Security News > 2022 > June > LGBTQ+ folks warned of dating app extortion scams

In September, the bureau said such schemes usually include initial contact through dating apps or other social media sites and, through creating an online relationship with the targeted victim, the scammer pitches a cryptocurrency investment or other trading opportunities promising significant profits.

Nicole Hoffman, senior cyberthreat intelligence analyst with cybersecurity vendor Digital Shadows, told The Register that romance scams are among the most common financially motivated cybercrimes, and prey on emotions and rely on social engineering.

These sextortion scams being perpetrated on the LGBTQ+ community through dating apps are different, with crooks using fake profiles to trick victims into compromising themselves by sharing explicit photos that are then used against them.

"To avoid these types of scams, be careful not to overshare on social media and dating apps. Look out for red flags such as requests for money or pressure to share photos or videos. Avoid using your webcam as attackers can use the footage against you."

Patrick Harr, CEO of anti-phishing firm SlashNext, told The Register his company has Pride Month threats in its database, most of which are scams for streaming Pride events or scams on the Fansly fan site.

The FTC also warned people not to share personal information with someone they just met on a dating app, check out the person they're talking to - including running reverse image searches of the profile picture to determine if it's associated with another scam - and not to pay the extortion money.

News URL

https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2022/06/27/ftc-lgbtq-extortion/