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Gay men are being targeted by bullies on dating apps who lure their victims into vulnerable situations before ambushing them.
Western Australian police have warned men to be careful on dating apps after several people were beaten in Perth.
The victims were “surrounded and assaulted by several men while being subjected to homophobic slurs” after being lured to certain areas under the pretext of a date.
Perpetrators use legitimate dating accounts, only for their victims to discover upon meeting them that they have been duped.
Police are warning all men in the city who identify as sexually or gender diverse to be very careful when meeting strangers they meet online.
“In each case, the male victims, who believed they had been speaking to legitimate users, arranged to meet someone they had previously connected with on a dating app,” a police spokeswoman said.
Police also confirmed that videos of the attacks have begun to appear on social media.
The police spokeswoman added that some of the victims even suffered damage to their cars as they tried to escape from their attackers.
Western Australian police have warned men to be wary of dating apps after several people were beaten by violent mobs in Perth
An investigation has been launched into the attacks andOfficers have already spoken to several victims.
Western Australia Police Detective Inspector Matt Froude confirmed his unit is “working tirelessly to track down these offenders and hold them accountable.”
“We take this behavior extremely seriously and there is no place for this type of targeted violence in our community,” he said.
“While incidents of this nature are rare, we treat them with the utmost seriousness and encourage victims to come forward so we can investigate.”
Detective Froude added that the attackers ‘We should be expecting WA Police officers to walk through their door.’
Police are warning all men in the city who identify as sexually or gender diverse to be very careful when meeting strangers they meet online.
The usual advice given to any gender-diverse man looking to meet someone on a dating app is to do so in a public, well-lit area.
Police also suggest that these men inform their family and friends about where they are going and who they will be meeting before doing so.
“Some of these apps have built-in security features that allow you to share your live location with trusted contacts for added security during meetings,” Detective Froude said.
Western Australia Police are urging any other victims of similar attacks to come forward and contact the police. Crime Stoppers at 1800 333 000.