8 Online Dating Murder Stats and Real Cases

For lots of people today, online dating is the primary way to find a partner, but for all its obvious popularity, it isn't risk-free. A dating profile gives a dangerous person something to hide behind, letting them pose as someone else and get sensitive information, or worse, out of you.

Meeting up in person raises the stakes. It's well known that some ill-intentioned app users have turned to online platforms to stalk people and find victims to assault face-to-face. Still, in my view, cases like these are rare.

Meeting partners online is still safe in the vast majority of cases, provided you stay careful and cautious.

The stories below are here to inform you and help keep you safe while you try online dating. If you have a morbid curiosity about the very worst that online dating could lead to, read on.

1. Odds That a Dating App Match Is a Murderer: 1/160,000

Look at the numbers and it's obvious how rare it is to actually encounter a murderer. Your chances of meeting a killer are 1 in 160,000 on a dating app.1

These odds come from comparing FBI theory data on how many serial killers are active in the U.S. with actual population figures.

“You might as well worry about being struck by lighting at the exact same instant as a shark attacks you.” — Quora user Jack Lurhstaap Romero

Don't let this figure frighten you. There's no need to panic and wipe Tinder, Bumble, and Hinge off your phone right away.

Put simply, if you went on dates with 160,000 random people, one of them might be a murderer. Since nobody could date that many people in one lifetime, your risk stays low.

I'd add that the gender identity of your date plays a role too. Men are roughly 10 times more likely than women to commit murder (sorry, guys, but facts are facts), which means people who date women are even less likely to end up with a murderer.2,3

2. Roughly 31% of Women Have Been Assaulted by a Date

In a survey by Columbia Journalism Investigations, carried out together with ProPublica, 31% of women respondents said they'd been sexually assaulted by a dating-site match, and half of those reported incidents were considered rape.4

Sadly, the investigation found that a number of popular dating apps don't screen for sexual predators.

Match Group checks state sex offender registries only against paying subscribers on Match. None of the company's other platforms, including Tinder, OkCupid, and Plenty of Fish, offer this premium feature.

In other words, nothing stops registered sex offenders or people with a history of sexual violence from joining these apps. That makes guarding yourself against sexual violence offline all the more important.

Watch for signs of catfishing, like grainy, low-res pictures or a profile with no pictures at all. I suggest a voice or video call before you meet face-to-face. A quick Google search can't hurt, either: with their full name, you might be able to find records of any crimes they've committed.

3. Connecticut Changed Its Laws 6 Years After a 2018 Murder

In January 2024, Connecticut put a new cyber law into effect. It requires companies doing business in the state to offer procedures for reporting unwanted behavior, online dating safety tips (including warnings about romance scams), plus phone numbers and web links for reporting domestic violence and sexual harassment.5

Emily Todd's murder in 2018 prompted the law. She met her killer on a dating app and later broke things off with him.

Plenty of people have probably come away from online dating feeling uncomfortable, even without ever meeting in person. This law is meant to educate internet users about online dating's darker side and give them plenty of resources to get help if they need it, so that a tragedy like Todd's doesn't happen again.

4. A Serial Killer of 14 Reportedly Used Dating Apps

A serial killer in Brazil who killed 14 people over 16 years reportedly met some of his victims through dating apps.6 His precise methods aren't known, but the horrifying case lines up with other statistics on how dangerous dating apps can be.

5. Roughly 10% of Sex Offenders Are on the Apps

Brigham Young University researchers analyzed the records of close to 2,000 sexual assault victims between 2017 and 2020 and found that 14% of attacks happened during the first face-to-face meeting after two people connected on a dating app.7

The attacks were aimed at people who had mental illnesses or other vulnerabilities. Crime Watch Daily also reports that as many as 10% of known sex offenders look for potential victims on dating apps.8

6. A Single Plenty of Fish Match Ended in Murder

In “Lover, Stalker, Killer” (a 2024 Netflix documentary), viewers follow a mechanic who's new to online dating as he gets pulled into a tragic love triangle marked by harassment, stalking, arson, and ultimately murder.9

The relationship at the center of the film started on Plenty of Fish. After meeting Shanna “Liz” Golyar on the site, Dave Kroupa began a casual, no-strings-attached relationship with her. But one night Golyar arrived at the apartment while Kroupa was spending time with a different woman, Cari Farver, and caught sight of the “other woman.”

Golyar then harassed Kroupa and his relatives, and she eventually murdered Farver. Cases like this are extremely rare, but the film serves as a reminder that when you chat online, you can never be completely sure who's on the other end.

7. Nevada Is Twice as Risky as Neighbors Utah and Idaho

Drawing on Privacy Journal data, Newsweek ranked the 50 states by how dangerous they are for online dating, using factors such as identity theft, reported romance scams, run-ins with registered sex offenders, and how widespread violent crime is.10 These states came out as the most dangerous:

1. Nevada
2. Alaska
3. Georgia
4. Florida
5. Arizona

Nevada lives up to its casino-fueled reputation for risky business by taking first place, thanks to widespread romance scams along with identity theft and fraud. Alaska lands in second, with a high rate of violent crime and a large concentration of registered sex offenders.

And in case you're wondering, Vermont came out as the safest state.

8. Georgia Has 223 Registered Sex Offenders for Every 100,000 Residents

The same study showed that Georgia recorded the most cases of online fraud and has more than 200 registered sex offenders for every 100,000 residents. Romance scams are comparatively less common there, but general cybercrime runs high, which makes the state riskier for online daters.

Sticking with the South, Florida also sees high levels of fraud and identity theft, though Newsweek says the state “fares slightly better” when it comes to violent crime and registered sex offenders.

Last but not least, Arizona has the nation's highest rate of romance scams, along with high rates of fraud and STIs.

Online Daters Should Take Steps to Stay Safe

Blame should always fall on the people who commit violence, but there are still steps you can take to protect yourself even further from frightening situations.

The first time you meet in person, always choose a public spot with other people around. Tell a friend where you're going before you leave, and make sure they're free to come get you if needed.

Before you even meet, vet your match thoroughly in whatever way you're comfortable with. A video chat can confirm whether their profile photos are legit, or you can run an informal background check by searching for them on LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, or Google.

In the end, online dating murders are extremely rare. These stories were genuinely hard to track down, and they only became well known because they're so unusual. Keep in mind that online dating has led to far more success stories than tales of horror.

Above everything else, learn to trust your gut. It's rarely wrong, and if you sense something is off, better safe than sorry!

1. https://www.quora.com/What-are-the-odds-of-meeting-a-serial-killer-on-an-online-dating-site ↩︎
2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homicide_statistics_by_gender ↩︎
3. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/1635092/ ↩︎
4. Online dating safety statistics ↩︎
5. https://www.ctinsider.com/connecticut/article/ct-dating-app-law-tinder-bumble-18584707.php ↩︎
6. https://people.com/serial-killer-allegedly-confesses-using-dating-apps-murder-victims-7557885 ↩︎
7. https://magazine.byu.edu/article/the-dangers-of-dating-apps/ ↩︎
8. https://truecrimenews.com/2015/09/21/cwd-investigation-exploring-the-dark-side-of-online-dating-sites-and-apps/ ↩︎
9. https://time.com/6692767/lover-stalker-killer-netflix-true-story/ ↩︎
10. https://www.newsweek.com/map-shows-most-dangerous-states-online-dating-1942448 ↩︎