Swipe carefully, ladies. How criminals are beating the dating apps
by Tracy Hall · Australian Financial ReviewTracy Hall
Jul 3, 2026 – 5.00am
There is a particular kind of dread that comes not from the unknown, but from the all too familiar. In July 2025, I discovered a profile on Bumble that turned my blood cold. A profile with the image of Hamish McLaren – an incarcerated criminal – now presenting as “Steve, 53”. A verified profile accompanied by a Bumble tick of approval. A little symbol that implies in a big way “you can trust this person is who they say they are”.
This profile picture was of a criminal with a history of financial harm, a history of using a false identity to access women, and a man whose pattern of behaviour had left devastation in its wake. He will be released on parole on July 10.
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