On Mean Girls Day, Jonathan Bennett Helps Tinder Users Avoid Romance Scams
Oct. 3 is Mean Girls Day for those who celebrate, but did you know that it's also World Romance Scam Prevention Day? (Part of the broader Cybersecurity Awareness Month.)
Tinder and Match Group teamed up with Mean Girls actor Jonathan Bennett to protect users' hearts—and their wallets—from online scammers.
A 70-second spot features Bennett, clad in a Tinder-branded, pink high school jacket. He call outs the mean people to avoid online, like "love-bombers" and "money-seekers." Your spidey sense should tingle when an online paramour comes on too heavy with complements and affection, or when they ask you for money. Swipe left!
Created by Mischief @ No Fixed Address, the ad nods to the 2004 film starring Bennett and Lindsay Lohan, while also giving sound advice on how to steer clear of fraud.
And it's not just older folks falling prey to scammers. More younger adults are reporting romance scams every year, per Match.
"Fans have a lot of fun celebrating all their favorite memes and quotes every Oct. 3, but it's also important that we can take this day to acknowledge some important lessons about how we interact with others online," Bennett says in press materials. "We want everyone to continue to recognize this day, while also being more aware of the types of common behaviors of online scammers to watch out for."
The ad is running on Tinder and Match's social channels. Sibling dating site Hinge is sending in-app messages to users, advising them not to send money or take investment advice from people they've never met.
