PANAMA CITY, Fla. (WMBB) — With Valentine’s Day right around the corner, more people might be downloading dating apps to their phones to find a date for the holiday.
While people have success on the apps, there’s also a potential for scams and dangerous situations.
The Federal Trade Commission said social media and dating apps have been a breeding ground for online scams.
In 2021, the FTC said more than 95,000 people reported about $770 million in losses to fraud initiated on social media platforms.
“A very common thing is the financial side is where people will be posing as someone wanting to start a relationship and their main goal is just to get money from these people,” said Panama City Police Detective, Cameron Quinn. “They’ll be talking to multiple people.”
Out of that $770 million, romance scams come in at number two accounting for 24 percent of losses in 2021 according to the FTC. Quinn said these crimes are common.
“I had a gentleman that had sent several thousands of dollars to someone that he had been in a relationship online for sometime that never really gave him anything, never met them or anything like that just this online relationship that had been going on for months,” Quinn said.
But it’s not just scamming. Catfishing, where someone pretends to be who they aren’t, is another danger dating app users should look out for. Quinn said it’s important to do your research before going on a date.
“There’s the ability to search someone’s profile pictures online to run a search and see if that’s been used for other profiles and kind of looking into that person’s social media to get an idea and then ultimately, trust your gut,” Quinn said.
Quinn said if something feels funny, there’s no problem in walking away before or during a date.
He also said to look out for a lot of questions about personal details which he said could be someone trying to steal your identity.
