Dating app Grindr being used to lure gay men into dates-turned-robberies: Dawson Creek RCMP

A phone screen shows multiple apps, including Grindr, a dating app for gay men.

A dating app for gay men has been linked to a string of recent robberies in Dawson Creek, B.C., where police say at least three people have been robbed after meeting up with someone they met on Grindr.

The latest robbery was reported to Dawson Creek RCMP on April 13, just over three weeks after Mounties issued a warning about two similar robberies with ties to Grindr.

“The victims met a person online, arranged to meet up with an individual and was then robbed by the suspect and an accomplice,” the original release reads.

Mounties believe there are likely more victims of this robbery trend.

“It appears that people are specifically targeted through this particular dating app,” Cpl. Graham Hartl of Dawson Creek RCMP wrote in the recent statement.

“This is a very target specific group and victims may be very reluctant to report.”

A spokesperson for Dawson Creek RCMP was unable to provide further details about the suspect, what was stolen and whether weapons were involved.

“The only information I have has been provided in the release. More information may be released as soon as it becomes available.”

Grindr has been used to target gay men in robberies before—including in California, where a 24-year-old man was charged last month for robbing at least 20 victims between March 2020 and March 2022, according to the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office.