As we make our way through the summer months, online dating continues to be a topical subject at social gatherings, particularly among adults over 50. While online dating can be a great tool to meet like minded people for those seeking a domestic partner or romantic companionship, it also comes with a host of issues, not limited to profile authentication. Online dating can be a beacon of hope for so many people with limited access to the professional business community or nightlife experience. Sadly, online dating has also become a breeding ground to fraudsters, scammers, and organized sexual trafficking gangs. Complex entanglements by users misrepresenting themselves using false profile identities have become highly organized by “scam dens,” usually operating from remote and dangerous environments in parts of Southeast Asia and West Africa.
While so much has been written on the perils of online dating, dating scams unfortunately continue to be a common problem and continue to rise post pandemic resulting from seniors who lost a partner, retired or work remotely with a limited social calendar. A recent article in The Wall Street Journal titled She Hooked Me: How an Online Scam Cost a Senior Citizen His Life’s Savings by Feliz Solomon dated June 8, 2024, details the chilling story of a senior losing his entire savings of $715,000 to a woman with whom he thought would spend his twilight years with. Additionally, in a recent CNN profile report titled Killed by a Scam: A Father Took His Life After Losing His Savings to International Criminal Gangs-He’s Not the Only One, by Teele Rebane dated June 17, 2024, an 82-year-old man committed suicide after losing his entire savings in an elaborate scheme and fraudulent cryptocurrency website. The perpetrator was a woman he fell in love with online, who was operating from a “scam den” in Southeast Asia.
Scammers are provided with detailed scripts and programmed phones that display fake identities with call-back routing capabilities to orchestrate their scam. After more cordial pleasantries have pried victims open emotionally, aggressive tactics are deployed, sometimes under the threat, to confuse and entangle subjects into financial transactions. As the WSJ article details, scammers seek singles living simple lifestyles consisting of doctor visits, take-out food and running mundane errands. These individuals are frequently left alone to make complex online relationship decisions without the technical knowledge or feedback from loved ones. We encourage all our blog followers to read the WJS and CNN stories to help understand how this elaborate web of deceit resulted in vulnerable everyday folks forking over their entire life savings.
Validate you online dating site before you take the plunge
Before posting or subscribing to an online dating service look up their social media profiles on platforms like Facebook, LinkedIn or Instagram to see if their platforms are authentic and highly rated by users. A Google search will likely provide potential users with a list of the most authentic providers including user reviews. Use Common Sense and trust your instincts. If something feels off or too good to be true, it often is. Look for inconsistencies in user review and be cautious of platforms withholding important details until you buy in. Once you sign up and begin viewing dater profiles, a simple reverse image search of photos can help determine if those images appear elsewhere on the internet, validating who the person is, or is not.
Next, Verifying Identities
You’ve taken the plunge, what’s next. It can be scary meeting someone from the internet that you’ve never met in person before even when you believe you have mutual interests, business affiliations and in some cases friends. Over 50% of online daters have embellished or lied about some aspect of their profile. At https://healthyframework.com/verifying-an-online-date-is-real/ you can learn how to address identity verification. Healthy Framework offers a 6-tip guide, to walk you through that process and help you to better protect yourself from ending up in an unsafe or awkward situation.
The investigative division of Integrated Security Services has also been at the forefront of educating people on avoiding scams by conducting routine background checks. Conducting a background check can provide valuable information about a person, including criminal records, liens and judgments, property ownership, occupational history and much more. With facts in hand, you can approach online relationships more self-assured and empowered.
Recently, a client contacted our office with a story of meeting a woman allegedly of Chinese descent via Facebook who was seeking a relationship. Our male client had already purchased plane fare and was planning on meeting the individual on the west coast. After providing our investigator with the individual’s name and address, our proprietary investigative database was unable to locate and match any of the data. While disappointed, this client was potentially spared a complex financial entanglement, or worse and promptly canceled his trip.
Conclusion
Navigating the perils of online dating can be a daunting process, but as cliché as it often sounds, “better safe than sorry.” Scrutinizing online dating platforms with licensed investigators like Integrated Security Services, or trusted friends are just the start. Following some of these guidelines can help you safely and securely navigate the online dating world with more confidence and increase your chances of finding meaningful connections. A final word of caution, regardless of how positive conditions appear, never provide anyone with your personal data; date of birth, SSN, etc., and never exchange money with individuals seeking to advance the online relationship based on a financial transaction. The investigative team at Integrated Security Services is always available for any questions or concerns at our toll-free number of 888-808-9119 or by visiting our website at www.intesecurity.com
Reference
- Solomon, Feliz She Hooked Me’ How an Online Scam Cost a Senior Citizen His Life Savings. The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) June 8, 2024
- Teele, Rebane., Killed by a Scam: A Father Took His Life After Losing His Savings to International Criminal Gangs. He’s Not the Only One, CNN Profile, June 17, 2024, www.cnn.con/2024/06/17//asia/pig-butchering-scam-southeast
