Online dating, romance scam victims report Rs 7,966 loss on average in India

Online dating and romance scam victims now report a loss of Rs 7,966 on average in India and two-thirds of Indian adults (66 per cent) have fallen victim to an online dating/romance scam, a report showed on Thursday.

According to the report by cyber-security company Norton, 76 per cent of adults in India who used a dating app say they have cut their interaction short by unmatching or declining a date with someone on a dating app after uncovering unsettling information about them.

Common reasons for doing so include finding pictures of them online that were disturbing (32 per cent), finding out the person lied about their personal details (25 per cent), finding pictures of them online that did not align with their dating profile pictures (24 per cent), finding social media posts that were disturbing (24 per cent), or because they found the person's job title (20 per cent).

"People seeking connection and romantic relationships online often get tricked into dating scams," said Ritesh Chopra, Director Sales and Field Marketing, India & SAARC Countries, Gen.

The report by Norton, a leading cyber safety brand of Gen, 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," Chopra added.

The findings revealed that 79 per cent of Indian adults who have used a dating website/app admit to taking some kind of action after matching with a potential partner online, including looking up their social media profiles, looking up their profile on a professional networking site, looking up their friends or family on social media, typing their name into a search engine or paying to run a background check on them. - IANS