Public Ministry opens inquiry against Tinder – 06/27/2023 – Tech

The São Paulo Public Prosecutor’s Office has launched a civil inquiry to force Tinder to share information with authorities in cases of kidnappings committed through the app.

The investigation is carried out by GAESP (Special Action Group for Public Security and External Control of Police Activity) in conjunction with the DAS (Anti-Kidnapping Division) of the Civil Police. According to the unit’s delegate, Fábio Nelson Fernandes, the procedure was introduced after the platform made it difficult for the police to access information that would help identify the kidnappers.

The investigation has been open at least since May, when the Sheet contacted the Public Ministry. The body, however, said it will not comment on the case, since the procedure is under secrecy.

Tinder was considered the best dating app by the majority of respondents in the “Best of the Internet” survey, conducted by Datafolha. The application was cited by 37% of the 1,558 people interviewed in the survey.

Questioned about the inquiry, Match Group, responsible for the platform, said in a note that it cooperates with the authorities and that an exclusive portal for contacting security bodies is in the process of being created.

“We cooperate with the authorities in the markets in which we operate, providing information to assist in their investigations. With the objective of improving processes with the authorities, Match Group was the first company in the sector to launch an exclusive portal for the authorities. dedicated service team, we are in the process of launching this portal in Brazil and in other countries”

The delegate states that the frequency of this type of crime has increased since 2021 and that, today, it represents the majority of kidnapping crimes in São Paulo.

“This crime as we knew it before, lasting five to ten days and phone calls to the victim’s family, almost doesn’t exist anymore. Today, out of every ten kidnappings, nine involve dating apps.”

Crime begins with creating a fake profile on relationship apps, where criminals connect with the victim and make an appointment. When he arrives at the designated location, the victim encounters armed men and is taken into captivity, where he is forced to make bank transfers.

This was the method used by criminals this Monday (26th), when a doctor from São Roque lost R$ 180,000 after suffering a scam of this type.

Fernandes says that, since the beginning of 2023, 27 cases of this type have been registered in São Paulo, of which three have not yet had the suspects identified or arrested. Victims are usually men between the ages of 30 and 50.

“These criminals evaluate the profile of men on social networks and choose the victim because they see photos of cars, jewelry and high-value goods, which indicate a good financial condition.”

According to Rodrigo Fontes, spokesman for Tinder, the company seeks to educate users to prevent cases of this type from occurring.

“Today on our platform, we have a series of materials that guide the user on which behaviors are suspicious and what to suspect before setting up a date. The safety of those who use Tinder is and has always been one of our priorities.”