The Fake Online Dating Sites ready to Steal Your Money and Your Identity
During the pandemic, we have seen more and more people turning to online dating sites looking for love and companionship in turn this has resulted in a huge increase in romance fraud. Action Fraud reports (10-01-2022) that new figures show almost £92 million has been lost through dating site scams this year alone. If this isn’t bad enough since November 2021 over 15 million scam dating websites have been detected. These websites are set up by scammers looking to lure unsuspecting victims onto fake dating platforms in order to extract their financial (credit and debit card details) and identity details.
How The Scam Works
The scam happens in one or two ways either the fake dating site will make contact with potential victims directly, normally via email, claiming that a user of their site has sent them a message, that if they wish to read the message and respond they simply need to sign up to the site. The scammers also entice victims by contacting them directly, often via social media messaging apps or email, using fake profiles with attractive photos initiating conversation with them and then explaining that if they wish to continue to speak with them then they need to sign up to the site. In both scenarios, a link to the site is sent to the victim. When the victim clicks the link they are taken to a page on the fake dating site asking them to enter their personal and credit/ debit card details in order to sign up to the site. The link then takes the victim to a page that looks like a genuine signup page however these pages are known as phishing pages where the scammers can record the victim’s credentials they submit and easily exploit them to commit cybercrime including identity theft.
How To Avoid Fake Dating Site Scams.
Do not click on any links from unknown resources. If you receive a text message, email, Whatsapp or a message via any of the social media apps containing a link do not click on it. Air on the side of caution at all times. Do not enter your personal details online unless you are 100 percent sure that the site you are on is a safe, genuine, and secure site. Avoid giving out your phone number, email addresses, passwords, and any other personal data.
