UNHINGED
I fell victim to Hinge swindler who talked me into holiday then ‘ghosted’ me – huge red flag sent shivers down my spine
Scroll down to see the "red flags" Claudia experienced
A WOMAN claims she was talked into paying for a holiday to Spain as first date by a Hinge "swindler" - who then "ghosted" her.
Claudia Harris, 29, says she typically avoided dating apps but was persuaded to join by a friend, and she matched with the "first person she came across" in May last year.
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After experiencing instant fireworks and chatting all day and night, Claudia, from Harpenden, Hertfordshire, agreed to book a three-day trip to Malaga, Spain, as a first date with the soldier.
But she claims she was left £400 out of pocket and "really noticed the red flags" when the pair were going to the airport for their return trip - on a day where they "barely spoke".
Claudia says she arrived the night before her date landed, so she covered the up-front £800 cost for the hotel, which he allegedly agreed to pay her back for.
Photos show the pair enjoying trips to the beach and even getting tattoos together, despite having only just met.
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But the fashion PR claims she realised she had been scammed after the weekend away, when her date "ghosted" her messages asking for the £400 to cover his share of the accommodation costs.
Claudia was left "really upset" because she "could not afford" to lose this money, and even warned the soldier that she'd report him to his barracks if he didn't send her the cash.
She claimed on social media that she experienced "Tinder Swindler in real life", referencing the hit Netflix documentary which portrays a man scamming women after meeting them online.
A series of screenshots reveal the last message Claudia ever received from her date last June, saying he was unsure how the pair could "make it work" but claiming he would send the £400 "first thing in the morning".
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Further screenshots show Claudia's attempts to get her money back.
She says she was involved in a car accident and wanted the payment issue to be "resolved asap".
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Claudia says she had always been "so against" dating apps, but after matching with the army man and speaking on Facetime until the early hours, the pair decided they "needed" to meet in person.
But her awful experience has caused her to swear off the apps and said that they were now "absolutely not" for her.
Claudia said: "It's the real life Tinder Swindler but make it Hinge. I am a Netflix documentary in the making.
"My friend urged me to download Hinge and I was so against it. She told me it would be fun and a good distraction.
"He was the first person I came across. He matched with me almost instantly. We were talking and it was going really well.
"For 12 hours we were texting each other and we didn't get off the phone until 3am. At the end of the conversation he said he really needed to meet me and I said likewise.
"He had some time off at the end of the month for the bank holiday. He was thinking of going to Spain. He asked if I wanted to come.
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"This was the sign I had been wanting from the universe to do something different, out of my comfort zone and put myself out there. I didn't even second guess it.
"We both agreed on Malaga. We wanted somewhere by the sea. In the build up we were Facetiming every day."
Claudia says she got her flight out the day before James, who flew out the following morning - but things started going wrong quickly and their fun chat over the phone was not replicated in person.
Claudia said: "When I got to the hotel I paid on arrival. The agreement always was that we would split it when we were out there.
"There was an issue with his bank account so we couldn't do a straightforward bank transfer.
"He arrived the following morning and it was just not the same. He was the same person but the vibe was not there. It was a struggle. Conversation was very minimal.
"I thought 'I'm in Spain for three and a half days. What the hell am I going to do?' We just made the most out of it.
"We got tattoos, cocktails and walked around the city. We made the best out of a shi**y situation.
"He paid his way on holiday for meals and stuff. I really noticed the red flags when we were going to the airport. We barely spoke that entire day. It was very bizarre."
She claimed that despite the pair's "agreement" to split the hotel costs, her date cruelly "ghosted" her after the trip and she never received the money.
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Claudia said: "That night I messaged him about the money. Two days later he replied and said he was so sorry but he had been back to back with training.
"I sent him my details. Ghosted. I thought he must be busy so I tried again two days later. Ghosted. I thought this was really weird and tried one final time. Nothing.
"That's when I got really, really upset. I got into a car accident which led me to the decision to leave my job.
"I had no income for a long time so that was money I could not afford to lose. My brother had to give me a bit of money. It was such a low moment. I'm never going to see that money again."
Claudia explained she reported her date's profile to Hinge to prevent him doing the same to other women and admitted she is "now done" with dating apps and their lack of safeguarding.
Hinge's "Selfie Verification
If Hinge users choose to participate in the Selfie Verification feature, the app collects their "face geometry data", which may be considered biometric data in some jurisdictions.
This is done to verify that users really are who they say they are.
It is a voluntary process that allows users to verify their profiles.
After successful verification, users will get a new badge on their profile.
With Selfie Verification, users will also be able to see whether other Hinge profiles are verified.
The Hinge website says: "That way, you can make more informed decisions about who you interact with on Hinge."
It adds: "Selfie Verification may take up to 24 hours.
"Once your Selfie Verification is complete, the biometric information is deleted."
Claudia said: "My friend told me to go back on Hinge. I re-downloaded the app and his profile was the first person I came across [again]."
She added: "It could've been a lot worse. I'm quite impulsive by nature.
"Now if that opportunity presented itself again I would take a few steps back.
"It takes a few months to get to know someone, not a few minutes.
"The dating app culture makes you rush the process. It shouldn't be a rushed process at all.
"It's forcing you to go against everything we stand for as women and being safe. There's no safeguarding in place for women.
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"I am done with the dating app culture. You have to be lucky to find a genuine connection.
"I don't think it's going to happen for me on a dating app. Absolutely not."
Hinge confirmed that the user in question was banned after Claudia's complaint.
The app said that any user who encounters potential harm, including fraud, is encouraged to report it through their in-app reporting resources so that they can investigate and take necessary action.
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In 2022, Selfie Verification was launched as an additional step to help users confirm that people are who they appear to be in their profile, empowering them to make more informed decisions about who they interact with.
Once a selfie is confirmed, a 'Verified' badge is added to the user’s profile.
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