Researchers have found that online dating has become a perfect platform for scammers to extract money from victims that easily succumb to romantic delusions on the Internet.
A new study has shown that the Internet and online dating has become a popular platform for scammers to extract money from people and immediate strategies need to be adopted to tackle such crimes.
The research was carried out by Professor Monica Whitty of University of Leicester and Professor Tom Buchanan of the University of Westminster. Whitty stated that online dating portals, doctors, policy makers and the police need to pay special attention to the feelings of the people who have been conned in order to prevent similar crimes in future and catch the criminals.
Whitty notes that professionals looking into the crime need to understand that the person who has been conned has not only been robbed of a lot of money but also undergoes an emotional trauma of being rejected by a lover.
According to a report in Science Daily, 230,000 people in the UK have been conned through online dating since 2007. Criminals take up a fake profile and build an illusion that they are looking for a serious relationship until they finally extort money from their so-called "lover."
Whitty says that a precautionary measure all online dating companies should take is issue a clear warning to all people visiting their site to be careful before they indulge in any romantic relationship with a stranger online. During a few interviews, Whitty found that some people who indulged in online dating did find it suspicious when their online "sweetheart" asked for money, but they were so smitten by their online lover that they chose to ignore the warning signs.
"Daters need to be told, from the moment they sign up, that if a person is not willing to meet them in the first month they should move on. They also need to be told never to respond to requests for money. Dating companies could target advice at particularly vulnerable individuals especially those with high romantic ideals, previous mental health problems or a history of abuse" says Professor Whitty.
The professor has been working on several romantic cases of crime that have been submitted in court and much of her advice has already been taken into consideration.
