Police detain mob that uses gay dating apps to attack & rob queer men

In the Australian state of Victoria, authorities have detained 35 people for using gay dating apps to entice, assault, and rob gay men, sometimes sharing videos of their homophobic attacks on the internet. Over the past eight months, these arrests have mostly involved male suspects ranging from 13 to 20 years old, as reported by The Star Observer.

According to ‘LGBTQ Nation’, these incidents took place in different suburban areas, leading to charges such as armed robbery, false imprisonment, violent disorder, affray, causing injury, and other assault-related offences. While some suspects have already appeared in court, others are still awaiting their hearings. This situation represents the latest occurrence where gay apps have been exploited to target queer men. Victoria Police Acting Superintendent Carolyn Deer stated, “There is absolutely no place for this type of concerning behavior in our society. It will not be tolerated. Everyone has a right to go about their lives, meet new people, and start a relationship in safety.”

Deer mentioned that the police have collaborated with the apps to offer more safety information. Still, she advised app users to safeguard their identities and locations and verify the other person’s identity before any meeting. She also reminded victims to contact the police directly, noting that reports of user misconduct made within the apps aren’t automatically forwarded to the authorities.

“These attacks are deliberate, organised, and hateful,” emphasized Victoria’s LGBTIQA+ Commissioner Joe Ball. “I know how distressing this is. Many of us remember the days when violence against gay men was normalized, overlooked – even expected. We will not go back.”

Ball, along with Vicki Ward, a member of parliament and the minister for equality, indicated plans to work with the Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission to develop a community reporting tool for tracking and addressing anti-LGBTQ+ violence.

This is not the first instance of gay hookup apps being misused to target queer men. In December 2024, Sydney police reported that teenage gangs had been targeting gay men in what they called “pedo hunts.” Victims, expecting consensual meet-ups arranged through dating apps like Grindr, were instead ambushed in public parks by multiple teenagers who taunted, assaulted, and robbed them, sometimes with weapons.

Some victims were coerced into making false confessions of being pedophiles while being recorded. Police managed to arrest at least seven individuals, aged between 14 and 21, and they were charged in connection with these attacks and robberies.

Back in 2017, the local AIDS Action Council warned about scammers using gay dating apps for extortion, threatening to reveal the victim’s sexuality to their family and friends unless demands were met.