Valentine's Day coming, BEWARE of romance scams! Tinder, Bumble, OkCupid- How to use safely

Valentine's Day is coming and if you are using dating apps like Tinder, Bumble, OkCupid- BEWARE! Here are a few tips to avoid becoming a victim of romance scams.

People using dating apps such as Tinder, Bumble, OkCupid usually fall for romance scams. (Wikimedia Commons )

Valentine's Day is around the corner! The excitement is in the air, but don't let it get to your head! Dangers lurk in the form of Valentine's Day romance scams on online dating apps like Tinder, Bumble, OkCupid and others. In fact, there is a huge surge in romance scams during the Valentine's week. Obviously, most people use online dating sites such as Tinder, Bumble, and OkCupid to find love. Unfortunately, due to cybercriminals, many people end up becoming victims of online romance scams. These scams usually begin with a fast-paced online relationship and ends up with an online financial crime. Here is how it works.

Scammers generally create a false identity and try to be friends with you. As the relationship develops, the scammer tries to ask for money through subterfuge. The pretext can be that the person has run into some unforeseen difficulties and they require financial help from you.

The cybersecurity firm Bull Guard called these romance fraudsters 'dead-eyed sharks' who exploit the emotional needs and caring qualities of others. The simple way to know if the person is on the dating site to build a relationship or get money from you is to try to be constantly on the watch! Be suspicious-always! If someone tries to ask for personal information or money, then probably, it's time to be sit up, exit the relationship. To ensure that you don't fall for the trap, here we have listed a few tips while using dating websites during the period leading up to Valentine's Day.

Valentine's Day tips to avoid a romance scam

• Online romance fraudsters will make great efforts to win the victims' trust, including offering gifts such as flowers, wine, chocolates, etc.
• Scammers typically want a lot of personal information but provide very little about themselves, so if someone does that, beware of them.
• They quickly want to leave the dating site or app, so that they can contact you via private messaging, email, or texting. Never share your personal numbers, email, or social media handles, unless you develop complete trust with the person.
• Fraudsters try to plan a meeting, but then will make excuses to meet at the end moment. If they try to do so, then this is another red flag for you.
• Never ever share your secret details, including bank details. No matter what story is narrated by the scammers, you need to avoid any online transaction. Even if they met you once or twice, there is a possibility that it is an attempt to build trust.