Security experts are warning of a new scam on Tinder designed to lure users onto sites in the name of online safety, where they’re tricked into handing over their credit card details.
Satnam Narang, a senior researcher with Symantec, claimed to have noticed an uptick in spam on the dating platform which begins with a flirty opening and then asks the victim whether or not they’re a verified user.
“After asking if the user is verified, the spam bot tries to disarm the user by saying ‘it’s a free service tinder put up, to verify the person you wanna meet isn’t a serial killer lol’,” he continued.
“While online dating has gone mainstream, safety concerns still remain when using these applications. The spammers use this legitimate concern to convince users to verify themselves and trick them into thinking verification will lead to a date.”
The spambot will then provide a link to one of at least 13 different “Tinder Safe Dating” sites which claim that if the victim verifies their account for free they’ll be given the contact details of a woman pictured wearing lingerie.
However, they’re then asked to provide card details in order to prove their age.
In the small print is written that they’ll be automatically opted in to a free trial of various adult sites. Failure to cancel these trials could result in a monthly bill in excess of $100.
“If you’re using Tinder or any other online dating site or application, be aware that spam bots will continue to come up with creative ways to try to get you to sign up for other websites or services,” Narang warned.
“Do your part by reporting these accounts to Tinder and always make sure you read the fine print on any site or service before you sign-up.”