Protect your heart, and wallet from online scammers on Valentine's Day
DALLAS, Texas (CBSDFW.COM) - Law enforcement officials are warning people that scammers come out full force around the holidays.
Valentine's Day is no different. It's part of a list of days where scam artists try to take advantage of others on dating apps.
"They always come out especially in this area," TrendMicro VP of Threat Intelligence, Jon Clay said.
Year after year, Jon Clay said he has found a 40% increase in malicious intent on dating apps. He said most dating app scammers are after money.
"We've seen more frequently that are being scammed are Tinder and Match," Clay said.
Match Group Chief Communications Officer, Justine Sacco, said the company Match Group, which owns several different dating apps, just rolled out a campaign to warn people scammers last month. Sacco advised people to try video chat dates first to verify who you are talking to and says you should communicate through the app as long as possible.
"So selfie verification has been something that we've rolled out on many of our products and you'll see verified users," Sacco said. "Our users are definitely very receptive though to any tips."
In some cases, you have people pretending to be someone else, but sometimes its fake copycat dating sites.
"The big one is to build trust with the victim," Clay said. "So, they'll have a conversation, they'll create fakes profiles they'll steal images."
Clay said be careful because scammers play innocent until they get what they need.
"A lot of these scammers are looking for intimate photos and they will solicit an intimate photo from you and if you provide it to them, they will scam you and say hey I'm going to send it to your friends and family or post it on a site, send me an extortion fee," Clay said.
The best way to avoid scammers on dating apps:
- Use the official sites and bookmark them on your devices so you know it is the right on site.
- Be aware and keep an eye out for people who say they need money to travel to see you, buy gifts or talk about cryptocurrency, etc.
- Install a security app, like Trend Micro Check, it's free and it can scan for malicious links, texts, and ads.
- Stay on the dating app as long as possible when it comes to communication and getting to know someone. Match Group said scammers will attempt to get you on to another platform quickly.
"Ultimately we just want everyone to have a really good time and to meet great people," Sacco said.