A cautionary catfish tale
Fraud can be emotional as well as financial – and sometimes even both at the same time, especially when a catfish is involved.
Research into millions of online dating profiles showed that 10% of new profiles created were fake. So when you ‘swipe right’, how can you make sure the person is genuine?
Romance scams/catfish are said to have collectively cost victims billion of pounds so it’s always worth being on your guard and making sure the person who are chatting with is who they appear to be, especially if they try and ask for money.
Sometimes the motive is less clear, as this story on CNET reveals, after 16 women were all persuaded to meet the same fictitious person at the same bar in Sydney at the same time.
The FBI suggests performing a Google search on your potential date’s name and image to check they’re legitimate and to never send money to someone you’ve met online but not in real life.
In the UK, Action Fraud has advice on how to date safely.
Conflict International has decades of experience in surveillance as a means of gathering intelligence on someone who might be scamming you. We can deploy professional investigators to uncover their digital movements as part of an investigation.
To discuss a particular case or our services in more detail, please contact us in confidence on +44 (0)20 7917 2939 or email [email protected]
