New Dating App Turns to Yoti to Prevent Romance Fraud

Another dating service is partnering with Yoti to prevent romance fraud on its platform. Romance fraud refers to fraud that occurs when someone poses as a romantic partner (often on a dating site) to convince victims to send them money under false pretenses.

Fluttr will be using Yoti’s digital identity verification technology to try to mitigate that threat. The technology will ensure that each account belongs to a real human customer, which in turn will give daters more confidence when interacting with potential matches. Fluttr is a new dating service that is currently capitalizing on Valentine’s Day with a February 14 launch in the UK.

In that regard, Fluttr noted that romance fraud increased dramatically during the pandemic, when lockdowns forced people to mingle online rather than in person. The UK reported 8,863 cases of romance fraud between November of 2020 and October of 2021, as cybercriminals stole £92 million from people searching for companionship. That year-over-year case count is up 27 percent from 6,968 for the previous 12-month period.

“We want to rid the world of Tinder Swindlers and create a safe space free from the fake profiles used to defraud, catfish and abuse online daters,” said Fluttr Co-Founder and CEO Rhonda Alexander. “We’re reclaiming the fun of online dating by using digital ID verification and AI technology to create an environment that is secure enough for people to do everything from connecting with real people to falling in love.”

Yoti has previously provided similar identity services for DateID and The Meet Group. The company’s platform uses facial biometrics to authenticate users during the account creation process, to give people a way to verify their identities without disclosing any other personal information to third parties. In that regard, Fluttr claims that it will not store any user data, and will instead operate as an ad-free subscription service for £14.99 per month. NHS England and the UK Post Office are some of the other institutions that have adopted Yoti’s identity tech.

Source: The Guardian

(Originally posted on Mobile ID World)