At least dozen victims report dating app armed robbery in South Fulton, detectives say
Authorities say burglary suspects used dating app for gay men to lure victims
At least a dozen victims have reported being catfished and lured to a stretch of Old National Highway in South Fulton before being robbed at gunpoint. Police say the suspects are using dating apps typically used by gay men to find their victims.
SOUTH FULTON, Ga. - At least a dozen victims have reported being lured to a stretch of Old National Highway in the city of South Fulton by someone they connected with on a dating app in recent weeks, and being robbed at gunpoint.
SOUTH FULTON DETECTIVES INVESTIGATE STRING OF ROBBERIES TARGETING GAY MEN ON DATING APPS
"A lot of people they are meeting people on these dating sites and they are meeting up with them not knowing they are potentially meeting up with scammers," South Fulton Police Lt. Ronnie Wyatt told FOX 5's Deidra Dukes.
According to police, several men were catfished and told to meet their date at the Camelot Club Condominiums. The victims were robbed when they arrived.
Preliminary investigations revealed that the suspects targeted gay men on dating apps like Grindr.
"People are being enticed on these dating sites," said Lt. Wyatt. "They are being tricked [into] meeting up with people. And once they are getting there, they are actually taking money from them and things like that."
The victims were unfamiliar with the area, making them easy targets.
"And the ones that have been reported, those are just the ones that we know about. Sometimes people say ‘I will just take it as a loss and just not do it again’. But even coming forward can help someone else from becoming a victim in the same way," Lt. Wyatt said.
Police are working to determine if the crimes are connected and urge the public to exercise caution when meeting up with people they have only connected with online.
"Because anytime you are meeting someone for the first time you never know who it is until you get there," said Wyatt, "and once you get there is not the time to say 'maybe this isn't a good thing'. You should do all those things prior to meeting up with that person."