Man uses dating sites to rob people at gunpoint in Chicago: police – NBC Chicago

Chicago police issued a warning to users of dating websites over the weekend, warning that a man is using the sites to rob people at gunpoint.

In the five incidents reported so far, the victim had arranged to meet the perpetrator through a dating website. When the victim arrived at the scene, the perpetrator displayed a gun and took the victim’s property.

In one incident, the suspect met his victim at home and stole his vehicle.

Four of the five reports over the past three weeks occurred in the 200 block of North Pine Avenue, near Polytechnical Academy High School in Chicago’s Austin neighborhood.

The other incident occurred near 5300 W. Van Buren St., also in the Austin neighborhood.

“The Better Business Bureau sees these types of scam reports to our organizations many times over the years and especially since the pandemic,” said Steve Bernas, president and CEO of the Chicago BBB. “This is important for consumers. Just because they’re on a legitimate website doesn’t mean there isn’t a scammer there, and I think consumers feel like they’re protected there. Unfortunately, that’s not the case.”

Bernas said dating app users should always meet in public places like malls or a restaurant. He said first dates should never take place at home or in a secluded location.

He also suggests searching for the person on social media.

“You should have a long-term account somewhere and not one that has just been opened recently,” Bernas said.

Bernas also recommends reverse-searching a potential date’s profile picture to see if it appears on other websites or profiles. You can do this by right-clicking the image, selecting “Find Image with Google,” and clicking “Find Image Source.”

If you become a victim of a crime, the police advise you to remember the physical characteristics of the suspect, stay at the crime scene if possible and note down the contact details of possible witnesses.

If you have any information about recent robberies in Chicago, contact Area Four Detectives at 312-746-8253.