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.
Category: Scammer
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.
How Online Dating Scams Work – and Who Gets Targeted
WALL STREET JOURNAL – Americans reported losing ~$1.3B in romance-related fraud from 2017 to 2021, according to the FTC, greater than any other category of fraud tracked by the agency. Scammers typically target older, poorer, less educated and single people. Women are reported to lose more significant sums of money. In the majority of cases, the victims are older than 40, with 50 to 59 being the most vulnerable. Data also suggest that the degree of financial loss increases with the age of the victim. Dating sites should have built-in technical trust-building mechanisms. Simple two-factor authentication can substantially reduce the number of fake accounts by weeding out less-sophisticated scammers. The industry also needs to develop a web-assurance seal program – an outside agency that monitors and ensures that sites comply with the policies.
Garbo Offers Free Background Checks on Match Group Apps
YAHOO FINANCE – Online daters using one of Match Group's apps can now use Garbo's online background check service to screen potential dates. Garbo searches typically cost $3.25 each, but the web-based app is providing complimentary background checks to Match Group's free and premium subscribers. Garbo focuses on flagging subjects for dating violence convictions, registries on sexual offense databases, and fraud offenses.