'Catfishing' Scams End in Armed Robberies

When meeting people online in dating or social media websites, it’s important to remember people are not always who they say. Forgetting that could have dire consequences, as six people in Boston have learned in recent weeks.

Boston police are warning residents of an ongoing “catfishing” scam that has seen at least six people become victims of armed robbery in the past month, myfoxboston.com reports. The victims went to Roxbury or Mattapan to meet someone they had been chatting with online, only to be robbed at gunpoint when they arrived.

The victims were lured to a private location by a man who created fake online profiles. “Catfishing” scammers often use pictures of attractive people and create phony profiles meant to attract unsuspecting victims. They then establish an online relationship before convincing a victim to meet in a private location. That is a key mistake victims often make, according to Robert Siciliano, a security expert the TV station interviewed.

“Red flags are anytime anyone wants to meet you at a home or even at a park,” Siciliano said. “You want to make sure that you’re meeting them at a coffee shop or a restaurant. Some populated area where you can get to learn the person so before you feel good enough about them to actually go to an isolated place.”

It’s also important to do everything you can to ensure the person you’re chatting with online is who you will actually meet in person. Google them, and search for their social media profiles. Insist on a Skype or webcam conversation before meeting, so you can be sure the photo is accurate. If it’s not, that’s a red flag, Boston Police said. Police also urged residents to always meet strangers in a public place and to never agree to meet anyone at their house.

Police are investigating the armed robberies, and Mayor Marty Walsh is urging residents to be careful when taking an online relationship into the real world.

“I think people have to use some common sense when they’re online and be very careful with your information and when you put too much out there, the world can see it and things can happen,” Walsh said.