Match Group and I4C flag five romance scam traps

01 · Dating apps take on romance scams

Match Group, the parent of Tinder, Hinge and The League, has partnered with the Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre (I4C) under the Ministry of Home Affairs to launch a romance-scam awareness campaign. Announced at the second Trust and Safety Festival in India, the initiative will push India-specific guidance across all three platforms.

The campaign is built around five red flags: question moves off-platform, verify identities, reject suspicious investment advice, refuse any request for money, and recognise the trust-building that usually precedes a financial ask.

• Question off-platform moves early
• Verify who you are talking to
• Reject suspicious investment or crypto tips
• Refuse any request for money
• Spot trust-building before a financial ask

Romance fraud often involves weeks or months of grooming. Scammers invent medical emergencies, travel trouble, visa fees or repairs, and increasingly pitch cryptocurrency schemes with unusually high returns.

02 · Why trust is now a product feature

“Building safer online dating experiences requires more than what any one platform can do on its own,” said Yoel Roth, senior vice president and head of Trust and Safety at Match Group. The I4C partnership, he said, brings local expertise to users.

For dating brands in India, safety is becoming a differentiator. Tinder already offers Face Check, Photo Verification, “Are You Sure?” and “Does This Bother You?”, along with Share My Date. Hinge has added a waitlist for some new users, Face Check, a Block List and Screenshot Protection. The League will carry the same campaign guidance.

The campaign arrives as Match Group-Ipsos data cited by the company notes 35% of Indian singles feel lonely despite being socially active, an emotional gap scammers know how to exploit.

Roth’s point is as much a strategy statement as a safety announcement. A platform can block and ban, but fraud moves across apps and payment rails. Partnering with authorities makes the warning more credible than any in-app banner.

I4C director Nishant Kumar put the warning bluntly: “Trust must be accompanied by caution online. Scammers create false identities on dating apps/matrimonial websites to exploit emotions, win your trust and trigger urgent money transfers.” He urged users to report through the National Cybercrime Helpline at 1930 or the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal.

The five red flags are not just user tips; they map to a classic fraud journey: gain trust, isolate the target, create urgency, then monetise the relationship.

03 · What marketers should do with this

For CMOs, this is not a compliance box-tick. Match Group is turning safety guidance into a visible brand platform with a credible government partner. The transferable lesson: product features reduce risk, but campaigns build reassurance.

Brands that hold user data or facilitate trust-based interactions—fintech, matrimony, health, edtech—can borrow the approach. Co-create local awareness content with an authority, distribute it inside the product, and make reporting easy.

Source: Storyboard18

Mad About Marketing Desk The strategists and writers at Mad About Marketing, writing up what we see in the work every week.