Rom‑con: How romance fraud targets older people and how to avoid it

Online dating scams often follow the same script – here’s what senior citizens should watch out for and how their younger relatives can help them avoid falling victim. Recently, we looked at how older people can avoid falling victim to various flavors of online scams. This time round, we’ll examine the costliest type of fraud to affect … More Rom‑con: How romance fraud targets older people and how to avoid it

Romance scams in 2020: Breaking hearts, wallets – and records

As dating apps experience a boom amid COVID-19, losses to romance scams soar too. More and more people have been flocking to online dating platforms in search of romance and companionship in the wake of lockdowns and social distancing mandates, but the new reality also contributes to record-high losses from romance scams, according to a report by the United … More Romance scams in 2020: Breaking hearts, wallets – and records

Bumble bugs could have exposed personal data of all users

The information at risk of theft due to API flaws included people’s pictures, locations, dating preferences and Facebook data. Security vulnerabilities in Bumble, one of today’s most popular dating apps, could have exposed the personal information of its entire, almost 100 million-strong user-base. The bugs – which affected Bumble’s application programming interface (API) and stemmed … More Bumble bugs could have exposed personal data of all users

Dating apps share personal data with advertisers, study says

Some of the most popular dating services may be violating GDPR or other privacy laws. Unbeknownst to their users, several popular dating apps, including Tinder, OkCupid and Grindr, share detailed personal data on their users with third parties for advertising purposes, a study conducted by the Norwegian Consumer Council has found. The details spanned the gamut and … More Dating apps share personal data with advertisers, study says

FBI warns of romance scams using online daters as money mules

Up to 30 percent of romance fraud victims in 2018 are estimated to have been used as money mules. Scammers are using dating sites and apps not only to scout for lovesick men and women before bilking them out of money, but also to recruit ‘money mules’ for laundering funds obtained in illicit activities. According … More FBI warns of romance scams using online daters as money mules