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FBI has a new warning for users of dating apps

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By Anam Hamid

Published: May 01, 2024, 12:26 PM

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If you are looking to settle down and trust dating apps more than your match-making friends, you should be a little more careful than usual as lurking within these apps are cybercriminals who are after your money.

According to a Public Service Announcement (PSA) issued by the FBI, fraudsters have devised a verification scheme to trick people into signing up for recurring monthly payments.

The scheme starts with a cybercriminal meeting someone on a dating platform and convincing them to move the conversation elsewhere. The fraudster then provides a link to a website to complete a free verification process on the pretext that they don't want to establish a relationship with predators like a serial killer.

The website is full of fake articles alluding to its legitimacy and asks for information like name, phone number, email address, and credit card number to complete the verification process.

After the victim provides the information, they are redirected to a low-quality dating website that charges a monthly subscription fee. Eventually, the name of an unknown business shows up on the victim's monthly credit card statement.

In addition to siphoning money out of you every month, cybercriminals can also use the information you provide to them to conduct identity theft or sell it on the dark web.

To avoid falling victim to this scam, you should not let anyone talk you into moving a conversation outside of a reputable platform and you must also be skeptical of anyone professing love for you quickly as crooks are well-versed in sweet-talking vulnerable people into whatever they want.

You should also not hand over sensitive information to anyone you have only met virtually and keep an eye out for irregularities on your financial accounts.

Bleeping Computer found more than fifty domains linked with this scheme and all of them were found using payment processors operating out of Cyprus.

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Anam Hamid is a computer scientist turned tech journalist who has a keen interest in the tech world, with a particular focus on smartphones and tablets. She has previously written for Android Headlines and has also been a ghostwriter for several tech and car publications. Anam is not a tech hoarder and believes in using her gadgets for as long as possible. She is concerned about smartphone addiction and its impact on future generations, but she also appreciates the convenience that phones have brought into our lives. Anam is excited about technological advancements like folding screens and under-display sensors, and she often wonders about the future of technology. She values the overall experience of a device more than its individual specs and admires companies that deliver durable, high-quality products. In her free time, Anam enjoys reading, scrolling through Reddit and Instagram, and occasionally refreshing her programming skills through tutorials.

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