LIFESTYLE NEWS - Love, love, love…
It makes people go bonkers. It makes some cry and others laugh with joy.
Queen wants somebody to love.
Phil Collins claims you can’t hurry love.
In 1979 a music group called Cheap Trick released their hit single “I want you to want me.”
It is 2019 and online dating has proven Phil Collins wrong – hurried love happens with the click of a button. Unfortunately there are exploiters who have turned online dating into a cheap trick. Criminals are increasingly targeting social media users who are in search of love.
Online dating platforms are the criminal’s dream. They can use it to conjure up fake identities and to arrange one-on-one dates with their victims who are vulnerable and in search of love and, therefore, more likely to discard caution in the name of realising their romantic dreams. Online daters are soft targets.
Realising this and proactively acting to stay safe is key to prevent becoming a victim.
Sextortion describes a social media based form of extortion where the perpetrator convinces the victim to participate in an exchange of naked and otherwise sexual photographs. Once the perpetrator has enough photos identifying the victim, he or she ends the conversation and demands money in exchange for not releasing the damning photographs.
Two murders in South Africa have recently been liked to online dating – one in Atteridgeville and one in Masoyi. Killers lure victims via social media with promises of love before brutally murdering them.
There is a super tool that allows your loved ones or friends to track your location during a first meeting with your online date. It is WhatsApp and Google Maps’ live location.
HOW IT HELPS YOU:
Share your live location on this application with at least one friend for at least 12 hours. It enables your friends to live track your moves in real time. If your date tries to kidnap you or take you somewhere dangerous, your friends will know about it and be able to react immediately.
How to use Live Location and allow loved ones to keep track of your moves:
– On your smartphone’s home screen, click on the WhatsApp icon.
– Open the screen chat of a trusted loved one
– Click on the paper clip icon
– Click on ‘location’
– Click on ‘share live location’
– Select how long you want the live location to be available. By clicking “stop sharing” you can discontinue sharing your location at any time. In the comment section, state who you are with and when you expect to be home safe.
In addition to the above, here are some tips to keep in mind when meeting your online love interest in person:
1. Do not share your location, personal details or address with anyone over a social media or dating platform. When using it, ensure that your smartphone’s location sharing function is turned off.
2. Google the person you are chatting to. If he or she has a dodgy past, it is likely to surface on Google. Double check the information they give you – do they really live and work where they say they do?
3. If someone wants to meet you, insist on meeting in a public place. Ideally, you would ask a friend to accompany you.
4. If a friend is unable to accompany you, notify at least two friends of where you will be meeting. Ask your friends to call you a few hours later to confirm if you made it home safe.
