With a new year under way, many Brits have found themselves heading back on dating apps to look for love.
However, Elaine Parker, CEO & Founder at Safer Date has warned that you may not be chatting to who you think you are.
Elaine created her site, Safer Date, after suffering horrific abuse from a man she met online.
And she warns others could be put in the same situation she was, as popular dating sites aren’t being regulated.
Talking exclusively to Daily Star, the Newcastle-based businesswoman said: “Without a doubt, dating apps need to be doing more to prevent romance fraudsters.
“The amount that’s lost to romance fraud year-on-year is huge. In the UK alone, citizens lost £92million last year.
“Dating sites aren’t held accountable for it at the moment and it needs to change.”
(Image: Supplied)
Elaine says that at the ‘bare minimum’ ID checks need to be brought in.
She told us: “There’s so many fake profiles and so much anonymity on these online dating sites, people will just reinvent themselves time and time again.
“This includes fraudsters, sex offenders… pretty much any criminal.
“They can whoever they want online as there’s no checks at all.
“It’s even harder to trace them and hold them accountable for a crime after it’s happened if there’s no ID checks.”
(Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto)
Elaine says she created Safer Date to try and ‘revolutionise online dating to make it safer for everyone by protecting people from online predators’.
She calls Safer Date the ‘safest dating app in the world’, saying the company does real-time ID checks and global criminal background checks on every member, regardless of gender before they’re allowed to join the dating site.
“We prevent fake profiles, criminals and catfish before they even get onto the app,” she says.
Elaine says the company is often thanked by users for trying to tackle romance fraud.
And she says other sites need to follow in their footsteps, as the situation is only ‘getting worse’.
(Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto)
“Online dating crimes have risen by 382% last five years, so it’s very scary,” she said.
“There’s no legal standards, so it’s only going to get worst.
“Everyone should follow in our footsteps and at least do ID checks.”
Elaine says that there is often a formula romance fraudsters use that you can look out for if you’re on dating apps.
She says: “They’re often first to make contact and have an attractive picture.
“They’ll ask a lot of questions, which makes people feel special, however what they’re really trying to do is get as much personal information as they can to use it against you.”
She added: “The conversation also usually turns romantic really quickly and often goes on for weeks.
“They they’ll give you a story and ask you for money.
“It may be that they’re in the armed forces and stuck in another country as they say they need money to get home.
“That’s a favourite, with them often using a picture of a handsome soldier.
“Or they could say they have a relative who is ill that they need to travel back for and see.”
Elaine also says it’s not just men or women singularly who are target, so warned everyone should be vigilant.
“It’s not gender specific,” she warned, adding: “Fraudsters prey on loneliness and kindness and then dupe people out of their life savings.”
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