Chicago Police issued a community alert over the weekend for dating website users, warning a man is using the sites to rob people at gunpoint.
In the five incidents reported so far, the victim agreed to meet the offender via a dating website. When the victim arrived to the location, the offender displayed a handgun and took the victim's property.
In one incident the suspect met his victim at their home and stole their vehicle.
Four of the five reports in the past three weeks happened in the 200 block of North Pine Avenue near the Polytechnical Academy High School in Chicago's Austin neighborhood.
The other occurred near 5300 W. Van Buren St., also in the Austin neighborhood.
"The Better Business Bureau does see these types of scam reports to our organizations many times throughout the years and especially since the pandemic," said President and CEO of Chicago BBB Steve Bernas. "It's important for consumers. If they're on a reputable website, it doesn't mean there's not a scammer on that website, and I think consumers feel they have protection there. Unfortunately, they don't."
Bernas said dating app users should always meet in public places such as shopping centers or in a restaurant. He said first dates should never meet at home or in a secluded area.
Local
He also suggests searching for the person on social media.
"They should have a long-term account somewhere not just recently created," Bernas said.
Feeling out of the loop? We'll catch you up on the Chicago news you need to know. Sign up for the weekly Chicago Catch-Up newsletter.
Bernas also said to reverse search a potential date's profile picture to see if it comes up on any other websites or profiles. You can do so by right-clicking on the image, selecting "search image with Google," and clicking "find image source."
If you do become a victim of the crime, police say to remember physical characteristics of the suspect, remain at the scene if possible and get contact information for any potential witnesses.
If you have any information regarding the recent Chicago robberies, contact Area Four Detectives at 312-746-8253.
