Popular dating app Tinder has been invaded with a series of bots that are using tempting profiles and pictures to fool people into clicking on dangerous links.
The bots appear to have stolen pictures from an Arizona-based photography studio to create fake profiles, according to antivirus company Bitdefender Labs.
After users swipe the right button on Tinder to indicate that they like a profile, the bots engage users in automated conversations until they convince them to click on a dubious link.
A typical bot message reads:
Quote Hey, how are you doing? I’m still recovering from last night Relaxing with a game on my phone, castle clash. Have you heard about it? Play with me and you may get my phone number.
Bitdefender said the scam is geo-specific, so British users are lured to fraudulent surveys and dubious competitions for ASDA and Tesco vouchers, while Tinder users in the US are brought to the ‘Castle Clash’ game download.
“The name of the URL gives the impression of an official page of the dating app and for extra legitimacy scammers also registered it on a reputable .com domain,” said Catalin Cosoi, chief security strategist at Bitdefender.
Tinder said it is aware of the accounts in question and is taking the necessary steps to remove them. "Ensuring an authentic ecosystem has always been and will continue to be our top priority,” the company said in a statement.
Castle Clash developer IGG said that it is aware of the issue . Bitdefender has also notified the photography studio where the bots’ pictures were stolen from.
This is not the first time that the dating app has come under attack. Last year cybersecurity firm Symantec highlighted how fake accounts were attempting to convince members to reveal their credit card details.

thats actually pretty damn funny. i wonder if my friends have gotten hit with this shit. haha