By Chetrice Mosley Romero

Looking for love and finding that “special someone” is an experience – not unlike a lot of things in life – comes with a lot of emotion.  If you’re someone who’s found love online, congratulations!

According to Vox – Tinder, already being the most downloaded app in the world, recently hit three billion swipes in one day and it has continued to surpass that number 130 more times since March of 2020. Activity is only increasing on dating apps like Tinder, Bumble and Hinge. Likewise, the frequency of people experiencing an invasion of their privacy is rising, not only with the companies storing your information, but from other users as well.

While the goal may be to find love, instead many come across romance scammers attempting to trick them, especially if it could lead to sending money.

Interacting with unreliable dating profiles can create some complications and complexities, since users are more than capable of creating fake dating profiles. Romance scammers often communicate with targets on other platforms as well, as a way of building someone’s trust, even as they create a false relationship and the appearance of being financially stable.

The FTC further notes that romance scammers often lie about living or traveling outside of the United States; working on an oil rig, being in the military or even working as a doctor with an international organization.

Regardless of other users’ intentions on these popular dating sites, you should be your most authentic self not only when it comes to your dating profile, but when you are communicating with other users as well. One organization, Get Safe Online, recalls just how to go about being authentically you on these dating sites in a safe manner:

• Choose a username that doesn’t let everyone know who you are by not including information like your last name or where you work;
• Remember that overly provocative or controversial usernames could attract the wrong users;
• Don’t include contact information such as your email address, home address or phone number in your profile or as part of any initial communications;

• Stop communicating with anyone, who tries to pressure you or trick you into sharing your personal or financial personal or financial information;
• Avoid accessing your account from a public or shared computer, so that others can’t view or record your password or any personal information;
• Be wary of opening any email attachments from someone you have only just met and;
• Ensure that you keep your internet security software up to date

With the impact created by the Pandemic and the importance of social distancing, online dating has become a hot spot for making a connection involving everything from finding love to just getting to know someone you can confide in and trust.  Even in circumstances that make it seem as though someone has good intentions, it’s a good idea to always be wary of what is in someone’s dating profiles. And always be cautious when it comes to meeting anyone on an app or as part of any online chat.

We encourage you to still think positively about the possibility of love, but also to be proactive when connecting with someone. To learn about how to protect yourself online, visit the Indiana Cybersecurity Hub; it features lots of important resources to you’ll find helpful for protecting yourself, as well as your family, and friends!