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The infamous “Tinder Swindler” has been banned from several dating apps. Match Group, which owns several popular dating apps including Tinder, Hinge, OkCupid and PlentyofFish, announced that he was no longer welcome on their platforms.

According to Match Group, Shimon Hayut (who also went by Simon Leviev) violated their terms of service, which includes impersonation and asking for money. He created fake profiles on the app using other names in order to keep his con going, according to The Washington Post.

Match Group also said that ahead of the documentary’s release, the company published new guidelines for users to better protect from scammers and exploitation on its apps.

Hinge is giving some love to single Moms this Valentine’s Day, offering $100 in childcare stipends so that they can make plans for a date.

According to the company’s press release, the popular dating app kicked off the campaign on Friday, February 4th ahead of Valentine’s Day. Users who have selected “Have Children” in their profiles will receive an opt-in notification at that time. To be eligible to receive the gift, those who opt in must also comment on someone’s profile that same day. The gift cards will be sent via email to each selected parent, according to the release.

The campaign is in partnership with French singer-songwriter Soko, who is also a single parent. Soko wanted to focus especially on the LGBTQ+ community and encourage discussions on “how to prioritize responsibilities as a parent while also making time to find someone special,” according to the release.

The OASIS Consortium published its first set of safety standards for the next generation of the Web, which includes the metaverse. The goal is to create a blueprint for how companies and developers should approach online safety going forward.

The Consortium was founded in 2021 shortly after the insurrection at the Capitol in the U.S., a day where a mob terrorized and threatened lawmakers ahead of the certification of Biden as President. Investigations into the riot have shown how social media, particularly Facebook and its outsized influence, has helped to radicalize people when it comes to their political viewpoints.

According to Time Magazine, The Consortium addresses issues across a number of tech industries, including dating apps, video games, and immersive tech platforms that are leading the way into the metaverse, or what’s called Web 3.0. Leaders from Riot Games, The Meet Group (which owns dating apps like MeetMe, LOVOO, Growlr, and Skout) and others have helped to develop these standards for improving safety and privacy as people spend more time online.

Scammers stole more than $1.4 million from users of popular dating apps like Tinder, Grindr and Bumble, among others. Dubbed “CryptoRom” by cybersecurity research firm Sophos, the attackers feigned romantic interest with victims to build trust, and then lured them into downloading fake cryptocurrency apps.

According to reports, these scammers used Apple’s Enterprise Development platform to push the fake cryptocurrency apps, which gave the victims a sense that they were legitimate, but in reality, this allowed scammers to bypass the normal app review process. 

The CryptoRom attackers set up fake profiles on dating apps and strike up conversations with users, later moving them to messaging apps. After a time, the subject of cryptocurrency is introduced into the conversation, and the scammer asks the victim to install the fake crypto trading app to make an investment. At first, the victim makes money and is allowed to withdraw from their account, providing a false sense of security. Soon after, they are asked to make a more substantial contribution, and if they do, the scammers not only refuse their withdrawal requests, but blackmail them to invest more and take the money they already paid if they refuse.

Google is cracking down on so-called “sugar dating” apps in its Play Store, and will shut them down as of September 1st.

The search engine behemoth has carried dating apps that offer “compensated sexual relationships” in its store, but in the push to crack down on these potentially exploitative apps, the company has now issued a strict policy for its store. Google is making other safety and security changes too, including a new initiative to shut down inactive developer accounts, according to The Verge.

Google made the announcement without specifying why it’s taking these actions now, but The Verge points out that it could be related to the FOSTA-SESTA legislation which was enacted in 2018, “which removes Section 230 protections for content that ‘promotes or facilitates prostitution.’” There has been a recent crackdown on platforms that deal in online sex work. 

A new survey from dating app Luxy found that American online daters differ from daters in other countries in terms of how they feel about current political leaders and whether or not they want to talk about politics on dating apps.

According to Luxy, which markets itself to elite and affluent daters, 54% of American online daters surveyed said they would talk about politics on a dating app, compared to only 36% of respondents from other countries. Sixty-three percent of those surveyed from outside the U.S. said they never discuss politics on a dating app.

To understand how online daters are faring in the midst of the many crises happening right now, including the coronavirus, the protests, and the economic recession, Luxy asked users both in the U.S. and outside the U.S. how they feel about 2020 so far. Luxy found that 40% of Americans are finding this year to be “extremely bad” or “quite hard,” compared to only 23% of those surveyed from other countries.