Before COVID, the nature of social interaction had already been changing on a fundamental level. While most people still went out into the world for work, shopping, drinks, dinner and the like, there were many individuals who already practiced an early form of social distancing, preferring instead to interact with others from the safety of their own homes. And, thanks to the internet, this type of behavior is further supported by an extensive network of social media platforms, with traditional icons such as Facebook and Twitter, newcomers like Tiktok, and mobile dating platforms like Tinder and Bumble.
As with most innovations, cybercriminals are always finding ways to leverage popular platforms to further their ends. With more and more people turning to dating apps during the pandemic, an obvious evolution to their tactics would be to create fake accounts to attempt to directly scam users, talk to them extensively to perpetrate long-term social engineering schemes, and also gather substantial amounts of personal information on their target.
Any time you're on the internet, it's extraordinarily important to look at everything you see with a grain of salt. Now, it appears that even the people you talk to are to be treated with suspicion as well. If you want to read more about this, check out the main article HERE.