According to The Daily Scam, a website that raises awareness about internet scams and online fraud schemes, over 500 men have been reported being affected by a frightening hoax on Plenty of Fish. Plenty of Fish (POF) is an online dating website that can be accessed via a phone app for adult singles. The scam targets POF users looking for love and follows a specific, intricate pattern that is nearly identical in each instance reported to the Daily Scam and local police departments.
The online scam primarily targets young men who match with young women on the app and seeks to extort money from its victims. It’s possible that what may appear to be a scam on the surface reveals itself as a genuine police sting targeting men soliciting minors. If you believe that you are the target of an online dating scam in Orlando, a sex crime defense lawyer can take action quickly to help you resolve the issue.
Young people today can spot online scams almost immediately having grown up in an era in which rampant money-grabbing schemes are a dime a dozen. From the infamous Nigerian check email scam to social media scams, there are so many types we have become desensitized to them. It takes a more sophisticated approach to lure this generation into parting with their cash. It takes a scam like the Plenty of Fish scam, which has spread across the country like an invasive species, hungry for its next innocent victim.
These online dating scams typically involve a young man and what he believes to be a match who is of the age of consent. The communication exchange starts off innocently enough until it leaves the website or phone app. Before he knows it, a victim is panicking at the thought of facing criminal charges for soliciting a minor, among other sex offenses. Many innocent targets who have never heard of the scam before pay hundreds to thousands of dollars to far-off criminals to avoid what they believe to be serious consequences. How exactly does the scam unfold?
Scam artists, posing as interested young women, employ a variety of tactics to trick young men out of their hard-earned cash. The scam unfolds like a TV drama — scammers pose as multiple different characters, including the “father” of the young woman in the profile photo and a local deputy to scare and intimidate their victims. In some instances, unfortunately, these scams may be stings set up by law enforcement officers to trap men into committing sex crimes. If the police set up the sting using Plenty of Fish, it is not a scam. In that case, you can expect to be prosecuted and it is very important that you retain counsel.
Sex crime charges can be very serious and may require registration as a sex offender upon conviction. In Florida, registering as a sex offender can have dreadful consequences. Do not let these charges go unattended. Talk with a skilled lawyer to fight the charges against you immediately.
At the Umansky Law Firm, our experienced Orlando criminal lawyers have staunchly defended sex crime charges throughout Central Florida for the last 20 years, with no signs of stopping anytime soon. We have over 100 years of combined experience standing up for the rights of those facing criminal charges. Call our office or email us for a free consultation. We’re also available to chat 24/7 on our website.
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