Are you using a dating app? According to the Better Business Bureau, some con artists are taking a sinister approach to romance scams by blackmailing their victims.
You meet someone you are interested in on a dating app. The person sends you explicit photos of themselves and asks you to reply with your own revealing pictures. If you send the images or videos, the scammer then begins to blackmail you. They use your phone number or social media profile to look up names of your friends, family members, and even your workmates or boss, and threaten to send those pictures to your contacts.
Scammers often ask for payment via gift card or wired funds – methods that can’t be traced to them and make it impossible for you to recuperate your funds. If you cooperate, you’ll lose your money, and there’s no guarantee the scammers will delete the images and videos. In fact, scammers will likely continue contacting you, asking for more money periodically.
The FTC reports that this particular scam is especially common on LGBTQ+ dating apps, such as Grindr and Feeld.
Never share your personal information with someone you just met. Don’t give your cell phone number, home address, email address, or even your social media profile to a stranger. Wait until you know and trust a person, preferably when you’ve already met them in person.
Research your love interest. One telltale sign you’re dealing with a scammer is a stolen profile picture. Do a reverse image search of the person’s profile picture to make sure it isn’t being used under a different name or on multiple profiles.
Think before you send photos or videos. Once you send a photo or video, you cannot get it back. Keep in mind that even video calls can be recorded, and use good judgement to protect your reputation.
Don’t pay money to scammers. Even if you pay them, you have no guarantee that scammers won’t use the photos or videos anyway. Plus, your money could be funding criminal activity.
