Daters, beware of fraudsters asking for intimate photos ahead of Valentine’s Day -
A growing number of dating app users have fallen victim to “sextortion” scams in which fraudsters ask for explicit pictures, the Federal Trade Commission is warning. Once they have the images, the fake lovers demand money in exchange for not sharing them with a victim’s social media contacts.
FTC records show romance frauds brought in $493 million from 39,875 victims in 2019, $730 million from 54,210 people in 2020 and $1.3 billion from 79,000 Americans in 2021. Romance scams have evolved from the days when women would get an email from someone claiming to be a Nigerian prince, she added. She noted that fraudsters now spend weeks or months talking with people on dating apps before asking for any money or favors.The share of newly married couples who report meeting online has grown over the last five years, according to annual surveys from the wedding planning website The Knot.
“People still believe in love and those who are lonely and looking for love are often easy targets,” said Zulfikar Ramzan, Aura’s chief scientist. “Not to mention, cybercriminals have gotten better and better at what they do and they’re constantly adapting.”
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