Catfishing and online dating fraud is an expanding issue that has recently been gaining increasing notice from the public due to productions like the MTV show Catfish and the general increase of occurrences. Because of this, one would think that the attempts at intervention to try and stop this type of scam would increase also, but in reality no real progress has been made. The key to reversing the issue of online dating scams is identity verification. Both government legislation and social media sites, like Match.com or Facebook, have made fairly feeble attempts to protect users. Professor Aunshul Rege, a professor at Temple University in Pennsylvania, specializes in cybercrime and stresses the role dating sites play in the advancement of …show more content…
Their press release covered all the basics of catfishing including how to recognize the scam, where victims can file a complaint, and advice on how to avoid becoming a victim in the first place (FBI Warns). However, the FBI made no statements concerning how they plan to combat the issue or any substantial information on how often or serious these cases can be. In fact, their stance on catfishing, while aware of the problem, was somewhat hands off and dismissive. Their advice was not comforting or too helpful and basically advised against interacting with people who exhibited signs of scamming and staying away from less popular and used sites. This type of press release did not at all demonstrate the hints of the future actions most people expect from their government. The FBI especially, being the national police, should be at the forefront of all crime on the rise and causing serious losses in our nation. They failed to display any initiative and gave information and advice equal to that of any small town sheriff's office. Catfishing and online dating fraud deserve a statement with more urgency and professionalism because they are recognized crimes and not just hurt feelings, regardless of their taking place over the …show more content…
While many believe that it is hopeless and no one is willing to help, the issue is gaining public momentum. The populous is being made more aware, but not enough is being done and progress has been minimal to say the least. Legislation exists and social media sites have regulations protecting against these issues, but they are not enforced. Many victims turned away from help, ask themselves what purpose these laws and rules serve if they are not used for the protection of those who need it. The ball is continually being dropped on the side of the government and the social media sites themselves. It is necessary for identity verification to become a requirement in order for the current situation to begin to correct itself. Change and reform must be pushed through in order to move forward and fight online dating scammers and