45.28% Have Been Asked for Money Through Online Dating Apps

Online dating apps have always existed in the past years, giving companionship to those seeking it. However, since the pandemic, the use of online dating apps has increased as people could not physically meet. As a matter of fact, online dating apps give people more potential partners than they could ever meet at work or in their neighborhood.

With all this said, Real Research conducted a survey about online dating apps. Interestingly, the majority of respondents are familiar and have used online dating apps. Hence, the respondents are well versed in how they function and the processes. Below is a presentation of the results derived from the survey.

Highlights

• 52.33% of the respondents have used online dating apps
• The greatest risk factor in using online dating apps is ‘Exposure to online grooming’
• Also, 45.28% say they have been asked for money through online dating apps
• The majority of people say they recognize a scam through profiles

Dating Apps Are Becoming More Popular

Without a doubt, the pandemic left people devastated and lonely as they had to stay indoors. However, the good that came out is that technology allowed people to connect virtually. Therefore, the Real Research survey asked if people have used online dating apps before. 52.33% say ‘Yes’ while 47.67% say ‘No’.

Moving on, let’s get to know how frequently the public uses online dating apps. To begin with, 26.14% say ‘Daily’, and 2-3 times a week (5.91%). Then, 3.83% say once a week and 4.35% say ‘Daily’. The remaining percentage is divided between ‘Others’ and ‘Never used dating apps before’.

Read Also: Tinder: The World’s Most Popular Dating App

Danger of Exposure to Online Grooming

Moving on, using an online dating app has its advantages and disadvantages. Therefore, Real Research sought to know what is the greatest risk factor in using online dating apps. The respondents gave answers as follows, exposure to online grooming (23.25%), and consequences of sexting (5.26%). Following after is online harassment (8.60%), privacy concerns (6.72%), and limited social interaction (2.56%).

53.48% agree that the use of online dating apps has increased during the pandemic. Nonetheless, most online dating apps don’t conduct thorough checkups on the identity of their users. It’s up to an individual to determine how trustworthy the other person is.

Having said this, a question was asked on how trustworthy are people using an online dating app. 27.56% say ‘Highly trustworthy’ and 10.83% say ‘Somewhat trustworthy’. On the other hand, 14.61% say ‘Not at all trustworthy’ and 47% are ‘Unsure’.

Read Also: The Majority Believes Online Harassment Targets Women More Than Men

Beware of Online Dating App Scams

Indeed, online dating apps have ushered a number of people in meeting their destiny partners. Despite that, there are also a number who have fallen into romance scams through using online dating apps. Amongst the romance scams is being asked for money. Real Research sought to know if the public has experienced such scams. 45.28% say ‘Yes’ while 23.80% say ‘No’.

Additionally, 45.28% state that they have experienced catfishing through using online dating apps. Meanwhile, 24.22% say that they have never been catfished before. Catfishing is where a person creates a fictional persona or fake identity to use either on a social networking service or in this case an online dating app.

People Identify a Scam Through Profiles

The majority of respondents (22.83%) note that they identify online dating app scams through profiles. Then, 6.76% say ‘Upon receiving suspicious texts or personal messages’, and 4.61% say ‘When they refuse to arrange a video call’. Also, 5.33% say ‘When they ask for money’. The remaining percentage is divided between ‘others’ and ‘I have never used a dating app’.

How do people then avoid the scams conducted on online dating apps? Immediately stop communication (27.53%), do a reverse image search of their profile photo (4.27%), and do a search to see if similar stories are on the internet (2.44%). Others (7.02%), report/block the person, and (2.07%) ask a friend or a family member for help.

In conclusion, online dating apps have been increasing in use since the pandemic. Additionally, true friendships and marriages have been found through the apps. However, not everything is 100% safe from scammers. There are also those who abuse the apps through catfishing and asking for money. Apart from that, Real Research results overall show that online dating apps are quite popular in their use.