SAN ANTONIO -- Innocent dating app users are finding themselves to be in the middle of scams, according to a warning from the Better Business Bureau.
The BBB says some con artists are using photos and videos taken from video calls to blackmail users or claiming to have hacked someone's webcam, and demanding money in order to prevent recorded video to be posted social media.
"[In October], a Waco-area resident reported to BBB Scam Tracker they were contacted by someone on Facebook who appeared to be interested in a romantic relationship and initiated a video call. After the call ended, the scammer told the victim that the video had been recorded and demanded payment through gift cards or mobile banking apps to prevent the video from being distributed online," said the BBB.
The BBB's Scam Tracker has also received reports of scammers sending dating app users risqué photos, asking for the same return, and blackmailing those users once they've sent them photos of themselves.
According to one BBB Scam Tracker report, after a compromising video call, a woman began “blackmailing me, [threatening] to release the video footage on social media and send it to my friends and family. [Then] a guy took over blackmailing. They were demanding a sum of $3,000.”
The BBB is now providing tips on how to avoid this happening to you.
- Never share your personal information with someone you just met. Don’t give your cell phone number, home address, email address, or even your social media profile to a stranger. Wait until you know and trust a person, preferably when you’ve already met them in person.
- Research your love interest. One telltale sign you’re dealing with a scammer is a stolen profile picture. Do a reverse image search of the person’s profile picture to ensure it isn’t being used under a different name or on multiple profiles.
- Think before you send photos or videos. Once you send a photo or video, you cannot get it back. Remember that even video calls can be recorded and use good judgment to protect your reputation.
- Don’t pay money to scammers. Even if you pay them, you have no guarantee that scammers won’t use the photos or videos anyway. Plus, your money could be funding criminal activity.