Irish cybersecurity firm ESET Ireland reports that there is a scam on Grindr in which a scammer elicits money from victims by pretending that they have been homophobically attacked and acquiring their credit or debit card details.
The scam starts when a Grindr user receives a message from an attractive looking user, looking to hook up.
The scammer then immediately asks if the victim has ‘LGID’. If the victim asks what them what LGID is, the scammer explains that they have been homophobically attacked through Grindr hookups before, even providing pictures of them post-attack.
The scammer then says that LGID provides proof that the victim isn’t an offender by getting an ID from the website the scammer provides.
If the victim clicks the link the scammer sends, they are brought to a convincing-looking website that says it is a “lesbian, gay, bi, trans, queer anti-offender screening system” and asks the user to register.
The sign-up involves “a €2 payment for processing the ID” which requires the user to divulge their credit/debit card details but also claims “50% of all payments will be donated to LGBT harassment victims” as an added incentive.
Once the victim submits their information, €50 is charged to their credit card, with the potential additional abuses of the card and the victim’s private details for blackmail at a later date.
This is not the first website scammers have used to try and convince users to part with their card details.
A post on Reddit warned US users of a similar scam 7 months ago in which the scammer talked about an LGBTQ protection ID.
Tips for staying safe on Grindr
Whether you’re into Grindr, Scruff, Tinder, Her, Bumble, Hornet or Growlr, there is nothing unusual about using dating apps to find dates and sex. Millions of people use these apps daily and the majority never experience any incidents but with people being targeted and attacked using dating apps, it helps to know how to increase your safety and lower your odds of being the victim of such incidents.
You can improve your safety from abuse committed via apps by doing some research, telling a friend where you’re going, meeting in public, using Find My Friends and reporting abuse when it happens.
A more detailed look at how to stay safe is available here.
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