How much Money are Indians Losing to Online Dating Scams?

Leading cybersecurity company Norton has published findings about Indian consumers’ online behaviour. It highlighted that many have fallen victim to online dating scams.

According to Norton, 76% of adults in India who have used a dating app said they cut their interaction short by unmatching or declining a date with someone after uncovering unsettling information about them.

When analysing the reasoning why online daters cut their time with someone short, 32% of respondents said they found strange pictures of them online.

According to 25% of respondents, a second reason for cutting a possible love story short was finding out the person was deceptive and lied about their details.

For 24% of respondents, they stopped when they found pictures of a person online that did not align with their dating profile picture.

For 20% of respondents, people cut interaction short with a love interest because they found the person’s job title.

Research has found that nearly three out of four victims suffer financial losses due to such scams, losing an average of Rs. 7,900 (£80).

The survey findings revealed that 79% of Indian adults who have used a dating website/app claimed to take some kind of action after matching with a potential partner online.

Almost half (49%) of participants looked up a potential partner’s social media profile(s).

For 27% of participants, they looked up their friends or family on social media.

A quarter of respondents typed their potential partner’s name into a search engine.

In a surprise finding, 22% of participants paid to run a background check on potential partners.

Ritesh Chopra, Director of Sales and Field Marketing, India & SAARC Countries, Gen, commented on the findings:

“We discovered external information outside of the dating app can often cut interaction with a potential match short, with many online daters uncovering their love interest has been spinning a tale of lies and deception.

“It is important to be cautious about sharing private information and be wary of potential scammers pretending to be looking for love.”

How can you prevent falling victim to a romance or dating scam online?

Social media may be a primary technique used by con artists to find their victims.

Here are some actions you can do on social media to protect yourself against online dating scams.

• Make your social media profile private – Social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram give you the option of making your profile and posts visible to friends only. Choosing this setting keeps others from seeing what you’re posting and can help protect your privacy.
• Be wary of friend invites you get – Strangers may be more than just online dating scammers, they may be using a fictitious account to collect user data to commit crimes.
• Maintain the security software on your computer – Keeping your laptop’s software updated helps protect you against other dangers like viruses, ransomware, and phishing scams in general.