Visual Argument Memo

English 1311,CRN: 23344 Crystal N. Avila 88560244

Memorandum
To: From: Date: Re:

Moushumi Biswas Crystal Avila 5/3/2013 Visual Argument Memo

The Risks of Online Dating

The creation of technology is so influential mainly because of its immense impact on society. The most popular technological innovations today is the internet, the cell phone, and social media. These innovations are highly esteemed throughout society because they allow individuals to connect with one another. Through the Internet ideas, opinions, thoughts, information, knowledge has become more accessible than in the past. Through the connectivity provided by technology, millions of people have taken to the Internet to look for love or companionship. Even though technology has made communication much easier, many innocent users unknowingly face the perils of online dating. The industry of online dating services boasts more than 15,000 dating websites and an annual profit of $4 billion worldwide. The industry may be profitable, but many websites do not conduct background checks on its users.
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CONFIDENTIAL

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Through online dating, anyone can create a virtual personality and deceive and harm innocent people. Statistics have found that the pool of online dating users consists of 10% sex offenders, 10% of members are scammers, 11% of the daters are already married, and 51% are already in a relationship. According to InternetPredatorStatistics.com, a dating website is considered a predator's "playground" because internet predators have committed about 100 murders, 16,000 abductions, and thousands of rapes by luring in victims through online dating services Creating this public service announcement has made me aware of the dangers of online dating and the statistics of criminality behind it. While researching about the dangers of online dating, I learned that scammers lurk behind profile pictures of online dating users. The FBI states that the most common victims of scammers are "women over 40, who are divorced, widowed, and/or disabled, but every age group and demographic is at risk." Eventually, when the scammers have formed a close relationship with their victims, they will fabricate a story of hardship and ask for financial assistance. Also, there have been cases of blackmailing a victim and demanding money from them. Scammers would have intimate conversations with their victims and then threaten to post pictures, video, private information, or messages of the victim on the internet. The only way for the information to be removed, the victim would have to pay the scammer $99. My group and I will create a public service announcement that will highlight the dangers of online dating and we will also provide tips on how to safely maintain

May 3, 2013

and secure relationships online. The roles we will each fill are as follows: Silver Callejas will be filming, Bianca Licon will be the actress, and I will be editor of the film. The PSA will begin with Bianca portraying an ordinary girl named Jenny who is browsing through an online dating website. Jenny will immediately be attracted to a male online user called hotTdog92. Blinded by love, Bianca will carelessly give out her private information away to this male user and not take the proper precautions when meeting a stranger online. As their "love" continues to grow, Bianca will invite hotTdog92 to her house so that they can meet for the first time . In the end, the hotTdog92 is really a dog who fooled Bianca . Thus, reflecting the cruel realities of online dating that most users are not whom they present themselves to be online.