RAPES and other crimes linked to dating apps Tinder and Grindr have soared
650 per cent in two years.
In 2013 just 55 crime reports mentioned one of the two apps.
But this leapt to 204 in 2014 and 412 in the year to October 2015, according
to figures from 30 police forces in England and Wales.
Most of the crimes were sexual or violent and included rape, attempted murder
and grooming of children.
Experts fear it is the tip of the iceberg as many victims will be too scared
or embarrassed to contact police.
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Tinder is mainly used by straight men and women while Grindr is a gay dating
app. They provide users with photos of potential dates and basic details
about them.
There were 277 crime reports in which Tinder was mentioned in 2015 — up from
21 in 2013 — while Grindr was mentioned in 135 alleged crimes, up from 34.
Prof Andy Phippen, of Plymouth University, said: “If we base the formation of
a relationship on a photo and a few lines of text, how do we know that
person is who they say they are?
“We tell kids, ‘Don’t trust who people say they are online’ — but the adult
population go merrily about their way thinking it is a good way of hooking
up.”
Children’s charity the NSPCC said: “Dating apps, by their very nature, are not
safe online spaces for children.”