Singles Looking for Love in 2022 Vulnerable to Scams, Wells Fargo Survey Finds - Seite 2

Adds Long, “Scams are continually evolving — and so are the safeguards that we put in place to help protect the assets of our customers. Wells Fargo is committed to investing time, people, technology, and other resources to help identify, intercept, and investigate incidents of suspected elder and vulnerable adult financial abuse.”

The national online survey consisted of 930 U.S. adults who have never been married, divorced, separated, or widowed. It was conducted by Versta Research on behalf of Wells Fargo Dec. 13-29, 2021.

Risky behaviors for online dating

Though looking for love in 2022, most singles — yet not all — know enough to avoid risky online dating behaviors, with most saying they won’t:

• Lend the person money for a health emergency (91%)
• Fly to a distant location to meet the person (84%)
• Meet a person who sent an unsolicited provocative photo (81%)
• Meet the person without talking by phone or video first (80%)
• Let the person pick them up at their home for a first date (75%)

Still, substantial numbers would engage in risky behavior, and they may be unaware of subtler ways in which dating scammers work, according to the survey.

Up to half of singles surveyed said they would take personal risks in meeting or dating an online romantic interest:

• One in two (50%) would not check the person’s background
• One in four (27%) would not get a second opinion from someone they trust
• One in four (25%) would let the person pick them up at their home for a first date
• One in five (20%) would meet the person without talking by phone or video first
• One in five (19%) would meet the person even if sent an unsolicited provocative photo
• One in six (16%) would fly to a distant location to meet the person
• One in eleven (9%) would lend the person money for a health emergency

Men more willing to take risks, potentially more vulnerable to scams

Men, especially, are willing to take risks in meeting or dating an online romantic interest. Of those surveyed:

• 62% would not check the person’s background (vs. 39% of women) — and more so (72%) with men age 65+
• 37% would not get a second opinion from someone they trust (vs. 18% of women) — and more so (54%) with men age 65+
• 36% would let the person pick them up at their home for a first date (vs. 14% of women)
• 29% would meet the person without talking by phone or video first (vs. 13% of women)
• 33% would meet the person even if sent an unsolicited provocative photo (vs. 6% of women)
• 20% would fly to a distant location to meet the person (vs. 12% of women)
• 12% would lend the person money for a health emergency (vs. 6% of women)

“Given that our survey results indicate that men — particularly over age 65 — are significantly more willing to take risks than women while dating online, we strongly suggest that they exercise more caution to protect themselves from potential scammers,” said Lauree Peterson-Sakai, strategy leader, Aging Client Services, Office of Consumer Practices at Wells Fargo.