Online dating has become more popular with the rise of the internet, and it is believed that 1:5 relationships and 1:6 marriages begin this way.
Fast facts on online dating
- About 17% of marriages and 20% of relationships begin online.
- 49 million people have tried online dating,
- + 8,000 dating sites exist in the world
What are the dangers of online dating?
About one in 10 people use online dating websites to scam other people.
One way people try to scam others they meet online is to get money from them. They build a relationship of trust at first by grooming. Then, after a while, the scammer invents a crisis for which they need money. The online victims believe the scam and parts with money to help the person resolve the problem. Another way scammers get cash is through extortion. Again, the scammer builds a trusting relationship, acquires personal information and photos from the victim, and then threatens the victim with the publication of the information unless extortion money is paid over. In 2011 alone, online victims lost $50 million through such scams.
Catfishing is Luring someone into a relationship by adopting a fictional online persona. There are two kinds of catfishing: Someone pretends to be you by stealing your photos and identity to trick others. Example: You discover someone entered your details on an adult website to entice prospective clients when the clients start calling you. The person illegally published your information and sensitive information like your home address on the site, which puts you in danger from predators. The person can be prosecuted for impersonation and jailed. Contact the website immediately to state you were catfished if this happens. They will close the catfish down. Catfishing also happens when you believe you are speaking to a person when you are talking to someone else entirely. Example: A lonely lady enters her details into a dating website. She is catfished by a person who creates a false profile and pretends to match her likes and wants 100%. She discovers the fraud once the person starts blackmailing, bullying, or using extortion tactics to hurt her. The following may be signs that a person is a creep or online predator:Catfishing
How to spot a catfish:
Minimal background checking happens:
The second grave danger of online dating is that minimal background checking is involved when signing up for dating websites. This is especially true for free dating websites (Tinder, Coffee Meets Bagel, OkCupid, Plenty of Fish).
The Supreme Court decided that Social media use is a constitutional right — even for sex offenders; the justices unanimously ruled that it’s OK for convicted sex offenders to use social media sites such as Facebook, Snapchat, Twitter, and LinkedIn as long as they aren’t breaking the law while doing so. (Jason Silberstein, New York Daily News, 17 June 2017)
According to a report from Factual, 10% of online dating users are sex offenders. Approximately 25% of rapists find their victims on online dating websites. Over 39,000 verified registered sex offenders have profiles on MySpace. (Those are just the ones who have registered their real names!). Internet Experts agree that millions of sexual predators and perverts are online, just watching and waiting for the “right moment.”
Example of a case: “A man raped five women after meeting them on the dating site Match.com, a court has heard. Jason Lawrance, 50, is also accused of attempting to rape a sixth woman and sexually assaulting a seventh”. 16 February 2016
Young girls and single moms are usually the unsuspecting victims of common scams. Unfortunately, people with bad intentions quickly gain trust. Every year there are approximately 100 murders, 16 000 abductions, and thousands of rapes conducted by online predators.
How to be safe when dating online
What dating services can do to help reduce dangers
The first step they can take is to make the sign-up process more difficult. You only need an e-mail address to sign up for many of these free dating websites. Facebook.com has taken fake profiles very seriously, and sometimes, they require an official form of ID to verify you are who you are. It is the step that dating websites need to take in the future.
Dating sites that require a monthly fee require more detailed information from anyone signing up. However, you still have no guarantee that the information provided is accurate. It might be safer to make use of paid-for sites because of this. (Examples are Match.com, Zoosk, eHarmony, Chemistry.com, and Our Time)
Talk to the person and get their social media information.
It is extra essential that you get their social media information. More importantly, it would help if you got their Facebook profile. After checking that their Facebook profile is legit, you can then use their real name on their Facebook profile to do the background check.
Fake Facebook accounts usually have
- extremely low friend counts,
- photos with no tags (or no tags linking to actual Facebook pages),
- and images that don’t include family members, friends, or everyday adventures.
- If every photo looks straight from a modelling portfolio, raise that red flag.
Third-party background checking services – you can use 3rd party services (friends, work colleagues, family ) to verify the person’s information.
Never Pay Money to Anyone!
Never be conned to pay money to someone you met online. Period.
Check the Sex Offender Registry
It is not as up-to-date in South Africa as elsewhere in the world.
Report or Block Shady Members
Trust your instincts. If someone’s story changes or doesn’t want to talk to you by phone or via Skype – block or report the person. If you don’t feel right about what the person is asking from you, don’t hesitate to block the person. Don’t be manipulated into doing things that go against your values.
Only use Trusted Dating Websites.
Paid-for sites do better screening than free sites.
How to stay safe when meeting a person you met online
Hide your IP address
Young girls and single moms are usually the unsuspecting victims of common scams. Unfortunately, people with bad intentions quickly gain trust. Every year there are approximately 100 murders, 16 000 abductions, and thousands of rapes conducted by online predators. The number of romance scams and cyberstalking incidents has also increased. Services that hide your IP address making your browsing anonymous, have multiplied as well.
Research them before you offer to meet.
Research them online. Speak to them over the phone. If you are considering meeting an online friend in person, hopefully, you have already spoken to them over the phone. If not, do it immediately. You can also set up a Skype interview.
Take it slow and trust your instincts.
Plan your entire encounter. Drive yourself to and from your date, or take public transportation. When you arrange to meet up, never go alone, and choose a public place. If you are under 18, these are not merely suggestions. If this adult approves the meet-up, you must bring a trusted adult with you. Review the area where you two are meeting. If you will meet a stranger, you want to be familiar with the site. Decide upfront where you will draw the line. People with soft borders are more likely to be exploited or exploited. Set realistic expectations. Approach the date like any other first date and set your expectations accordingly. Although you might have clicked online and talked for hours on end, there might be awkward moments and periods of silence on an actual face-to-face date, just like with any other date.
“Anyone you meet online is a stranger, and you need to remember that, even if you’re on a second or third date.”
Communicate with a friend/family
Tell people where you are going and with whom. Give your location to someone you trust. Let someone else know where you are, and check back in with that person at the end of the date.
Have an exit strategy
Have a plan in place for how and when you will leave. Never go home with them on your first date. If the date is a disaster, don’t be afraid to get up and leave.
Always keep your wits about you; you should leave if you ever feel uncomfortable. Your safety is of paramount importance.”
Can a person be criminally charged for online grooming and extortion?
Depending on the nature of the acts of cyberbullying, the perpetrator may be criminally charged with the following criminal offences:
Crimen injuria
Crimen injuria is an unlawful, intentional, and serious violation of another person’s dignity or privacy.
It includes communicating a message expressing,
- expressly or implicitly,
- an invitation to or suggesting sexual immorality or
- impropriety or by sending indecent photos.
Assault
Assault is defined as any unlawful and intentional act or omission:
- Which results in another person’s bodily integrity being directly or indirectly impaired or
- which inspires belief or fear in another person that such impairment of their physical integrity can occur.
Cyberbullying,
- Whereby the perpetrator threatens the victim with personal violence
- His conduct inspires fear or a belief in the victim that such intimate violence is to take place, which may fall within the definition of assault.
Criminal defamation
Criminal defamation is the unlawful and intentional publication of a matter concerning another that seriously injures their reputation. Criminal defamation includes both verbal and written defamation. However, it is a requirement the defamatory words must have come to the notice of someone other than the victim. If not, the perpetrator can only be charged with crimen injuria.
Slanderous remarks in
- chat rooms,
- social networking sites,
- e-mails,
- text messages,
- or instant messages to third parties
These are some of the methods of committing cyberbullying that will fall within the ambit of this criminal offence.
Extortion
Extortion is committed when
- a person unlawfully and intentionally obtains some advantage,
- which may be of either a patrimonial or non-patrimonial nature,
- from another by subjecting the latter to pressure,
- which induces them to hand over the advantage.
For example, regarding cyberbullying, extortion may be committed when a person intentionally and unlawfully threatens to electronically distribute images about another person unless the victim hands the perpetrator the advantage.
References & Resources
Factual: https://www.datingadvice.com/online-dating/dangers-of-online-dating
http://internetpredatorstat.homestead.com/index.html
https://lifehacker.com/how-to-stay-safe-when-meeting-someone-from-the-internet-1040400781
CYBER BULLYINGIssuePaper10-Legalreponses-cyberbullying-SA.pdf