{
  "id": 2684626,
  "title": "Wrong swipe, real scars: Victims reveal the dark side of online dating [WATCH]",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/23/wrong-swipe-real-scars-victims-reveal-the-dark-side-of-online-dating",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-23T00:17:38.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "New Straits Times",
    "slug": "new-straits-times",
    "url": "https://www.nst.com.my/news/nation/2026/08/1516848/wrong-swipe-real-scars-victims-reveal-dark-side-online-dating-watch"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "In Malaysia, dating app encounters that led to financial losses, damaged reputations, physical harm, and exposure of intimate images are leaving lasting scars on some victims. Luna, a 28-year-old, joined a dating app six months after her engagement ended in search of a new beginning. She met a man who slowly gained her trust and sought her help for various expenses. Over six months, she gave him RM895 without receiving any repayment. Doubts arose when another woman questioned her relationship with the man, and she discovered he was calling another woman \"baby\" and \"sayang.\" The man became angry and abusive before cutting off communication. The emotional scars from this experience are still vivid for Luna, five years later.\n\nNurshafilah, a 23-year-old student, had a disappointing first date with a man she met online. After just four days of matching, he left the restaurant without saying a word, leaving her to pay the RM550 bill alone. When he claimed to be on his way to meet her, Nurshafilah met him in Kuala Lumpur. He then falsely said his colleague needed him for work, and he had to leave again. While they ordered their meal, he claimed his colleague needed him to deliver a work tablet, and he left once more. She eventually agreed to meet him again, but he never returned. After sharing her experience online, she received threatening messages from the man, who demanded she delete the post for him to pay her back. A former girlfriend of the man contacted Nurshafilah, informing her that she had been fortunate as she could have lost her valuables. Many other alleged victims of this same man have come forward, claiming they had lost jewelry, cash, laptops, and mobile phones. Non-governmental organization Jejaka has received numerous complaints from dating app users about financial blackmail and extortion, with perpetrators building trust before demanding intimate photographs or personal information to be used for blackmail. These cases are not isolated, and victims often avoid reporting incidents to the police due to stigma or fear of judgment.",
  "summary": "KUALA LUMPUR: For some victims, the scars left by dating app encounters gone wrong are felt beyond heartbreak, extending to financial losses, damaged reputations, physical harm and intimate images exposed to the world.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}