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Research points out that as Valentine’s Day approaches, dodgy activity on dating apps and websites surges, which means there’s a heightened risk of falling victim to scams.

More and more, scammers are getting savvy with fancy tools like bots and AI to con folks into handing over cash. According to Arkose Labs, a cyber security company, between January 2023 and January 2024, dating apps witnessed a whopping 2087% surge in bot attacks.

A bot is a kind of internet software that is designed to perform automated tasks faster than humans ever could – in this case, make you fall in love and hand over your life savings.

Scammers are rolling out bots to create tons of fake accounts and phoney dating profiles on a massive scale. Once they get a hit, they use these bogus profiles to reel in unsuspecting singles, getting them to form online relationships and, eventually, cough up their hard-earned dosh.

Nearly 70,000 people said they fell victim to romance scams in 2022, with a reported loss of $1.3 billion, according to data released by the Federal Trade Commission. Research from Barclays shows the age group most likely to fall for romance scams are people between the ages of 51 and 60.

CBS News released some warning signs that you may be communicating with a scammer on a dating app:

• Overly formal or non-conversational messages — That’s a sign that a scammer is using AI to craft a message. Check for this by copying and pasting the message into an online generative AI detection tool.
• Inconsistent information — Sometimes fake accounts are created by a cybercrime ring, with two or three scammers behind one dating profile. Look for abrupt changes in personality and tone.
• Odd patterns — If the person you’re communicating with tells you he or she lives in your state but messages you in the middle of the night, this could indicate the scammer is based abroad.
• Unrealistic photos — If that match looks like a model, a scammer may have found a photo from the internet to use as a profile picture. You can check this by putting the photo into an online image search tool.
• Money requests — A classic red flag that you’re being scammed.

If they’re asking for money before a date – red flag! – dash!

[source:cbsnews]