Dating sites are popular not only among singles, but also among hackers and internet criminals.  Banks, corporations and government websites are becoming less interesting hacking targets. Attacking online dating sites and working around its users is the new trend. And, there’s a reason for that.

Criminal networks have large databases of potential scamming victims, and most of them have something in common: they are users of online dating sites or social media. As dating platforms and social media keeps growing and adapting themselves to new technology, the less private and secure they are, and the more in danger its users are. It is hard to calculate or even to imagine how much profit an online criminal could make out of Facebook’s dating app after knowing all the flaws that Facebook itself has had over the course of the years, and how carelessly they have addressed all the privacy issues derived from the use of their platform.  If the site does not take its users safety and privacy seriously, the more chances an online criminal will have to exploit its users.

Regardless of which dating platform people use, for a criminal it is more profitable to lure someone into providing funds voluntarily by manipulating them than trying to steal money out of a vaulted corporate system. In many cases, the victim never even knows they have been a victim.  In addition to cash, criminals also access private data and steal bank account information, identities and more.  Russian romance criminals with experience can scam thousands of dollars each week out of individual victims in the U.S., U.K., Canada and Australia, and keep this situation going for years, while hacking a big company can be much more difficult and with greater chances to be exposed and arrested.

How do internet criminals profit out of dating sites?

The answer is simple: social engineering. Social engineering is the art of manipulating people so they give up confidential information or agree to providing financial assistance for any given reason, the latter being love in the dating sites context.

Criminals use social engineering tactics because it is usually easier to exploit people’s natural inclination to trust than it is to discover ways to hack software.  When victims are engaged, there is a lot of profit to be made without having to steal directly from their bank account.

But cash is not the only thing that internet criminals want. Private investigators in Russia say that criminals are also seeking information and gateways to move their funds around from one place to another without being caught. That is why they would want to obtain passwords and bank information, or access to a victim’s computer. Because they also need ways to launder money and reorganize their assets in ways that leave no trace and seem natural.

If you are a dating site user, what can you do to avoid being a victim?

The security of most dating websites is very poor. Banks invest a lot of money in making secure websites, because they know they are a target and there will always be hackers trying to access people’s accounts. But online dating sites do not feel the same about security. Since they don’t deal with money, their concept of safety is posting an article on avoiding scams, but there is little or no security.

What can you do as a user?  Security is all about knowing who and what to trust. It is important to know when and when not to take a person at their word and when the person you are communicating with is who they say they are.  A dating background check in Russia is an excellent tool to know if the person you are interested in is trustworthy and who they claim to be.

Another important step to avoid being scammed is to be very selfish about the information shared online, whether it is in the dating platform or in other social media sites. The more a fraudster knows about a victim, the easier it will be to manipulate them.

Rather than stopping online dating, know the risks and take steps to protect yourself.  Contact us for a free quote if you met someone in Russia. It is better to be safe than sorry.

C. Wright
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