Summary
The match between social distancing caused by the pandemic and the ease of virtual transactions on the internet has caused an explosion in the number of scams applied through dating apps in the last year. The crimes committed range from persecution and threats to robbery and homicide. All of them, however, rely on the same facilitator: the virtual platforms that help promote dating.
On 13 March, a Brazilian Army colonel was released from captivity where he was being held by criminals. He is just one of the victims of new scam known as the love scam or the Tinder scam. During such events, criminals create profiles on dating apps and start chatting with potential victims. After a period of conversation, the criminals arrange a meeting. When the victim arrives at the marked location, they are surprised by criminals who take them into captivity.
The goal is to steal the car and other belongings, but mainly to access bank apps to make transfers via PIX and take out loans. When bank accounts are emptied the victim is released.
How the scam happens
Meeting someone with the help of a dating app has become a common practice. Technology has made it even simpler,’ it is just necessary to download the app, create a profile, and start chatting with people that the app indicates. After talking for a while, the next step is to arrange a face-to-face meeting. But what seems simple and only a convenience made possible by technology has also become an opportunity for criminals to act.
In these cases, criminals use a “bait” to hook victims. According to the São Paulo Public Security Secretariat (SSP-SP), criminals create fake profiles, sometimes using someone real, and handpick the victim — users who show-off economic power on social networks. After some conversations, they arrange a meeting in remote places, in the supposed bait’s house. When the victim arrives, they are surrendered and held captive. Meanwhile, criminals get all the money from bank accounts through the banking apps on the victim’s cell phone.
Victims profile
On 1 January, a 43-year-old businessman was kidnapped and lost more than R$1.1 million after setting up a date with a woman. Upon arriving at the agreed location, he was approached by three men and held in captivity, in addition to being tortured for about 17 hours. The victim was released the following day by the Military Police.
In his testimony, the man said he was robbed of R$ 1 million in undue bank transfers. He also said that three cell phones valued at R$17,000, documents, bank cards and his car were stolen.
He fits the profile of victims released by the police. Who are usually middle-aged or older financially successful men. They are people over 40, single or married, who have some property. Most attract the victim through Tinder, with seductive messages and a request to meet as soon as possible.
They are also chosen according to the information they pass on, such as photos and profession. The main targets are those who post photos on international trips and next to luxury cars. Meetings are usually scheduled in more remote neighbourhoods between late afternoon and early evening.
What has drawn the most attention of São Paulo police is the frequency of cases of men with high purchasing power and academic education who fall for these scams because they agree to go to more distant neighbourhoods to have romantic encounters.
Numbers in São Paulo
Believing he was having a date with a woman, a 46-year-old man from São Paulo went to Itaquaquecetuba, in the metropolitan area, but ended up being kidnapped and forced to transfer R$ 13,000, via Pix, to criminals. The case took place on 25 November 2022, and entered the statistics that confirm the 143.5% increase in extortion by kidnapping crimes in São Paulo in 2022. The data was released by the Public Security Secretariat (SSP).
Last year (2022), Interpol issued an alert to 194 member countries of the global surveillance agency, including Brazil, for the increase in scams through dating apps. Since then, the perception of lawyers, police officers and public safety specialists is that this type of crime is only increasing, even though there are no specific statistics for this type of scam, extortion by kidnapping has been used to measure this since it falls in this category.
In 2022, the state of São Paulo recorded a total of 56 cases of extortion by kidnapping – the highest number in the last five years. In 2020 there were 10 cases and in 2021, 23. For Instituto Sou da Paz, the significant increase, with more than twice as many occurrences, may be related to the greater circulation of people after the hardest period of Covid-19. This type of violent crime has grown in the state with the reopening process with the improvement of the pandemic scenario. It is important to note that, in 2022, São Paulo capital concentrated 44 of the 56 occurrences of extortion by kidnapping, that is, 78% of these crimes.
São Paulo Public Security Secretariat (SSP) affirms that more than 90% of the kidnappings registered in São Paulo are made from false profiles created in dating applications such as Tinder. It is like saying that 9 out of 10 occurrences of the type happen after dates set up on the apps.
The police also believe that there is underreporting of these crimes for several reasons. The first is shame that the victim often has to file a police report to register the case. Sometimes this is caused by them being in a relationship or feeling like they were naive to fall for such a scam. Victims in serious relationships often prefer not to say they fell for the “Tinder scam” so their partner doesn’t find out. The most common thing is for these victims to say that they were robbed on the street and then kidnapped.
What the police have to say
The Public Security Secretariat of São Paulo (SSP-SP) is developing a protocol to face the love scam. The police forces will work together, with exchange of information, against kidnappings that start in relationship apps. The protocol was not detailed to preserve the work method and police intelligence, but, according to the São Paulo state government, it already presents good results in tests of its pilot project. Since the beginning of the year (2023), 50 kidnappers have already been arrested. One of the main points is negotiating with banks to activate location during transfers via pix.
For the Secretary of Public Security, Guilherme Derrite, the creation of a protocol is necessary because we are facing a new criminal modality that has grown a lot.
Civil Police agrees that the lack of cooperation from dating app companies is the main factor that hinders the fight against kidnapping gangs. Tinder, Happn and Inner Circle were identified by investigations as the main applications used by criminals to attract victims and, as companies are foreign, it is very difficult to establish a dialogue.
Love bombing
Romance scams also gained momentum with the increased use of dating sites during the pandemic. This modality is characterized when there is abuse of trust, conquered by a relationship of affection, to obtain some illicit advantage. Lawyer specializing in women’s law, Anuska de Castro Schaffer, explains that, in these cases, the criminals exploit the feelings that the victim has for them through manipulation or coercion to win gifts, money, real estate and other goods.
The most used technique is love bombing. A very intense approximation to the point of causing a kind of blindness in the victim. The scammer uses this strategy to attract the victim into the relationship. Over time, requests for bank transfers, joint account and emptying of goods start. In many cases, scammers can hide behind fake profiles, but they don’t necessarily bother to hide.
In this sense, the lawyer points out that it is necessary to pay attention to the first signs. When the person tries to promote a quick involvement, with many promises, you have to be suspicious. Furthermore, before the victim goes to the police station, she also recommends seeking professional help to avoid revictimization or embarrassment by police operators.
The Chamber of Deputies approved in August 2022 a project that increases the penalty for scam and that typifies the crime of romance scam – when the victim, in exchange for a promise of an affective relationship, delivers goods and values to the other person. The text was approved in a symbolic vote and is now being analysed in the Senate.
The project also increases the penalty for those who commit scams, a crime of obtaining an illicit advantage for themselves or another person, to the detriment of others, inducing or keeping someone in error through some artifice or fraudulent means. Today, it is punished with imprisonment from one to five years and a fine. The bill changes the penalty to imprisonment from two to six years and a fine. The bill also adds to the Penal Code the crime of romance scam with the same punishments.
How to protect yourself
Preamble
Firstly, by setting-up limits to the amount of authorised money transfer in your banking apps!
Secondly, by avoiding meet people through dating apps! However, this seems difficult and a Karspersky survey polled more than 18,000 individuals across 27 countries, of which 84% reported either using a dating app or having used it in the past. Thus, keep in mind that these platforms, while facilitating emotional and physical connection between users, are also an opportunity for scammers.
Protect your profile
- Avoid sharing other social media accounts to your profile as well as personal data
- If possible, select your location manually
- When you are no longer using the app, delete or hide your profile. This prevents your location from continuing to be shared without you knowing
- Use the app’s built-in chat. This keeps your information logged and protected
During the online conversation
- Search or ask for the person’s profile on other social networks, such as Instagram and Facebook
- Search the photos on Google. To do this, just take the person’s photo and do a Google search (https://images.google.com) and choose the option “find the source of the image”. Then choose all sizes. If it is someone fake, it is possible that the photo appears several times as a result
- Take your time. Get to know the person better before agreeing to meet
- Chat via video call
- Make sure your match has online identity verification, ensuring they are who they say they are
- Never send money or financial information
- Report the user to the app’s security centre in cases of harassment, stalking, catfishing or financial scams
During the date
- Meet in public places, like the food court in a mall
- Do not accept to meet on the street, at the person’s door or on quiet location
- Let friends and family know where, when and with whom you are going
- Have your cell phone charged and always with you
- Go with your own transport
- Limit alcohol consumption and do not leave drinks or personal items unattended
- Be aware of possible warning signs from the other person: if they spend a lot of time on their cell phone, if they are answering messages when talking to you, if they are looking outside, if they are worried about the time. These are all indications that a crime can happen
- Leave when you feel uncomfortable
What if I fall for a scam?
Register the occurrence at the police station. Many victims end up not informing the police out of embarrassment and, as a result, underreporting of this type of crime is recurrent. Regardless of the feeling of shame, it is important for the police to know and be able to act.
