Dating App Tinder Employs Facial Recognition, Video Selfies to Crack Down on Fake Profiles

• Tinder is implementing a selfie video verification process to prevent users from falling victim to catfishing
• Catfishing is the act of deceiving someone into a relationship by creating a fictional online identity
• Shimon Hayut, who used Tinder to meet several women, duped the women of their hard-earned money, which translated into billions of shillings

Online dating has become a popular way for many to find love, but unfortunately, it has also provided scammers with a platform to prey on unsuspecting victims.

Tinder Swindler

Thousands of people have fallen victim to online romance scams, resulting in them losing their money and property.

One of the most notable cases is that of Shimon Hayut, also known as the Tinder Swindler.

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Hayut created a fake profile on dating apps and presented himself as billionaire Simon Leviev. He used his fabricated identity to meet multiple women, establish lines of credit and loans in their names, and left them broke.

In response to such incidents, Tinder has implemented measures to curb fake profiles and ensure users' safety.

According to Metro, the dating app now requires users to go through a photo verification process, which involves a Liveness Check and 3D Face Authentication.

The Liveness Check confirms that the user in the video is a live person and the video has not been manipulated.

3D Face Authentication compares the user's face in the video selfie to their profile photos, using facial recognition technology to confirm their identity.

Dating app swindler charged in court

On Thursday, June 23, 2022, Briefly News reported that Tinder Swindler, Hayut, was charged in court after he was sued by the family of a billionaire whom he personated.

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Hayut took the internet by storm after Netflix aired a documentary based on his life as a swindler.

Hayut pretended to be from the wealthy Israeli diamond family and will be presented in court after a lawsuit against him was brought by the family.

The swindle lived a luxurious life by duping women on the dating site.

Fake driver's licence

On Monday, April 25, 2022, Briefly News reported that a warrant of arrest had been issued for Hayut after he allegedly presented a fake driver's license to police while he was in Spain.

According to Daily Mail, the Tinder Swindler used a fake driver's licence in 2019 during an incident where he got his KSh 9.9 million Maserati car stuck on a beach.

He claimed to be a holidaymaker named Michael Bilton and presented a false license in one of the aliases he was known to use.

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The swindler was, however, busted by a police officer who was skilled at detecting forged documents.

Source: TUKO.co.ke