BBB Scam Alert: Swiping right on Tinder? Watch out for cryptocurrency scams

Milwaukee, Wis. – As if dating wasn’t difficult enough already! Cryptocurrency scams are targeting people on popular dating sites and apps, such as Tinder. Don’t let your quest for love blind you to red flags.

How the scam works

You “swipe right” on an attractive man or woman on a dating app, and the app instantly matches you with them. After starting up a conversation, the alleged mate quickly takes the conversation off the platform and to a texting app, such as WhatsApp or WeChat.

Once on the texting app, the scammer starts talking about how they have a family member who is a successful cryptocurrency investor. This person has inside trading information that could make you rich! Your new love interest encourages you to take advantage of this “exclusive opportunity.” All you need to do is deposit money in a cryptocurrency trading platform. But once you make a deposit, the money is gone forever. Your new “love” blocks you on all platforms and stops replying to your messages.

One victim reported to BBB Scam Tracker that after talking to a woman on Tinder, she persuaded him to invest on a fake trading cryptocurrency platform. When he tried to withdraw his money, the funds were automatically reversed back into his account. The feature was allegedly a “system security” to help prevent money laundering. The victim was then told the account needed to have a minimum balance of $3,000 before he could withdraw funds. After trying several times, the victim was unable to recoup his money.

Protect yourself from this scam

• Never send money or personal information to someone you’ve never met in person. If they continue to pressure you to invest on a crypto trading platform, research the investment platform first.
• Communicate on the dating app. If a love interest appears to be in a hurry to get off the dating app to an unsecured chat app, that is a red flag.
• Ask specific questions about details given in a profile. A scammer may stumble over remembering details or making a story fit.
• Research the dating profile. Many scammers steal photos from the web to use in their profiles. Conduct a reverse image lookup using a website like tineye.com or images.google.com to see if the photos on a profile are stolen from somewhere else. Search online for a profile name, email, or phone number to see what adds up and what doesn’t. Report what you find to the dating app.

For more information

Learn about money mule scams on the Federal Bureau of Investigations website. Also, read about a romance scam that involved tricking victims into sending CARES Act money.

If you’ve been the victim of scam, please report it to BBB Scam Tracker. Your report can help others to stay alert and avoid similar scams.

For more information or further inquiries, contact the Wisconsin BBB at www.bbb.org/wisconsin, 414-847-6000 or 1-800-273-1002. Consumers also can find more information about how to protect themselves from scams by following the Wisconsin BBB on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

ABOUT BBB: For more than 100 years, the Better Business Bureau has been helping people find businesses, brands and charities they can trust. In 2020, people turned to BBB more than 220 million times for BBB Business Profiles on 6.2 million businesses and Charity Reports on 11,000 charities, all available for free at BBB.org. There are local, independent BBBs across the United States, Canada and Mexico, including BBB Serving Wisconsin which was founded in 1939 and serves the state of Wisconsin.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.