Hunt for homophobic hate gang after young men lured on dating apps then brutally attacked

Gay men are falling victim to dating app scammers who lure their victims into dangerous situations and then attack them.

Western Australia Police have warned men to be careful when using dating apps after several people were stabbed to death in Perth.

The victims were “surrounded and attacked by several men and subjected to homophobic insults” after being lured to a location on the pretext of a date.

Scammers use legitimate dating accounts, and their victims discover after meeting that they have been scammed.

Police are warning all men in the city who identify as having a different sexual or gender orientation to be extra cautious when meeting strangers they met online.

“In each case, the male victims, who believed they were talking to real users, had agreed to meet someone they had previously met through a dating app,” a police spokeswoman said.

Police confirmed that footage of the attacks also began appearing on social media.

The police spokeswoman added that some of the victims even had their cars damaged as they tried to escape their attackers.

An investigation has been launched into the attacks andOfficers have already spoken to many of the victims.

Western Australia Police Inspector Matt Froude confirmed his unit was “working tirelessly to track down these criminals and bring them to justice”.

“We take this type of behavior extremely seriously and there is no place for this type of intentional violence in our community,” he said.

“While incidents like this 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 “should expect Western Australia Police officers to show up at their door.”

The standard advice for men of all genders who want to meet up with someone they met on a dating app is to do so in a public and well-lit place.

Police also suggest that these men inform their families and friends about where they are going and who they are meeting before they go there.

“Some of these apps have built-in security features that allow you to share your current location with trusted contacts, making meetings safer,” Detective Froude said.

Western Australia Police are urging any other victims of similar attacks to come forward. Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.