Valentine’s Day: the dating apps that Peruvians use the most and the risks

The most common tactic detected by the Peruvian authorities is to move the conversation outside the application, to platforms such as WhatsApp, Instagram or Telegram. This is intended to evade the security systems of dating apps.

everything is planned

Once contact is established with the victim, criminals often give stories to deceive their victims. A recurring story is the story of the detained suitcase: they claim to send an expensive gift from abroad and request money to pay supposed customs taxes.

It also counts the false investments or emergencies. That is, they invent urgent health needs from relatives or supposed “golden opportunities” in cryptocurrencies. Another speech raises travel expenses: They ask for money for tickets with the promise of a face-to-face meeting that never happens.

In this context, ESET recommends being attentive to the following behaviors of criminals. First when premature financial pressure occurs, that is, if someone asks for a loan or an expensive gift after just a few weeks of interaction.

It is also recommended to avoid video calls, faced with constant excuses not to appear on camera or arrange face-to-face meetings.

Another mode of action is “Love bombing,” which consists of intense declarations of love and excessive contact in very early stages to cloud the victim’s judgment. You can also be attentive to inconsistencies, vague or contradictory responses in your daily life.

As a security measure, it is recommended to never send money, use reverse image search, keep the conversation within the app and be wary of pre-recorded videos or video calls generated with AI.