AARP Calls for Online Dating Sites to Crack Down on Fraud after Americans Lose $82 Million to Scammers in Just Six Months.

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Launches Petition Supporting New Safeguards.

With romance scammers using the Internet to rob Americans of an estimated $82 million in the last half of 2014, AARP’s Fraud Watch Network called on the online dating industry to institute new safeguards to better protect their users. AARP is also inviting its members and the general public to become involved in the campaign by signing an online petition.

Demonstrating the ease with which online dating con artists currently operate, the June/July edition of AARP The Magazine contains the compelling story of one victim who was robbed of hundreds of thousands of dollars in a romance fraud.

“Individual scammers and highly organized groups attempt to steal hearts and wallets from online dating site users every day,” said Doug Shadel, a Fraud Watch Network expert who also serves as AARP Washington state director. “The sites don’t yet do enough to protect their members from known scammers. Our petition asks the companies to take commonsense steps to help put a stop to the scammers’ abilities to prey on the unsuspecting.”

The FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center reports that romance scams cost Americans more than $82 million in losses during the last six months of 2014. To combat such losses, specific anti-fraud measures the Fraud Watch Network urges the online dating sites to implement include:

• Employ algorithms to detect suspicious language patterns used by scammers.
• Search for fake profiles across multiple dating websites.
• Issue alerts to any member who has been in contact with someone using a fraudulent profile.
• Educate members with tips on how to avoid romance scammers.

 

“Dating sites could do more to protect consumers from known scammers,” said Terry Snyder, AARP Alaska State President. “We are urging dating sites to crack down on scammers, issue early warning alerts, and educate members. We are also asking Alaskans to sign our petition so we can pressure online dating sites to help stop scammers from stealing hearts and raiding bank accounts of unsuspecting consumers.” Click here for the petition.

As part of the campaign, the AARP Fraud Watch Network has posted tips to advise dating site members how to avoid online scams. One handy tip is: Before you engage with anyone on a dating site, use Google’s “search by image” feature to see if that person’s image shows up in other places using a different name. If an email from a potential suitor seems suspicious, cut and paste it into Google and see if the words pop up on any romance scam sites. Consumers can learn more for themselves, their friends and family members at the AARP Fraud Watch Network.


Watch one woman’s story at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2K5ORO3wm5A&feature=youtu.be