Lonely hearts scams rely on the fact that people want to believe, so don't get caught looking for love in all the wrong places this Valentine's Day.
Online dating sites understandably see a traffic spike in the lead up to Valentine's Day as those of us unlucky in love decide to give it one more chance. Last Valentine's Day was Tinder's busiest day ever but unfortunately it's also a busy time for online scammers – Aussies lost almost $23 million to romance scams in 2015, with more than $4.4 million lost during February alone.
Scammers are becoming more technologically sophisticated, they're even known to use stolen webcam footage to give themselves another face and voice changer software to fake a local accent. One tell-tale sign is that they tend to blame a computer glitch on the fact that their audio and video are delayed and not in sync.
The warning signs are often there, people just don't want to see them. So how do you know that you or someone you care about is being scammed? Like most online scams, be on the lookout for something which seems too good to be true.
"The best tip for avoiding online dating scams is to follow your gut, if something doesn't seem right, it's probably not," says Nick FitzGerald – senior research fellow with security provider ESET.
"Every year we see a spike in online dating activity around Valentine's Day. Unfortunately, this rise in traffic gives cybercriminals extra incentive to deploy scams. People need to stay extra vigilant and pay attention to the warning signs."
Fake profiles are a common scam, aiming to sneak malware onto your computer is an effort steal passwords and other sensitive information. Alternatively the scammer might send you photo of themselves as a link, hoping you click the link to visit a website or download a file which infects your computer.
While security software might protect you from malware, unfortunately scammers' other techniques are more nefarious and more difficult to block with technological countermeasures.
Sometimes romance scams are a long con designed to get you to hand over more and more money. Perhaps they claim to need the cash so they can flee their own country and join you in Australia, to pay off a debt or to cover the medical bills of a sick relative.
Identity phishing is another risk, with scammers slowly piecing together enough information about you to steal your identity – perhaps with the goal of opening a credit card in your name. Then there are the blackmailers, hoping to convince victims to send intimate images or undress in front of a webcam and then threat to publish them on your social media accounts if you don't pay up.
A healthy skepticism is your best line of defence and FitzGerald says the red flags to watch out for include;
If they come on too strong. Beware if they say they "I love you" or "you're my soulmate" after only a few hours or days of chatting online.
If they ask you for money. If you decline and they lose interest straight away it's very likely they were a scammer.
If they're never willing to speak on the phone or are keen to take communication off the dating site. Many scammers pretend to be from English speaking countries, so a phone conversation would easily blow their cover. Scammers will also try to take communications off the site as most monitor conversations for likely fraudsters.
If their social media profiles have only just been created. If you're Googling your new found friend and they've only recently joined Facebook, your suspicions should be raised. A Google Image search might reveal that their photos have been borrowed.
If they ask you for specific personal information. They might not just be phishing for your home address and financial information, they might also be hoping to snare the answers to typical security questions such as your mother's maiden name, favourite pet or first school.
It might all sounds like common sense, but scammers rely on the fact the people looking for love tend to think with their heart rather than their head. Have you or someone you know been scammed? Should you have seen the signs?
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