BY C STONE | STONE NEWS NETWORK
Many people are tempted by the lure of online dating without knowing the facts. Unfortunately, now more than ever, there are more scammers out there infesting online dating apps and sites than ever before.
It only takes a few days for new users to realize this. The technique scammers use can be simple and elaborate. For the simple scams, they tend to ask for your personal e-mail address or cell number. Afterwards, they text you a suspicious web site where you have to "verify your credentials" for "safety".
There's a form there, which, at first glance, seems simple enough - but hidden in the form is a field for your credit card information. Scammers hope you are stupid enough to fill this out. Because if you do, it'll end up being a very expensive lesson. Scammers usually attempt this for people fresh on the app.
The more elaborate scammers use the romance slant: Aiming to build a profile, often showing an attractive man or woman, who seems very intelligent and kind on the application. These people cultivate your trust and try to build up a relationship built off text or non-existent communication.
Often, these unscrupulous thieves attack the most vulnerable people: Widows, those who are "newly divorced' or "18 and active" on the app. The lure of online dating makes these scammers impossible to block completely. Even when using websites to reverse-image people, it's possible to use artificial intelligence to create believable people. And they won't show up in reverse image searches.
Take a look below - does this woman look real?
And yet, people fall for this every day. They can create images using free artificial intelligence tools that are easy to use and hard to replicate using manual imaging techniques.
Dating apps are also expensive. While you can easily use Tinder or Bumble without a subscription, you'll have a tough time screening people or knowing who liked you. This is key when using dating apps.
Dating apps are made to be addictive and provide sounds similar to the experience of a slot machine: When you get a new like on Tinder, it chimes seductively and shows an alert in green - similar to the color of money. You're incentivized to keep the app running and allowing notifications. These are two mistakes most people make. The very first step everyone should make is by disabling the notification sounds and turning off notifications. Shut the application off and only dedicate maybe 30 minutes a day to the app.
Having used Tinder for over a year and with zero success, it's soul-crushing. To be fair, it was nice having likes on a profile, but the time spent on this app - and many dating apps - are really challenging to justify. Don't think moving from one app to another will get any better - usually, moving to the lower-population apps, or "free" ones, you'll get - quite frankly - very ugly people.
But if your standards are low, and all you can do is right-swipe, maybe Tinder is for you. I might consider firing up this app in December to begin a journalistic article for Stone News Network.
Stay tuned.
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