PRESS RELEASE – BrightSwipe has released a person verification and criminal history check solution. Available for iPhone and on the Google Play Store, the tool aids users in confirming the identities of potential matches in online dating or social interactions. It provides checks against catfishing, offers reports on a match's criminal background, and validates social media accounts to determine authenticity. The aim is to bolster confidence and safety in online interactions.
Category: Scammer
RealMe and Unpack’d Technologies Join Forces to Eliminate Fake Profiles on Dating Apps
PR NEWSWIRE – RealMe, an online safety platform, and Unpack'd Technologies, a smart dating app developer, have partnered to eliminate fake profiles in dating apps. This move will introduce enhanced profile and background verification features, starting with the "smart dating app," Say Allo.
UrSafe App Launches LGBTQ+ Safe Spaces Feature for Enhanced Personal Safety
EIN PRESSWIRE – UrSafe Technologies has introduced a new feature, LGBTQ+ Safe Spaces, to its personal safety app, UrSafe. This global feature aims to empower and protect the LGBTQ+ community by offering a network of verified safe locations, like restaurants, bars, community centers, etc., that are supportive of LGBTQ+ individuals. The app also includes real-time updates, a panic button, and emergency services integration.
Dating App Users Lose Millions to Pig Butchering Scam
IT-ONLINE – The "pig butchering" scam, which originated in China, has led to Americans losing ~$112M in cryptocurrency. The scam primarily targets users on dating apps. Scammers build romantic connections with their victims over weeks or months, and then start discussing their affluent lifestyle due to an investment app. Eventually, they offer investment advice and recommend a specific trading platform, encouraging the victim to invest. Initially, victims see returns, but as they invest larger amounts, the scammer starts demanding huge fees for withdrawal and then disappears with the victim's money. Despite awareness of such scams being high, many still fall prey.
New Yorkers Lost $33M in Romance Scams Last Year
NBC NEW YORK – New York had 823 people fall victim to romance scams in 2022, losing a total of $33.5M, according to a study by Social Catfish. Despite this, it was only the fourth-worst state in the US for romance scams, with California losing the most at $158M. The study also found that Americans lost a record $1.3B to romance scams last year, with a 138% increase YOY. The study identified three romance scams to watch out for: celebrity romance scams, cryptocurrency romance scams, and military romance scams.
Dating Apps Must Share Information About Threatening Behaviour, Says Australia’s eSafety Watchdog
THE GUARDIAN – Dating apps must cooperate to share information about "bad actors" using their services to abuse and harass other users, Australia's eSafety Commissioner said, as new data shows three-quarters of Australian adults reported at least one negative online experience in the last year. Julie Inman Grant said her agency may soon issue legal notices to online dating services, compelling them to report on how they are responding to violence and threats.
Online Dating Safety Bill Enters Senate
UNIVERSE – House Bill 18, requiring online dating apps based in Utah to include helpful safety tips and reminders, progressed to the Senate on Jan. 25. Adoption of this bill would also mean that dating apps would be required to disclose whether they are conducting background checks on their users.
by Anna Hair
See full article at Universe
Could Mandatory Background Checks Curb Trust Issues on Dating Apps?
GIZMODO – A roundtable discussion was held in Sydney to come up with ways to curb harassment on dating platforms. Ministers, victim-survivors, tech companies, and authorities met online with representatives of Bumble and Tinder. Australia's eSafety Commissioner, Julie Inman Grant, has warned dating apps that they need to make significant changes and improvements to protect users or face a mandatory code. She's calling on dating apps to be more transparent with their data and what additional safety measures they will implement. Bumble said it had implemented security measures in recent years including a block and report tool that allows users to report any suspicious behavior, photo verification, and Private Detector, which uses AI to detect and blur potentially crude images. The company has also released Private Detector on GitHub, allowing other apps to access the tool. Tinder has photo verification, anti-harassment prompts, and a Trust and Safety team to mediate any reports of concerning behavior on the app. The company also created the Match Group Advisory Council in 2018 to advise Tinder on preventing sexual assault, sex trafficking, and harassment.
by Nikki Main
See full article at Gizmondo
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Calls to Ban Violent Offenders From Dating Apps in Australia
1NEWS – The prolific number of sexual assaults stemming from dating apps will be spotlighted in Australia this week, with advocates and the government coming together to work on reform. Australia's Communications Minister Michelle Rowland said the government would work with states and territories to take necessary action. Asked whether dating apps were doing enough to stamp out criminal behavior, the minister said while some had their own pre-requisites, they weren't consistent across platforms. Three-quarters of Australian Institute of Criminology survey respondents had been victims of some form of online sexual violence in the past five years. One-third experienced in-person abuse from someone they met on an app, with 27% reporting incidents of sexual assault or coercion, such as drink spiking.
New ‘Pig Butcher’ Scam Has Experts Worried
NEWS.COM.AU – A new scam is starting to appear. The aptly-named "pig butchery" scam has sparked a warning from the US Federal Bureau of Investigation and sees predators develop personal, even romantic, relationships with their victims to later trick them to invest in crypto. The scammers create a fake Crypto website and make it look like victims are earning a ton of money by investing into this website. Losses of over $200K were not uncommon as a result.