Robbers Are Using The Hook-Up App Skout To Lure Victims, Police Warn
By Rachel Cromidas in News on Aug 14, 2015 7:45PM
Chatham robbers are using the hook-up app Skout to lure potential victims, Chicago police warned in a Friday afternoon crime alert.
In at least four incidents, a woman contacted the unidentified victims via the social media service Skout and made plans to meet them near Chatham's 79th Street. In each case, the men interested in a date would meet the woman in the evening, only to discover she was not alone, according to police. The woman was accompanied by at least five men who would beat and rob the victims of their valuables, according to the alert.
The robberies took place on July 30, Aug. 1 and Aug. 12, the alert says, but none of the offenders, who were described as one black woman and five to six black men between the ages of 18 and 30, have been identified or charged.
Police recommend people avoid crimes like this by being careful whom they meet online—with a couple of very, very obvious kernels of basic advice for dating in the digital age:
"Individuals may not be who they represent themselves to be," the alert cautions, and "if you utilize social media to meet individuals, attempt to meet in public locations or have a friend accompany you."