Kidnapped on the first date: criminals who use Tinder to attract men and extort them
A man contacts a woman on a dating app, they exchange messages and, some time later, they agree to meet in person. When the man arrives at the agreed place, he is kidnapped by armed people. What promised to be a special moment turns into a nightmare that lasts for days.
In the Brazilian city of Sao Paulo, as well as in other large cities in Latin America, this type of crime is becoming common .
The Sao Paulo Public Security Secretariat (SSP) told the BBC that attracting people by using fake profiles as bait on dating apps like Tinder now represents “more than 90%” of the kidnappings registered by the local police.
The victim suffers torture psychological and sometimes even physical while their bank accounts are emptied.
Only in 1175, the anti-kidnapping agents of the Sao Paulo Civil Police have acted in 94 cases, arresting more than 459 suspects.
Single men older than 40 years are the main target of the delinquents.
One of the victims was a doctor from the city’s prestigious Hospital de Clinicas, who was held captive for some hours in early November after make an appointment through such an application.
He was only released after the criminals made several bank transactions through loans, purchases and transfers totaling almost US$ ..
How do they choose the victims
In a statement, the SSP said that criminals study the behavior of their victims on the internet
“Observe users who boast of their economic power on social networks and arrange an appointment at the house of the ‘bait’”, they point out .
The BBC spoke with police officers -who mostly asked to remain anonymous- and digital security experts to understand how these gangs operate and what are the main signs that a date could be a trap.