Dating apps got very popular at the start of the pandemic and continue to be used frequently. However, using dating apps can be risky. You never know who you’re really talking to or what their intentions are.
Some people many have the intention of romancing you to try to get money from you. Casey Schilperoort the public information officer for the Yakima County Sheriff’s Office says many cases of romance scam are similar.
“Usually it’s someone who’s on the other side of the country or lives in a different country all together or is in the military and can’t make it, for whatever reason, can’t make it to the person they’re sending messages to,” Schilperoort said.
The suspect is usually quick to say they love you and often wants to move the conversation off the dating app and onto texting or Whatsapp.
Schilperoort said there’s only a couple of romance scams that get reported in Yakima per year and there are things you can look out for if something feels off. This includes recognizing commonly used lines.
“It’s maybe I need taxi fare my credit card isn’t working, you know, send me some money or hey I wanna fly out and see you can you send me airfare tickets,” Schilperoort said.
The United States Postal Inspection Service also lists a few steps people can take to try to avoid scammers. This includes googling them, keeping personal details to yourself and take it slow and look for inconsistencies in the other person’s profile and the information they share.
Schilperoort said the best policy you can follow is never give money to people you don’t know.
Aside from scams, you can also encounter people that may be a bit strange.
Rachel Gordon used a popular dating app and said she went a few dates with a guy who had a strange obsession.
“He had an obsession with a koala bear that he got on Valentine’s Day, its name is Kevin,” Gordon said. “Shout out to Kevin the Koala.”
Gordon said they decided to be friends and she started seeing more and more red flags.
“I got out of a pretty toxic relationship over the summer and I’m not really good at picking up red flags, but I collected this like it was flag football,” Gordon said.
She no longer uses dating apps but advises people that do to be cautious.
“Never give them your address the first time you’re meeting somebody, always get to the location you’re meeting up before them and have them approach the building instead of your walking in together.” Gordon said.
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