The FBI says online crypto scammers are now using dating apps to trick victims into fraudulent cryptocurrency schemes. As the pandemic hit the world last year, people began to suffer from loneliness, something researchers call a “behavioral epidemic.” At this point, the Internet came to the rescue of people and became the new partner of people with the dizzying rise of dating applications. Last year, 1,400 dating sites were launched in North America alone.
Hannah Hart of digital privacy expert ProPrivacy said:
“The digital world is our new dating space. Unfortunately, sexual blackmail scammers have also benefited from this evolution. Whether it’s catfishing (deceiving people with a fake virtual identity), manipulating a victim with affection, or leveraging a one-night stand culture, this scammer can rapidly advance an online relationship.”
In the first half of 2021, the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaints Center (IC3) received more than 1,800 online fraud complaints. These activities resulted in losses of more than $130 million in the United States alone. Online love scams involving cryptocurrencies have now become a new type of trust scam.
Crypto scammers on online dating apps
According to the agency, perpetrators of these scams first spend time building a trusted romantic relationship with their victims. They then brag about their knowledge of cryptocurrencies, convincing their victims to participate in “highly rewarding investment schemes.”
Soon, the victim is directed to a website that looks like an investment portfolio and offers a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. In a short period of time, the prey makes a “profit” and is allowed to successfully withdraw it, but this only happens the first time. The scammer continues to promise his victims that they will make more profit if they ‘act quickly’. However, during the withdrawal of the second ‘profit’, the victim faces taxes, fees and withdrawal limits.
In addition, scams that run a deep plan and think everything even have a fake “customer service group”. Any sign of doubt projected from the victim to customer service is the necessary signal for the scammer to disappear. As a result of this scam, the victim not only loses their investment, but also leaves them with a great shock of trust and heartbreak.
Fraud has no limits!
Another tactic used for crypto scams is sexual blackmail. For this, IC3 has received more than 16,000 complaints about it this year, with losses exceeding $8 million. By sharing his own obscene content, the scammer also encourages his victims to post their own photos. The identity of the perpetrator is often faked because photos used by criminals are stolen or faked, or because models are hired for a bait video. The perpetrator then demands payment, threatening to reveal the victim’s obscene content to his family and friends. According to information from IC3, many people who use LGBTQ+ apps like Grindr and Feeld have fallen into the clutches of this scam.
The FBI advises people not to send money or trade/invest based solely on the advice of someone they have met online. He advises them not to reveal any of their personal financial information to these people, and to watch out for the possibility that people they meet may be scammers if they try to convince themselves of something quickly. In addition, the FBI reports that the perpetrators, not the victims, are guilty of such incidents, and it is very important to contact the authorities. Prompt reporting of such scams will help put criminals behind bars quickly.