Optus Mobile Review ALDI Mobile Review Amaysim Mobile Review Belong Mobile Review Circles.Life Review Vodafone Mobile Review Woolworths Mobile Review Felix Mobile Review Best iPhone Plans Best Family Mobile Plans Best Budget Smartphones Best Prepaid Plans Best SIM-Only Plans Best Plans For Kids And Teens Best Cheap Mobile Plans Telstra vs Optus Mobile Optus NBN Review Belong NBN Review Vodafone NBN Review Superloop NBN Review Aussie BB NBN Review iiNet NBN Review MyRepublic NBN Review TPG NBN Review Best NBN Satellite Plans Best NBN Alternatives Best NBN Providers Best Home Wireless Plans What is a Good NBN Speed? Test NBN Speed How to speed up your internet Optus vs Telstra Broadband ExpressVPN Review CyberGhost VPN Review NordVPN Review PureVPN Review Norton Secure VPN Review IPVanish VPN Review Windscribe VPN Review Hotspot Shield VPN Review Best cheap VPN services Best VPN for streaming Best VPNs for gaming What is a VPN? VPNs for ad-blocking To help put romance scams asunder Down Under, we analyzed data from ScamWatch (The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission) and surveyed Aussies to learn about their experiences with catfishing. Specifically, romance scams involve financial or social gain through a perceived romantic relationship. But catfishers can pose as potential friends, family members, or career connections without romance. Why do they do it? For those not in it (strictly) for the money, catfishers self-report they’re lonely, lack self-esteem, want to explore their identity, or have a simple desire to escape their regular lives. These three states combined lost nearly $30 million of Australia’s $37 million catfishing losses in 2020. How can we prevent romance scams from skyrocketing in 2021? Romance scams can play out in a variety of ways, but knowing some common catfish factors can help:
Most romance scams are reported in February: While there’s plenty of fish in the sea, for romance scammers, Valentine’s season is more like shooting fish in a barrel. Most romance scams start on social media: Social media’s seductive accessibility springs up scandalous possibilities across the globe—is that new wealthy, attractive follower even real? Probably not. Unsurprisingly, scammers had the least luck catfishing via fax. Though dating with the outdated technology might seem odd, we’d still be wary of strangers offering to fax you straight away.
The most commonly-scammed age group was 45-54-year-olds. In this age range, folks didn’t grow up using the internet, so it’s less likely that they’ll recognize the signs of scams amid Facebook reunions.
While some may think catfishing only affects gullible, wealthy men, women made up 73% of total catfish victims. If you feel like you may have been a victim of a catfishing or another type of online scam, check out Verified.org’s how to report a scam in Australia for more info. Sources used:
ScamWatch.gov.au, “Scam Statistics - Dating and Romance - 2020,” Accessed February 2, 2021. ABC.net.au, “Why Catfish Trick People Online: It’s Not Always Malicious,” July 25, 2018.
