Dear Readers,
This might seem like an odd topic for you. But since most of us search for love, we all go through the same process. We use dating apps cause they make things easier, and we are not restricted to a certain area anymore. Especially as an ace the community that you are living in might not provide a community in which you would be able to get to know another ace. So the internet is a fantastic opportunity.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) reached our dating life a while ago. Extended matching algorithms and personalized user experiences are supposed to help with dating life and make matching a lot more precise. Content is moderated by AI and filters everything we write so flirting and getting to know others is safer than it was before. We are matched with people that have more or less the same interests which helps us to start a conversation. And sometimes these algorithms find matches that work.
Catfishing has been around probably as long as the internet exists, but with the introduction of AI, things changed drastically. Aside from spoofing, which is often used for masking your location, or voice-changing apps, AI has made it so much easier to fake pictures or videos. There are no further skills required than how to use your phone. We all have heard of deepfakes, these are a lot more elaborate, but it´s not complicated.
If scamming was a topic before, it´s an even bigger one now and the consequences for the victims are usually horrible. It´s not just the money, it´s the shame that comes with it. If you have been scammed, please don´t be afraid to talk to someone, and for those who have never had that experience, please don´t judge!
People have tried to scam me and most of you have probably experienced it at some point as well. So for me, it´s important to give you some tips to figure out if you are talking to a scammer or someone genuine:
- If someone contacts you randomly without sharing any interests or groups with you. It´s at least suspicious. Please don´t add just anybody to your friends list.
2. Try a Google reverse image search. Most scammers are not that clever, they usually use pictures that have been uploaded somewhere.
3. Do research on the person you talk to. Do they have a lot of friends? Are all friends male or female? Do these friends post on social media?
4. If you are European: men that claim to be from any military (mostly the US) but claim to be in another country at that moment – it´s a scam
5. If they claim to be American, but their English is worse than yours, and you are not a native speaker, consider it a big red flag. Most scammers come from Nigeria; it´s an industry there. Their English might be ok, but you can still see it in their writing.
6. If you are asked immediately to move to hangouts or another chat app, don´t switch. The scammers switch mostly because on Telegram or Hangouts, it´s harder to trace the scammers afterwards.
7. Don´t send any money, also not in the form of Google Play cards
8. Don´t open any unknown links or files
9. Be mindful of what you post.
Although I know most of you already know all of this, I still think it´s an important topic that should be discussed every once in a while!
Best,
Ace
(sources: https://medium.com/@scarlett8285/how-ai-is-shaping-love-the-role-of-algorithms-in-modern-dating-app-development-3a08348b81b0, https://www.ft.com/content/7df96597-8761-4315-8ac5-0d287c455de4, https://www.cbsnews.com/texas/news/i-team-how-ai-is-revolutionizing-internet-fraud/, https://www.mcafee.com/ai/news/how-romance-scammers-are-using-deepfakes-to-swindle-victims/#:~:text=Deep%20feelings%20and%20deepfakes%20fire,romance%20scams%20remains%20the%20same. https://besedo.com/blog/the-future-of-romance-scams-and-how-artificial-intelligence-can-help-you-prepare/ https://us.norton.com/blog/online-scams/ai-dating-scams-statistics, https://explore.bps.org.uk/content/bpsadm/16/1/17)