What are dating sites doing to protect users this Valentine’s Day?

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Over the past twelve months romance scams have had a moment thanks to shows like “The Tinder Swindler” and “Inventing Anna.” While these shows may have given out some slightly suspect advice to victims (no, you probably won’t be successful setting up an elaborate trap for a scammer), they did do a lot to raise awareness about the prevalence of these scams. Given that many scams like those portrayed on the big screen are perpetrated via online dating platforms, it seemed appropriate to check what anti-fraud measures some of the biggest websites have implemented.  

Profile verification 

Fraudsters often use someone else’s photos on their profile to disguise their own identity. This practice, also called catfishing, is becoming easier to prevent with several dating apps’ verification features. Badoo, Bumble, Hinge, and Tinder allow users to confirm that they are the same person as the one in the photos by submitting a selfie taken live, in app. This image then goes through automated and sometimes manual review to verify that the user is the same person appearing in the photos. Match does not appear to have implemented this feature in the U.S. 

If a user’s profile is not verified, they may not be who they say they are. Asking for a match to complete profile verification is a good way to reduce the risk of chatting with an imposter. 

Consumer education 

Fraud.org has received an uptick in reports of fraudsters peddling cryptocurrency scams to their matches on online dating platforms. Match Group—the parent company of Hinge, Match, and Tinder—appears to have also noticed similar misconduct on their platforms, as they have started rolling out an anti-fraud campaign across their various products. 

The campaign aims to raise awareness about romance scams and encourage users to report violative activity by displaying warnings against fraudulent activity, including crypto scams. Match Group states that it developed consumer education materials in coordination with law enforcement and financial exploitation experts. 

Community guidelines 

Badoo, Match, and Tinder have provisions within their community guidelines prohibiting scams or fraud. Badoo (owned by Bumble Inc.) has the most extensive anti-fraud provision, including a statement that appears aimed explicitly at romance scams: “Do not scam Badoo members, or deceive members in any way for financial benefit. This includes…[f]aking romantic intentions, financial and/or personal distress in order to get money.”  

Match and Tinder have identical statements in the “scamming” section of their community guidelines about “a zero-tolerance policy on predatory behavior of any kind,” as well as a prohibition on trying to receive money from users on their platforms.  

Hinge and Bumble both lack anti-fraud statements within their community guidelines. However, their terms and conditions require users to agree not to operate pyramid schemes, fraud, or other similar practices. 

If you are planning to go online looking for love this Valentine’s Day, here are some steps that can help you reduce your risk of being a victim of a romance scam: 

  • If anyone you meet on an online dating site asks you for payment, it’s almost certainly a scam. Be especially wary if they ask for payment via gift cards, cryptocurrency, peer-to-peer (e.g. Zelle, Venmo, PayPal) wire transfer, bank account debit, or other unusual forms of payment. 
  • If a match claims to be overseas and unable to meet in person, that is a big red flag. 
  • Beware of relationships that develop unusually quickly online. Know that scammers will attempt to quickly build trust so that a request for money seems more reasonable. 
  • Do a reverse-image search on any photos you receive from a match. This can help determine if a match is actually an imposter. 

If you or someone you know has been a fraud victim, help yourself and other by reporting it! By using Fraud.org’s secure online complaint form, your complaint will be shared with our network of consumer protection and law enforcement agency partners. 

Sweetheart swindles

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Online dating can be fun and convenient, but falling for a sweetheart swindle can be costly. Be wary of “friends” you meet online who develop a relationship with you only to con you out of hundreds or even thousands of dollars.

Stay safe. Be Informed.

Falling in love with a con artist has consistently been ranked as one of, if not, the most expensive scams for the victims who have shared their stories with Fraud.org. It’s not hard to see why. Love is a powerful emotion. Most of us would do practically anything to help out a friend or loved one in need. Fraudsters know this, which is why they devote significant time and energy to developing friendships and “love” with their marks. However, these criminals aren’t looking for a soulmate. They’re looking for victims that they can wring every last cent out of.

In many of the stories we hear from consumers, the scams begin the same way. The victim is first approached on an online dating website (Match.com was frequently mentioned in our complaints), a social media platform such as Facebook, or another type of online forum. The con artist may claim to be interested in the victim romantically. When the victim responds, their new “friend” tells them a story about how they are located far away from the victim, often overseas.

As the relationship develops and false trust is built, the “friend” asks the victim to send money to help them out of some fake situation. The “friend”—who is, in reality, a con artist who is likely running the same scheme on other victims—may claim that they need the money to come visit the victim, for medical bills, to get out of jail, or some other reason. If the victim agrees to pay, there will inevitably be more requests for money to cover other fictitious expenses until the victim comes to realize it is a scam and stops paying, or worse, runs out of money to give.

How can you spot a romance scam and avoid falling victim? Here are red flags that the person you’re dealing with is after your cash, instead of your heart:

  • She requests that you wire money or cash a check or money order for them.
  • The “relationship” becomes romantic extremely quickly, with quick pronouncements of love or close friendship.
  • He claims to be a U.S. citizen who is abroad, very wealthy or a person of important status.
  • He claims to be a contractor and needs your help with a business deal.
  • She makes excuses about not being able to speak by phone or meet in person.
  • He quickly asks you to communicate via email, instant messaging, or text messaging instead of online dating sites’ messaging services.
  • She claims to be American but makes frequent spelling or grammar mistakes that a native English speaker wouldn’t.

If you’ve been approached by someone you think could be a romance scammer or if you’ve already fallen victim, DON’T keep speaking with the person who approached you. Ignore their emails, phone calls, IMs, or other communications. Instead, use the online dating site’s abuse flagging system to mark the account as suspicious and file a complaint at Fraud.org.

Find Fraud Alerts related to this scam here.

Pet adoption scams

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Fraudsters are going after future pet owners by placing a false ad for pets online then scamming them into more money after they are emotionally invested in the cuddly ball of fuzz.

Stay safe. Be Informed.

First, a consumer searching for a pet sees a desirable animal listed for sale online, often on a classifieds website like Craigslist.org or Oodle.com. Next, the consumer reaches out to the prospective seller and expresses interest in acquiring the animal. After a consumer sends money to the alleged owner to pay for the pet, she is told that additional funds are needed to cover the cost of things like “a ventilated shipping crate,” “insurance,” or other reasons. Regardless of how much money is sent, the alleged seller will find new reasons to ask for additional payment. This continues until the victim, now often out hundreds or thousands of dollars catches on and stops sending money.
In reality, the entire act is a farce. The cute pet pictures that prompted the initial outreach by the consumer are usually simply pulled off the Internet and used to create attractive (but fake) listings. The alleged sellers don’t own any actual pets and are just out to milk victims of all the cash they can.

A Massachusetts woman we’ll call “Sue” (not her real name) recently sent us a complaint that is typical of this scam. Sue writes:

“I was looking to purchase a Yorkshire terrier puppy for my 2 little kids. I found one that I was really interested in. It was a 9-week-old female Yorkie. I emailed ‘the owner’ … The puppy was $500 and he told me that was already included with shipping and everything. He told me to put the $500 on a Reloadit card, which I did, and I gave him that. He sent me an email of a flight ticket, which I now know that it was not real because I called American Airlines and the flight ticket was a fake.

An agency started emailing me stating that I had to send them $970.00 for a ‘crate’ for the puppy to arrive to me safe while on flight due to the weather. I was told it was refundable when my puppy would arrive. I was told to send it by Western Union, which I did. Once that happened … I was asked to send $1,500 now for the pets insurance to get sent to me, which was also supposed to be refunded to me. I sent that money through MoneyGram. I was supposed to receive my puppy on March 7, 2015 in the morning and I never received the puppy.

Then I received another email stating I had to send ANOTHER payment of $760.00 to update her shots before she takes off. It was already sounding a little bit too good to be true to me but that’s when I finally realized that this was a scam.”

It’s easy to get emotionally attached to the idea of acquiring an adorable new pet. Consumers in the market for a new furry friend, can protect themselves by following these safe pet-buying tips:

  • Never send money for a pet purchase unless you have seen the animal in person (as opposed to simply online).
  • Beware of any seller who says she’s located out-of-town (or worse, overseas). Dealing with local sellers is usually the smart move.
  • Requests for payment via wire transfer (Western Union or MoneyGram) or prepaid debit card (Green Dot MoneyPak, Reloadit, or similar cards) are often a red flag for potential fraud. Payment sent via these methods is practically the same as sending cash.
  • Consider adopting from a local shelter instead of a private seller. There’s likely to be a lower cost to obtain the pet, and you’ll be dealing with a reputable non-profit organization.
  • Do your due diligence on the seller BEFORE sending money. Ask for detailed information on the seller, including full name, phone number and mailing address. Search online for information on the seller. If no information comes up in the search, or you see negative reviews, it could be a scammer instead of a legitimate seller.
  • Watch out for offers of “free” pets. While it may seem like a good deal, scammers have been known to use these to lure unwary consumers in to paying for “shipping” and other costs for nonexistent pets.

If you’ve been a victim of one of these scams or been approached by someone you suspect of being a scammer, file a complaint at Fraud.org so that we can share your information with our network of law enforcement and consumer protection agencies.

Consumers can see additional examples of these scams at the ASPCA’s Pet-Related Scams website.

Find Fraud Alerts related to this scam here.

Grandparent scams

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In a typical Grandparent Scam, a con artist calls or emails the victim posing as a relative in distress or someone claiming to represent the relative (such as a lawyer or law enforcement agent). The “relative” of the grandparent explains she is in trouble and needs their grandparent to wire them funds that will be used for bail money, lawyer’s fees, hospital bills, or another fictitious expense.

Stay safe. Be Informed.

The victim is urged not to tell anyone, such as the parent of the “grandchild” because they do not want them to find out about the trouble they’ve gotten themselves into. The grandparent never hears from their fake grandchild again and is tricked out of hundreds or even thousands of dollars.

To detect and avoid the Grandparent Scam, NCL’s Fraud Center recommends the following tips:

  • Beware of any urgent solicitation of funds, especially if it is needed to pay for unexpected bills, such as bail money, lawyer’s fees, or doctor bills
  • Before sending funds, independently contact the relative (or parent of the relative) the scam artist is claiming to be (or represent) at a known phone number to verify the details of the story.
  • Scam artist’s payment method of choice is the wire transfer. Any urgent request to wire money should be treated suspiciously.
  • Be aware that fraudsters attempting the Grandparent Scam may call late at night to confuse potential victims.
  • Consumers who have been victims of this scam should immediately report it to local law enforcement, their state attorney general and NCL’s Fraud Center at Fraud.org.

Find Fraud Alerts related to this scam here.

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