Hinge and Tinder: Fake romance, fake crypto

In "pig butchering" scams, fraudsters build a romance on a dating app and then lure the victim into a fake crypto platform. Two victims who met their scammers on Hinge and Tinder lost their savings.

This concerns misuse by other users, not the service's own security, and does not count in the score.

What happened

"Pig butchering" is a scam in which fraudsters build trust over weeks before persuading the victim to "invest". According to Wired, an American woman matched on Hinge with a man who said he worked in investment. He moved the conversation off the app and coached her to trade crypto on a professional-looking platform; she lost around $300,000 and had to leave early retirement. According to ABC News in Australia, a single mother in Sydney matched on Tinder with a scammer, moved to WhatsApp and lost AU$32,000 borrowed from family and friends. When she tried to withdraw her "gains", her account was frozen and "customer service" demanded more money. The Australian Federal Police describe four stages: creating the persona, building trust, getting the victim to invest, and cashing out.

What is documented

• Wired: a victim who met the scammer on Hinge lost about $300,000.
• ABC News (12 Feb 2024): a victim who met the scammer on Tinder lost AU$32,000.
• Australian Federal Police describe the scam in four stages (via ABC).

What has not been established

• Who was behind these specific scams.
• Whether any of the money was recovered.

What this means for you

1. When a match starts talking about investing or crypto, treat it as a red flag and end contact.
2. Be extra wary if someone wants to move the conversation off the app quickly.
3. If you must pay a "fee" or "tax" to withdraw money, it's a scam. Don't pay more.