Beware of catfishing on mobile dating apps
Friday, July 24, 2015
This article was originally published on wtsp.com and written by Garin Flowers.
Millions of people use dating sites like eHarmony, Match.com, OkCupid or even Tinder, but finding love online can be tough.
Michael Shivvers and David Mateo are two of the lucky ones, who started dating after meeting on the smart phone app Grindr.
Warning about "catfishing" on dating sites
"I just said hey and we exchanged a little bit of conversation," Mateo said.
But, they had to sort through those annoying fake profiles -- known as catfish.
"There's a lot of fake profiles and spam, too," both said.
Dating online or through an app is pretty easy. But, be careful of romance scams. Getting fooled by a fake profile could compromise your personal information.
The Better Business Bureau warns consumers to watch out for apps like Tinder where visitors swipe left or right on pictures hoping to find the right match. And, all online dating sites fit within the warning.
"If you ask a question and the response to your question doesn't make sense, that's a red flag," said Bryan Oglesby with the West Florida Better Business Bureau.
"Never give your personal information to someone you do not know, personally."
He also says watch out for people who reply too fast and profiles with glamour shots.