Love in times of scams in cyberspace: fraudulent online dating and fake profiles

When the search for love takes a digital turn, it’s essential to keep an eye out not only for the best matches but also for the scams romantic Masked behind a façade of affection, romance scams have left countless people emotionally and financially devastated.

According to the Division of Scams and Other Frauds of the National Police of Peru (PNP), during 2023, 18 victims have been registered who have fallen into the networks of scammers, who look for people on social networks and dating applications, and then steal your money. These cybercriminals have taken S/ 335,029 soles and $145,000 dollars from their victims.

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Love is a beautiful journey and it is crucial to navigate the online dating landscape with caution and awareness, which is why it is important to know how to recognize if it is truly love or a scam. If you meet someone special on a dating website or app. Soon they will want to email, call, or message outside of the platform. They claim it’s true love, but there’s a problem: they live far away, so he’ll keep them in touch this way.

Then comes the twist: they start asking for money. It could be for a plane ticket to visit you, emergency surgery, or some other urgent need. If this is how your love story develops, it is probably a scam.

How do online romance scams work?

Romance scammers create fake profiles on dating sites, apps, or popular social media platforms like Instagram or Facebook. Their goal is to start a relationship with the victim. They will provide affection and say all the right things to gain trust and establish an emotional connection that they can exploit for profit.

But here’s the tricky part: They never want to see each other in person or show their face on video calls. They make up all kinds of excuses, such as saying that they are in the army or that they do charity work abroad.

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As time passes, the scammer begins tomake up stories to get money. They could claim family emergencies, medical bills, or the need for travel funds to meet in person. It may not be a lot of money at first, but it keeps increasing. It is a clever way to play with people’s feelings and take their money.

In some cases, scammers promise you money and other goods in exchange for your affection, only to lure you into a scheme where you end up losing more. Once they have earned your trust, scammers will ask for more money, gift cards, even expensive gifts. If you are suspicious, they may abruptly delete their accounts and disappear without a trace.

Everyone is a target in the love scam game

Scammers don’t discriminate: they target people from all walks of life, regardless of age, education or gender. However, they often prey on those who feel alone or vulnerable.

The victims of these scams are usually women, including many highly trained professionals, with an age range that generally ranges from 29 to 45 years old. Scammers approach their targets through dating apps such as Tinder, as well as popular social platforms in the country, including Facebook, Instagram and Telegram.

The specialists of bitdefender recommends using tools to recognize an online love scam. Some of these tools are free and do not require downloading any application or having prior access to a brand product. You can access it through any device or operating system through your web browser or Facebook Messenger. Simply describe the scam, upload an image if necessary, and send a link or text.

Scamio, free tool from Bitdefender.

Online romance scams are one of the most underreported cybercrimes in the world: an estimated 7% (possibly less) of victims report the scam to the appropriate authorities. It is important to report these scams to authorities such as the Peruvian National Police and also notify the social media site or application where you met the scammer.

Source: Elcomercio