4. DO YOUR DETECTIVE WORK
It is so easy to set up a fake online dating profile, and with an estimated 1 in 10 accounts being fake, you need to do some digging to check if they are real.
‘Catfishing’ is common in online dating; this is where someone sets up a fake profile and tricks you into having a romance, friendship or relationship with them.
Their motives can vary from wanting to scam money out of you, targeting you as a victim of their sexual violence, trying to get information to blackmail you, trying to get nude or explicit photos for sextortion, stealing your identity, or embarrassing or shaming you by revealing your secrets and that you fell for their scam.
To avoid this you need to be cautious. Look at:
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Their bio – is there enough information
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Their photo – do a ‘reverse image search’ on Google to see where it has been used before
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If they have links to socials check them out
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If you have their full name do some Google searches on them.
If you get the feeling that they’re a bit ‘off’ or they sound too good to be true, then they probably are! Block them and move on.
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