and trust; and then, based on the man’s (woman’s) expectations, they create a virtual figure of the perfect sweetheart. As soon as the target falls in love with the artificially formed identity, the swindlers get down to “cash-out”.

Most of the time, the scammer claims to have serious financial problems, such as the car breaking apart, apartment rent getting too expensive, job or health issues and the like. They usually emphasize that these circumstances occurred unexpectedly, expressing bitterness and despair over the predicament. This brainwashing will continue until the victim willingly helps solve the financial hurdles. Sometimes the fraudsters simply vanish afterwards, but in some scenarios their appetites grow and they ask for more.

If you are dealing with a sock puppet, the uploaded photos can give you some clues. Watermarks and staged photos where a girl looks like a model or adult movie star are telltale signs of a fake profile. Sometimes scammers download photos right from Facebook. There is a way to check this: use Google’s reverse image search feature (“Search by image”) to figure out whether these photos were posted elsewhere on the Internet. If you find matching images, especially ones with different names, it means you are definitely confronted with a phony profile used for running dating scams.

Dating scams – best practice tips to reduce the risks

When it comes to the Internet as such and the security facet of using it, you are either your own best friend or worst foe. Connecting to the Internet is a no-brainer, but exercising caution when online is imperative because the cyberspace is full of criminals obsessed with a desire to steal something or defraud someone by taking advantage of users’ lack of experience or competence.

There are plenty of ways to strengthen your security and safeguard your sensitive data on the Internet in general and on dating sites in particular. None of them can guarantee 100% security. When all of these techniques are combined, though, you may be able to reach a high level of security for you, your devices and your home network – a level comparable to the defenses of enterprise and government networks.

Use firewalls

A firewall is your first line of defense as it helps filter out potentially harmful websites and thwart malicious downloads.

Leverage antivirus and antimalware solutions

These handy apps can prevent known malicious programs from infiltrating your device and help eliminate potential threats as they occur.

Use prepaid cards or cryptocurrency for payments

Get a bank account specifically for electronic shopping and payments. Transfer funds to it only when you need to buy something or pay for services online. Don’t put your main bank accounts at risk.

Use VPN

VPN (virtual private network) provides a secure encrypted connection, which helps you maintain a high level of Internet security and privacy. This technology was originally used by the U.S. government but it’s now available to every Internet user. Privacy is guaranteed via data encryption and transfer over secure communication channels that are nearly impossible to compromise. Anonymity is an extra benefit: malware, hackers and catfishers cannot identify you and therefore cannot harm you.

VPN is today’s most secure way of connecting to the Internet. Even if you opt for paid subscription, the monthly fee normally doesn’t exceed a couple of dollars. Become your own best friend and get to know reliable VPN providers.

Use a separate inexpensive phone for communicating with people you meet on dating sites

If something goes wrong and the phone gets hacked or infected with viruses, or if you come across scammers, then you can simply throw the device away.

Read user reviews

Be careful with dubious dating sites. You are much better off using well-known, reputable ones. If you are unsure, look for other people’s reviews about the site of interest. If the resource is worthwhile, it mostly gets good feedback.

Stick with manual sign-up

Most dating websites offer you to sign up with your Facebook account. However, IT security professionals advise against doing so. Facebook’s privacy policy leaves much to be desired. By registering with your Facebook account you expose all your data to being collected and used throughout the social media giant’s platform.

Stay away from catfishing

Unfortunately, feelings and emotions may keep people from identifying dating scams. Many fraudsters are amazingly good at catfishing and it may be extremely hard to distinguish them from the “ideal” person. Here’s the tip of the day: do not disclose your personal and financial information or give money to someone you don’t know beyond online chats.

 

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