Wellington Police are urging the users of social media applications, such as Tinder, to be wary of people asking for money.
In a recent incident, a male was contacted by a woman on Tinder with a request for money.
The male has obliged, but has then been visited by the woman and two gang members who demanded further money from him and escorted him to an ATM.
The female has texted the male again saying she and the two gang members would be returning the next day to collect more money from him.
The male has contacted police and the three individuals were arrested. They face a number of charges in relation to the incident.
“People do need to be extremely cautious when using these applications, especially when people are asking for money,” says Detective Senior Sergeant Martin Todd.
“Fortunately in this case, the people involved were able to be identified and arrested, however there are often times when this is not the case.”
“This is a type of scam which is a significant evolution to those such as spam emails which ask for a deposit in order for you to access a greater sum of money.”
“Our advice is never to send any money to someone from a social media or dating site that you don’t know very well or haven’t met in person.”
Anyone who does fall victim to a scam through social media or dating sites is urged to lodge a report on the ORB website or directly to police.
In some cases, there could be very little police can do especially if the money has been sent overseas.
ENDS
Issued by Detective Senior Sergeant Martin Todd (OC Wellington District Crime Squad)