As Tinder Swindler went popular on Netflix globally, people pursuing romance expect dating platforms to adopt more strict fraud identity policies.
One of the things that dating platforms can do is mobile identification. It is to verify the mobile phone number of the user.
Online Dating Is Growing
According to a survey, there are 44.2 million online dating users in the US. In 2024, the number of global online dating users is estimated to be 276.9 million. The covid-19 has changed dating ways. The quarantine declines offline dating, thus boosting online dating.
The growing users give swindlers more opportunities to do the fraud since dating is the occasion where people easily unload the defense, in the eager expectation of finding "true love". Men and women can both be victims. The swindler is skilled at creating a charming character setting, fooling people into a romantic fantasy.
What Can Dating Platforms Do?
Creating a safe environment where users can build trusted relationships is an essential task for dating platforms. One of the crucial procedures to control the risk is identifying the swindler. These people usually put similar information on different accounts to do the fraud. Therefore, once the fraud is reported, the platform is responsible to block it eternally.
The question is how to identify the same swindler when they change another account.
The first move shall be mobile phone number identification. There are cloud communication platforms that provide mobile identification services which can identify the phone number with a history of illegal activities. If dating platforms cooperate with this kind of service, they can control the fraud from registering.
The second move is photo identification. The swindlers would use their real photos since it is highly possible that they commit the fraud offline. Some technologies can check and identify the same person or look very alike photos. The dating platforms can get this service from related technology companies.
What Shall Users Do?
According to The Federal Trade Commission of America, there are 4 things users can do to prevent fraud.
1. Nobody legit will ever ask you to help by sending cryptocurrency, giving the numbers on a gift card, or by wiring money. Anyone who does is a scammer.
2. Never send or forward the money to someone you haven’t met in person, and don’t act on their investment advice.
3. Talk to friends or family about a new love interest and pay attention if they’re concerned.
4. Try a reverse-image search of profile pictures. If the details don’t match up, it’s a scam.
Closing
It is difficult to doubt someone, especially after they have spent money on you and committed so-called romantic relationships with you. However, we still need to think of the possibility of fraud and control the risk. Can I bear the result if I do as they asked, whether they are swindlers or not?
The dating platforms shall also take the responsibility of decreasing the fraud risk. If an account is being complained about too many times by different users, the platform shall look into the issue and take the necessary actions. If the information provided involves possible illegal activities, it is also important for dating platforms to block the account from the beginning.
