Love scammers successful in the corona pandemic!

Due to the corona pandemic, people became lonely and looked for company on the internet. This makes these people an easier target for love or romance scammers.

Cyber ​​fraudsters are currently shamelessly exploiting the current user trend to make their victims financially easier with digital love fraud, the so-called love or romance scam. But how does the scam work? Who is behind it? What can those affected do? ESET security expert Thomas Uhlemann answers these and other questions in his current article on WeLiveSecurity.

Victims' shame often protects perpetrators from prosecution. Experts therefore suspect that the number of unreported cases is very high. But according to ESET, criminals are also lurking in social networks, even on business portals such as Xing or LinkedIn.

“The damage caused by digital love fraudsters runs into the millions. False profiles on dating sites or social networks give victims false hope. People’s loneliness is exploited and fantastic stories are spun to get them to make financial transactions,” explains Thomas Uhlemann, ESET Security Specialist. “However, a healthy degree of suspicion and following a few simple tips protects against this scam.”

The fraudster's scam

The criminals usually specifically look for lonely people. Men and women are equally affected. The fraudsters are not only lurking on dating platforms, but are also active on Facebook & Co., and recently also on Xing and LinkedIn. Many users carelessly set their profiles to “publicly visible” and choose inadequate privacy settings. This makes selecting a potential target very easy. The victim is then addressed with a fake profile. The processes are always very similar. Trust and intimacy is built over time. Once this has happened, it’s time to “cash in”. With flimsy arguments: Be it the lack of money for a plane ticket, tuition fees or customs import fees for industrial goods into Germany. Unfortunately, the creativity of fraudsters is limitless. If the victim becomes suspicious or runs out of money, contact breaks off very quickly.

In his current article on WeLiveSecurity, ESET security expert Thomas Uhlemann sheds light on the fraudsters' scams, what those affected can do and how users can protect themselves:

Four tips to protect yourself from love scammers

• Protect privacy: In the settings of the various portals, you should specify exactly who is allowed to see personal information. Under no circumstances should the profile be publicly visible.
• Be economical with information: If you use public profiles, post as few personal details as possible. Location, relationship status and similar information can be exploited by fraudsters.
• Beware of fake profiles: Even paid dating platforms do not protect against false profiles. Provide as little information as necessary.
• Be suspicious: If you receive messages from strangers, remain suspicious. You can easily identify fake profiles using Google reverse image search. All you have to do is upload the photo to the search engine, after which it will be compared with millions of images on the Internet.

Source: Press release / ESET Deutschland GmbH

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