A quick guide to safe online dating

MANILA, Philippines – Did you know that the month of February is not only known for Valentine’s Day, but the month of romance scams as well?

Year after year, Valentine’s Day hype is extended through the last day of the month with many people searching for love online. But as with every other celebration, cyber criminals jump in and take advantage. Follow our tips to avoid being duped while looking for love online.

Love at first site? Fake ads and spam

No one is safe from seasonal scams. Let’s be honest, who isn't curious about a supposed Valentine’s email or e-card?

Unfortunately, February signals an increased threat of malware using spam email attacks or fake advertisements and they are often very successful.

Be wary of too-good-to-be-true offers for e-cards, jewelry or flowers. These may land on your inbox, reach you through social media or appear on web pages.

By clicking on links on the ads you may inadvertently download malware or be taken to a fake site where the aim is to steal your credit card information or other personal data, rather than sell you the promised romantic gifts.

For more advice on shopping safely online, visit our article on the Think Security Guide.

Romance Scams

Scamming an unsuspecting victim for money, known as "advance fee fraud," is nothing new. It happens with traditional mail, it happens with fax, it happens with email and now it is rife in dating websites.

A form of social engineering, it begins with contact with another supposed Internet dating site user. The relationship probably progresses quickly, the person sends a very attractive photo of themselves (possibly stolen from a modeling website) and asks you to send one back.

Exchanges become more intimate and the person, who is not who they say they are, asks you to move the conversation away from the dating site to text, email or instant message. You arrange to meet.

But your newfound love can’t afford the travel costs, or their plane tickets are stolen (they are more than likely abroad). Or some other tragedy befalls them – their mother is sick, their daughter is in a terrible car accident – and they need help with costs. You agree to send money.

There are inevitably more and more reasons to send additional funds and yet there’s always a reason why your money isn't returned and the person cannot meet with you, until finally you realize the ugly truth. This person was never looking for love and you have been scammed.

From the outside it may be hard to understand how someone can fall victim to this type of fraud, but cyber criminals’ tactics are becoming more elaborate and manipulation becoming more subtle over a period of time can be very effective.

To protect yourself, never send money or give credit card or online account details to anyone you don’t know and trust. Ask yourself if you would give this sort of information to someone you’d just met in real life? Always pay attention to your instincts; if something doesn't feel right, walk away.

Clues that something is amiss include:

• The pictures they send of themselves look amazing.
• They are very quickly intimate and ‘over loving’ in their messages.
• They don’t reveal much about themselves.
• They want to know everything about you.
• They suggest taking the conversation away from the dating website.
• They ask for nude photos or videos (these could be used against you for money later).
• They ask for money.

Keep Yourself Safe

Finally, if you are thinking of joining an online dating site and creating a personal profile, so be mindful of what you include.

As you now know, cyber criminals are scouring these sites for potential victims and although you may be savvy enough not to fall for any, you don’t want to give away any financial or identity information they can use for fraudulent activity.

Always consider what information you really need to disclose. For further information see our guide to safe online dating.

It’s also worth keeping in mind what information you have publicly available on other sites, such as Facebook.

It may be possible for someone to piece together information about you and your whereabouts by combining information from different websites. Check your privacy settings for different social networks and make sure you’re not giving away more than you’d like.

Remember not everyone is trustworthy and you cannot control who views your profile if you make everything public. It’s important to remember that our online lives can also make us vulnerable in the real world. - Alixandra Caole Vila