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Did you hear about the guy from Bucksnort, Tennessee, who sent a catfisher his life savings after a steamy back-and-forth on a popular dating app? The amount lost: $4,395.45, which was the supposed cost of airfare and visa expedition for the victim’s true love to get from Kiev, Ukraine.
If you think you did hear about it, you’re mistaken, because I made it up. The reason I did that: Too many catfishing scams go unreported. As a result, awareness does not match the threat.
Not that long ago, online dating was viewed as a sad place where desperate people went to connect with other sad, desperate people. That is no longer the case. Any stigma attached to online dating is a thing of the past, with the Pew Research Center reporting that more than 15% of U.S. adults have used online dating sites or dating apps. A majority of Americans now say it is a good way to meet people. That said, the shame of appearing desperate remains, and that’s why catfishers often get away with their crimes.
It is not uncommon for military personnel to be targeted. A recent case involved members of Hamas creating fake Facebook profiles and luring Israeli soldiers with them. The goal there was much more serious than mere robbery: They were sending video chat links that contained a Trojan Horse virus that extracted contacts, locations, apps, pictures, and any files, and gave the hackers access to the camera and microphone on the victim’s computer.
If you think you’re not susceptible, think again. You are. That’s the rule of the jungle. Those who never trust and always verify are the safest — though admittedly it might put a cramp in your online dating life.
Here are five tips for avoiding catfishers this Valentine’s Day from my book, Swiped: How to Protect Yourself in a World Full of Scammers, Phishers and Identity Thieves.
If you do wind up giving your personal information to a scammer, be sure to monitor your credit for signs of identity theft. You can do so by viewing your free credit report snapshot, updated every 14 days, on Credit.com.
Remember, Valentine’s Day is a time to celebrate love. (You can go here to find more scams to watch out for as Feb. 14 approaches.) It’s a day to share your heart and your good fortune with those you love, not your personally identifiable information and your money with a hacker sitting on a mattress in a dark basement.
Image: AleksandarNakic
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