IF you are in a shaky or in an “it’s complicated” relationship or is looking for one, do not post it.
This reminder was issued by Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) Executive Director Secretary Gilbert Cruz, with a warning that those who post such become targets of unscrupulous individuals involved in dating or love scams.
Speaking at the monthly MACHRA Balitaan forum of the Manila City Hall Reporters’ Association (MACHRA), Cruz said that those who post ‘it’s complicated’ or anything that indicate they are in search of a romantic relationship are usually seen as prospective victims of scammers.
In the same breadth, he warned netizens to look out for certain red flags, like if the one reaching out is too pretty or too handsome and too good to be true.
These scammers, he stressed, usually use pictures or identities that are not really theirs and pretend to venture into the same interests based on the posts of their prospective victims for the purpose of enticing them to establish relationships with them.
Cruz said that based on their investigation, love scammers also use psychology and folderized profiles of those who can become easy prey for them.
Based on profiling, Cruz noted that those usually targeted by love scammers are social media account holders who are retired, pensioners and 35 years old and above.
