Swipe for a scam: Dating sites can be a breeding ground for financial fraud – Lifestyle News

When Shreya Dutta, 37, met Ansel on the dating app Hinge, there was little doubt. Ansel introduced himself to the Philadelphia-based engineer as a French wine trader based in Philadelphia. The conversation quickly moved to WhatsApp, where selfies and video calls ensued. Ansel removed Hinge's profile to give maximum attention to Dutta. This is rare online. But in this situation, Ansel also sold her her dream. As a result, Dutta downloaded a cryptocurrency trading app from the link he shared and ended up investing all of her savings and retirement funds, totaling $450,000 (approximately Rs. 3.6 billion). Datta's early profits gave her a lot of confidence, but she had doubts when the cryptocurrency app required her to pay personal taxes to withdraw her funds.

Dutta contacted his brother, who did a reverse image search of Ansel's photos and found they belonged to the German fitness influencer. In short, the techie was the victim of a scam using deepfake images and videos, fake cryptocurrencies and dating apps that cost Dutta his $450,000 and also left him in debt. It was a burden.

What Datta fell into was a typical pig slaughter case. Here, the victim first feigns friendship, love, and companionship before the perpetrator commits murder and siphons off the money. Through fake investment schemes such as fake cryptocurrencies. Dating apps, which are hotbeds of AI-generated deepfakes and disinformation, are often the scene of these scams. However, social media platforms often serve as a medium as well. To make matters worse, victims often fall prey to fake recovery agents.

The method of butchering a pig is simple. Perpetrators create fake social media and dating profiles and lure victims with friendly or romantic advances, luring them into making fake investments and siphoning off the money before committing murder. Last month, Nithin Kamath, co-founder of online stock trading platform Zerodha, issued a similar warning.

Regarding X, he writes: “Following the Chinese lending app scam, the latest scam by attackers in China and other Asian countries is a phishing website. The scammers are using hundreds of websites and trading apps that look similar to the Indian broker’s website. When an unwitting user clicks on an app's download link, etc., he or she is prompted to download a fake app. This is just one of hundreds of international scams that have proliferated in recent years.”

“The scale of pig slaughter fraud in India” It reaches tens of billions. “It's scary how many people fall for fake job scams, fraudulent high-return investment schemes, crypto investments, etc.,” he wrote in the post.

The rise of artificial intelligence Deepfakes, the opacity of cryptocurrencies, and even the mediums and experiences offered by dating sites and social media platforms could spell disaster. However, there are simple ways to protect yourself from pig slaughter. Here are some of them:

• First and foremost, be extremely careful when responding to text messages from people you don't know on social media or WhatsApp.or a dating site
• These scams rely heavily on emotional manipulation, so use different tactics.Follow your emotions and try not to react too quickly
• Don't click on links or download apps they share.
• Avoid investing in financial transactions such as virtual currencies and stocks.
• Remember, if a deal seems too good to be true, it probably is.So check if there are good benefits or job promises with a sense of skepticism
• If in doubt, consult an expert
• Never share personal information like financial records, Aadhaar cards, investment details, passports, etc.