‘Online Dating, Sextortion And Scams’ – The New York Times

As the dating industry continues to flourish in 2016, the number of fraudsters operating online dating scams and acts of sextortion is also expected to increase.

A new article published by the New York Times explores just how much official organisations and other online services know about the ongoing criminal activity on dating sites.

Speaking to a number of experts, journalist Kate Murphy looks at the psychology behind these kind of attacks and why people continue to fall for them.

As the FTC’s Midwest region director Steve Baker says: “I don’t think there is a general understanding of how much of this romance scam stuff is out there, how it works and what the consequences are. It’s staggering how many people fall for it.”

She also sheds light on how terrorism recruiters are starting to use online romance to entice young, vulnerable new members.

Check out the full article here.