Australians looking for love are resorting to desperate – and risky – measures in their hope of finding the one.
Individuals searching for love are increasingly turning to Facebook, but they encounter numerous obstacles such as unwelcome advances, scams, fake profiles, and harassment during their pursuit of romance.
A Daily Mail investigation uncovered that online community groups, initially intended for sharing lost pet alerts and neighborhood news, have now become spots where people look for partners.
An individual from a town in Tasmania posted on a local ‘chit chat’ page, showcasing his desire to find love, whether with a man or woman, claiming to be a ‘good cuddler’.
He added that he’d just ‘won big on the pokies…come at me girls’.
Numerous men are falling prey to fraudulent profiles that infiltrate Australian singles pages. These scams typically involve images of an attractive young woman promising romance, accompanied by a link or WhatsApp number.
Some users complained bitterly that the administrators of the pages aren’t doing enough to crack down on scammers preying on the lonely.
‘It’s impossible to know who is a scammer and who is not,’ said one user in an Adelaide singles Facebook group.
Scammers often steal real people’s pictures to use with anonymous profiles
Strange links can often be clues that the person posting is a scammer
‘I’d love to find that special someone… but all you get is people wanting you to get on WhatsApp.’
Other men were quick to spot a fake profile, with one commenting that if a person looks too good to be true, they probably are.
On other platforms, heartless bullies post images of unsuspecting individuals, such as one person sharing a photo of a woman smoking on a street in Tasmania.
Another creep commented on a picture of a woman looking for love in Adelaide to baselessly suggest she uses illegal drugs.
Other users were quick to slam the behaviour.
But among the scammers and trolls, men and women are seeking genuine connection.
‘I’m not having much luck on the (dating) apps,’ lamented one woman in a Queensland Mate or Date public group.
Another man kept it simple, anonymously posting ‘Horny chats’. He received no public response.
Some people look for love via public posts on standard community pages
Commenters were quick to allege this account, with the single name Melissa, was a scammer
One person, posting as an ‘anonymous participant’, used a Canberra-based group to spice up her marriage.
One post read, ‘Hey everyone, my husband and I are in town for the weekend. Any single female interested in joining us for a drink? Like this post, and we will get in touch, thanks,’ complete with smiling and kissing emojis.
One person hit the thumbs-up button.
Many genuine users of the groups shared information about themselves together with a selfie or two at the risk of attracting ridicule.
But, hearteningly, there are plenty of warm and welcoming responses to balance out the trolling.
An Adelaide person revealed they are transfeminine, non-binary, polyamorous and aromantic – someone who experiences little to no romantic attraction.
They were looking for friendships and connection.
Far from receiving hurtful responses, one group member made sure the person felt at ease.
Some people on Aussie Facebook singles pages make it clear what they’re looking for
One person used a Canberra community group to seek a third person to spend time with
‘It’s scary, putting yourself out there. Well done for doing so,’ a local woman said.
Australian government agency Scamwatch warned that it was easy to be tricked when looking for love online.
They said scammers use romance, dating or friendship to gain people’s trust and ultimately their money
‘Never trust that someone you only know online is who they say they are. Scammers work hard to trick you into thinking the relationship is real, then manipulate you to get your money. They can spend years building your trust,’ the organisation said.
Red flags to watch out for include someone trying to move your chat from a social media platform or online dating to a free messaging platform like Google Hangouts, WeChat, Line or WhatsApp.
Other warning signs include someone who insists they can show you how to make easy money, usually via cryptocurrency, someone who asks for money claiming they’re in an emergency, or someone who refuses to ever meet in person or on video chat.
