CALGARY, ALBERTA--(Marketwired - March 7, 2017) - The Better Business Bureau in partnership with the Competition Bureau and other fraud prevention organizations announced that romantic scams cost Canadians $17 million last year¹. Dating apps and websites allow people to connect at any time and in anyplace but consequently reveal vulnerabilities. Krystal Walter, professional matchmaker and owner of Krystal Walter Matchmaking, cautions singles to protect their dating information in the same manner they would their financial information.

"We need to treat information we share in our love lives like we do with our finances," said Walter. "We take great care with our finances and investing, and need to do the same with our loves lives by exercising caution with personal information."

Online dating scams use Catphishing¹ - where an individual fabricates, or steals, an identity to form a fake romantic relationship that they use for financial gain. There are ways to avoid Catphishing scams, but the easiest rule is to never send money to someone you've never met¹. Walter's matchmaking service reduces the incidence of fraud by cutting out the uncertainty and impersonal nature that surrounds online dating. Walter meets all of her clients in person getting to know them, while evaluating their lifestyle, values, goals and personality traits so she can make the perfect match.

"My onboarding process allows clients to have peace of mind that the individuals I'm matching them with, are in fact who they say they are," Walter continues. "There is a place for online dating and it works with some lifestyles, however, I would give one piece of advice to online daters: take it offline as soon as possible!"

Walter's matchmaking service cuts out the algorithms and lengthy questionnaires, taking clients back to the personalized service that can only be provided by a real person. Visit www.krystalwaltermatchmaking.com to learn more about setting up a personalized consultation with Krystal and her team.

About Krystal Walter Matchmaking:

Based in Alberta, Krystal Walter Matchmaking offers an exclusive and boutique approach to dating through personalized consultations and premium memberships. Krystal and her team have a natural aptitude for finding couples the perfect match without the use of complicated algorithms and time consuming questionnaires. Individual matches are identified based on lifestyle, values, goals, personality and physical requirements. Clients are then given control over their matches through a pre-approval process and assurance in knowing a full background check has been completed. For more information, please visit www.krystalwaltermatchmaking.com

Resources:

1	Better Business Bureau. BBB National Top 10 Scams of 2016. http://www.bbb.org/mbc/programs-services/top-10-scams/top-10-scams-in-detail/