Valentine's Day: Tips on how to safeguard yourself from fraudsters on dating platforms

In a recent McAfee survey, more than 39 per cent of Indians said their conversations with a potential love interest online turned out to be with a fraudster.

Phones, once a repository of personal contact lists, have transformed into efficient matchmakers. Dating apps now come with advanced algorithms offering endless options to connect with potential soulmates.

Millions of people prefer online match-making apps, as right/left swipe gestures lessen the impact of dejection compared to facing rejection in person.

However, these apps also attract bad actors who use ingenious ways to prey on innocent people. They are now using generative Artificial Intelligence (gen AI)--based bots such as ChatGPT, Gemini, and Copilot to come up with romantic quotes for the profile and also even edit photos to make them visually appealing to the potential victim.

Ahead of Valentine's Day, McAfee has released its second annual 'Modern Love' study revealing shocking details of how people are misusing gen AI to cheat people.

The survey conducted in seven countries worldwide, including India revealed that there is 300 per cent surge in use of malicious URLs (300% increase), and a variety of romance-themed spam and email scams with the majority focused on Valentine’s shopping and gifts.

More than 39 per cent of Indians in the survey said their conversations with a potential love interest online turned out to be with a fraudster. Around 26 per cent of the people said they’d talked with a potential love interest but later discovered that it was an AI-generated bot and not a real person.

“The possibilities of AI are endless, and unfortunately, so are the perils. For people who are shy about starting conversations, short on time to craft the perfect message, or whose photos could be brightened, AI offers tools to help them enjoy all the fun and excitement that comes with online dating. Unfortunately, we know cybercriminals also use AI to scale malicious activity. With love-seekers spending more time online leading up to Valentine's Day, scammers are using AI to pose as love interests to steal your money or personal information. We encourage people to balance romantic hope with healthy skepticism, to pause before sharing sensitive information online, and to ensure they use the right tools to protect their privacy, identity, and personal information,” said Steve Grobman, McAfee’s Chief Technology Officer.

Here are some valuable tips to remember when interacting with people on dating apps and also be wary of Valentine's day-related festive discounts online:

1) Exercise caution while chatting on dating apps or social media: If you receive any messages from a person you have never met, look for tell-tale signs of AI-generated poems or praise talking about your beauty. Usually, gen AI bots come up with generic messages with plain rhyming words lacking emotions.

Yes, gen AI bots are witty with words, but not much evolved yet to deliver an emotional message.

Here's one poem from a gen AI bot--

'Eyes like starlight, smile like sunrise,

Touch a light feather, voice a sweet prize.

Challenge and laughter, hand in hand,

Soulmate potential, in this promised land.

Open your heart, let love's whisper guide,

This Valentine's Day, with hope by your side.'

2) Do a reverse image search to find the true identity of a person: If the person has used a fake image and name, doing a reverse image can easily identify his real name and the authenticity of his job and native place.

One can use Google Lens to upload and search the image to match the person's face available on social platforms.

3) Never install dating apps published by unknown developers: There are only a few handfuls of reliable dating and matrimony apps in India. Be very careful of fake apps on Google Play/Apple App Store. Read reviews and there will enough telltale signs of bad service and user interface and cases of impersonation. Avoid such apps. Also, never side-load such apps from the third-party digital marketplace.

3) Never accept or send gifts/money from a person you just met online: Do not easily trust a person you met online. Scamsters are using pig butchering techniques to scam you with bigger amounts. In a bid to build trust in them, they usually send money first and then some gifts. Later, they will come up with a devious scheme telling you that their father/mother is in hospital and dire need of urgent money. Or lure to invest in cryptocurrency with big returns. Once you fall for the trick, you are not likely to get back the money ever, as they always use mule accounts and this makes it hard to track the money trail for the police.

4) Never share nude photos/videos with anybody: It doesn't matter if you have been a couple for several years or you met recently, never share nude pictures with anybody. If the relationship goes awry, the spurned lover will use it as a revenge weapon to either shame you on social media platforms or use it as a ransom for a sexual favour. If you ever become a victim, just don't hesitate to file a police complaint.

5) Install anti-virus apps on your phone: Reliable apps can help you detect and kill malicious URLs faster. Also, McAfee has introduced a new tool to identify deepfake audio and will soon get an AI-generated image detection tool too.

6) Always select an open public space for dating: Even if you have talked or video chatted with a person for several hours, always choose a public place for meeting for the first time. You will have safety and if things go awry, you can get help faster.

Also, share the information about you going out with the person you trust such as close friends or siblings. So, they can call you and know you are safe.

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