Romance scammers: here's what you need to know to avoid them
Whether it's Tinder swindlers or Grindr gremlins, see these six pointers on avoiding scammers on dating sites
Romance scams have been a common occurrence with the constant use of online messaging and dating. In 2022 nearly 70,000 people reported a romance scam and losses that hit $1.3bn (R24.3bn).
The team at SOAX, a data extraction platform, provide these tips on ways to avoid getting scammed:
A scam message often prompts recipients to act instantly and has a tone that implies emergency action is required. This is to play on the emotions of the person receiving the message and encourage them to take action and respond. A company rarely has an urgent request that requires immediate action, especially if it involves a financial transaction.
You should always check who is making the request. Even if it comes across as someone you know check the profile and contact them. Their account could have been compromised.
A standout way to spot a scam e-mail is if the e-mail refers to the receiver by email address, for example, dear user@gmail.com. Also look out for inconsistencies in the names in e-mail addresses, for example, a different name to who they’ve said they are in the e-mail. If you get a message from a phone number that is unknown or a message that claims to be from a business despite coming from a mobile number, this is likely to be a scam and you should block the number.
Scam e-mails and texts often address the receiver in a way that might appear strange or uncommon. This could be through vague forms of addressing the potential victim, through names such as Sir, Madam, Miss or Mr, because they either don’t have the recipient's personal information or they copy and paste the message to multiple people.
With so many scam e-mails and texts slipping through the net and onto recipients' smartphones and inboxes, those receiving them must never click on any links in the message. That’s because these links can open and download malware onto the device which can not only steal personal information but also slow down the device.
If you receive a link from an unknown account always check the URL and who sent it before opening anything. If you’re suspicious, take the link to a platform such as URLVoid, which will tell you if it's safe to click on.