THE GUARDIAN – Cecilie Fjellhøy and Anna Rowe, victims of romance fraud, have established LoveSaid, a platform to support others similarly affected. Fjellhøy, conned out of $250K by a man posing as a high-level diamond trader, and featured in Netflix's "The Tinder Swindler," is taking action after experiencing a lack of serious response from law enforcement. Rowe, deceived and sexually exploited by a man she believed loved her, faced initial police dismissiveness and became a self-made investigator, uncovering multiple similar cases. Data from Lloyds Bank shows a 30% increase in romance scams last year, affecting more men and particularly targeting individuals aged 65 to 74. The City of London police reported ~8K fraud cases resulting in losses exceeding £92M in the last financial year.
Category: Scammer
Garbo Founder Kathryn Kosmides Calls for Systemic Online Safety Reforms Amid Silicon Valley’s Waning Interest
FORTUNE – Kathryn Kosmides, founder and CEO of Garbo, developed technology to reduce violence against women in online dating. Despite initial interest from Silicon Valley, companies quickly shifted focus once they received positive publicity and regulatory pressures eased. Kosmides observes a decline in the tech industry's commitment to trust and safety, with significant cutbacks in teams and budgets. She highlights three challenges exacerbating gender-based violence online: high costs and limited access to background checks, underreporting of offenses by victims, and tech platforms' failure to address repeat perpetrators effectively. Kosmides calls for government action, including a unified reporting system for gender-based violence, updating the Fair Credit Reporting Act, and regulating access fees to public records. She emphasizes the need for systemic change to ensure online safety and hold tech companies accountable.
Scams Targeting Veterans Are on the Rise
MARKETWATCH – Fraudsters often focus on veterans because of the benefits and programs available to them. Government officials and the Department of Veterans Affairs warn that scams are on the rise. The FTC received 150k+ reports of scams from veterans and military retirees that cost them over $414 million in 2022, up 50% from 2021.
- Romance Scams – target widows and widowers. "If you are a senior citizen and a veteran, scammers have more than one way to play on your heartstrings," said Mark Kapczynski, of OneRep, a service that helps people remove personal information from the web.
- Imposter Scams – Fraudsters masquerade as a government agency or company helping veterans access programs. Charging for military records – Unscrupulous actors have sometimes set up and advertised sites where one can collect military service records or medical records for a fee.
- Military pension fraud – Veterans' pensions are a big target for scammers. Most of these offers propose to invest money for a fee.
- Mortgage fraud – Illegitimate agents get veterans to refinance their loans for high fees. Some fraudsters ask to sign over title of a property!
Bipartisan Bill Cracks Down on Dating App Scams That Cost Victims $1 Billion a Year
FOX NEWS – House lawmakers, led by Republican Rep. David Valadao and Democratic Rep. Brittany Pettersen, are proposing the Online Dating Safety Act to combat the increasing scams on dating apps that led to victims losing ~$1B in a year. If approved, the bill would mandate dating apps to notify users if they've interacted with banned individuals who've used fake identities or intended fraud. The Federal Trade Commission reported that in 2022, about 70K individuals were victims of romance scams, with a median loss of $4,400, totaling losses ~$1.3B. Most scams involved claims of personal emergencies, investment insights, or being in the military.
Half of Gen-Z Have Been Catfished: Should Dating Apps Have Mandatory Verifications?
YAHOO LIFE – Dating apps are under scrutiny as calls for mandatory profile verification grow louder. This demand comes in response to concerns about issues like catfishing and sextortion that can negatively impact user experience and the reputation of dating platforms. According to studies by The Cyber Helpline, 49% of Gen Z have been victims of sextortion catfishing crimes, with 90% having to make changes to their everyday life because of this, and 74% feeling it has impacted their physical safety. Mandatory profile verification can enhance user trust and reduce the risk of users encountering misleading or fake profiles.
Why Did Garbo Fail? Unraveling Its Unmet Potential With Match Group & Tinder
REALME – Dating apps are facing trust issues due to many fake profiles and a 800% increase in scams. Match Group incorporated Garbo in an attempt to enhance user safety, but despite its substantial user base and noble goals, it failed to deliver. Here's why Garbo failed and how RealMe could potentially fill the gaps left by Garbo.
User Experience Dilemma: Despite having 2.5M users, Garbo provided a fractured experience, forcing users to leave the primary dating platform, impacting user retention and Match's credibility.
Information Dependency: Garbo didn't work well because it needed users to know a lot about their potential matches early on, which is hard during the beginning of online interactions.
Absence of User Verification: Garbo didn't check if users were real, which is important for correct background checks.
The RealMe Solution
Integrated User Experience: By partnering with apps like Say Allo, The RealMe offers an uninterrupted, in-app experience, maintaining user engagement.
Simplified Search Process: A simple click on any profile initiates the search, with no need for users to know extensive info about their matches.
Comprehensive Background Checks: RealMe's extensive scan across 389 data sources offers a complete background check.
User Verification: The distinctive badge on profiles verified by The RealMe ensures genuine interactions and significantly reduces the risk of encountering fake users.
Ease of Integration: The service can be easily integrated into existing platforms.
Garbo's endeavor with Match Group showed there is a substantial demand for trust-building tools in online dating. However, the lack of a seamless user experience and comprehensive services hindered its success. The Real Me addresses these limitations, offering a more inclusive and robust solution.
Australian Government Threatens Regulation on Dating Apps to Boost User Safety
ABC – The federal government in Australia is threatening to regulate dating apps unless they improve user safety by the middle of next year. A study by the Australian Institute of Criminology revealed that three-quarters of online daters had experienced some form of online sexual violence in the past five years. Experts highlight the need for better complaint handling and clearer communication from the apps when reports are made. The government suggests that the industry could develop technology to proactively protect users and is willing to enforce this through legislation if voluntary measures fail. Key areas for improvement include complaint handling, collaborating with law enforcement, and embedding safety features into the apps.
FTC Charges Two Online Background Check Companies for Allegedly Deceptive Practices
8KPAX – The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is charging online background check companies Instant Checkmate and TruthFinder for allegedly deceiving customers. The FTC claims that the companies inaccurately reported criminal or arrest records based on minor infractions like traffic tickets and failed to verify the accuracy of their data. By advertising their services for tenant and employment screening, the companies fall under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) and have violated it by not ensuring the accuracy of their reports. The FTC is seeking a combined fine of $5.8M. Despite these allegations, both companies maintain A+ ratings with the Better Business Bureau.
Tinder Combats Romance Scams in Southeast Asia
Background Check Provider Garbo Ends Its Partnership With Match Group
by Sarah Perez
See full article at Tech Crunch
Also read the Wall Street Journal article
Mark Brooks: Background checks are a very tough nut to crack and require extremely nuanced knowledge on how to combine numerous databases to properly serve our dating context. This challenge remains undone, but there are a couple of promising providers.