An Inside Look At Online Dating – Could You Be Fooled?

An Inside Look

At Online Dating

Could You Be Fooled?

by Dayelle Soonuk

In our digital world, it’s not uncommon for people to have virtual relationships. Between social media sites and online dating platforms, it’s fairly easy to strike up a conversation with someone new. While there are many benefits to connecting with people online, it has its drawbacks as well. In the last few years, a growing number of people have fallen victim to deceptive, and often costly online scams.   Here are some statistics inside the world of online interacting.

• 22% of people send nudes to people thye’ve never met.
• 51% of online daters who pose as single are in a relationship.
• 42% of those on Tinder already have a partner.
• 24% of romance scammers claim they or someone close to them is sick.
• 40% of men admit to lying about their finances.
• 20% of women lie about their age.    
• Victims of romance scams in the US  lost $600M since 2022.
  

Since I am a former victim of a romance scam, I can relate.  I met Ken when he DM’ed me on Facebook and posted this gorgeous pic of himself in swimming trunks. For the three months we communicated, we never spoke on the phone … all we did was text. He was always too busy to meet. When I pressed him to talk to me, he “confessed” that he had been born without vocal cords. I was shocked, but I became suspicious. When I insisted that we meet up, he stopped all contact.

Studies show there were 50% more scam  victims last year than there were three years ago.  The question is if we know they’re scam artists out there, why are they still so alluring? For example, Catfishers use stolen photos of attractive people and impersonate them. They’re also highly skilled at manipulating others into trusting them. Some move fast while others take years developing relationships with the people they swindle. But across the board, catfishers usually share one thing in common: they always have an excuse for why they can’t meet you in person.

More Statistics  

• 44% of scammers are women.
• 24% pretend to be the opposite gender when creating a fake identity.
• 73% use photos of someone else, rather than real pictures of themselves.
• 54% of people who engage in online dating feel that the information in potential mate’s profiles is false.