Victoria Police has made five further arrests over a series of concerning attacks on men linked to the use of dating apps and social media - bringing the total number to almost 50.
Police allege groups of offenders have been posing as legitimate users of the platforms to lure men into meeting them.
The victims are then allegedly assaulted, robbed, threatened, and subjected to homophobic comments.
The five arrests were made by the Greater Dandenong Crime Investigation Unit last week after 11 incidents of this kind were reported to police in the Greater Dandenong area.
Those arrested include:
- A 16-year-old boy for robbery, armed robbery, obtaining property by deception and intentionally cause injury. The boy has been charged and remanded.
- An 18-year-old man from Dandenong for kidnapping, armed robbery, attempted robbery, sexual assault, intentionally cause injury and obtain property by deception. The man has been charged and remanded.
- A 16-year-old boy for kidnapping, robbery, attempted robbery and intentionally cause injury. The boy has been charged.
- A 17-year-old boy for armed robbery, obtain property by deception, intentionally cause injury and sexual assault. The boy has been charged and remanded.
- An 18-year-old man from Dandenong for robbery, sexual assault and intentionally cause Injury. The man has been charged.
To date, 47 people have been arrested for similar attacks across the state.
Police have seen incidents occur right across the state, particularly in local government areas taking in Manningham, Casey, Hume, Moorabbin and Knox.
There has been a total of 113 incidents of this kind reported to police since January 2024 - resulting in the arrests.
Of the incidents, most occurred throughout 2024 with 75 reported to police. The remaining incidents occurred throughout 2025, followed by the 11 incidents this year.
Victoria Police treats incidents of this nature with the utmost seriousness and urges anyone who has experienced this behaviour to come forward and make a report to police so we can investigate and track down the offenders responsible.
There is absolutely no place for this type of concerning behaviour in our society.
It's crucial the community understands dating apps are not investigators - police are the only ones able to conduct a criminal investigation and hold perpetrators to account.
Reporting to the dating app is not the same as reporting to police.
Police can request information from dating apps to assist in solving investigations and can also conduct a criminal investigation even where one party has blocked or deleted someone from the app.
Police are continuing to work with selected dating apps as part of the investigation, including to publish proactive safety messaging on the platforms with reporting options and support services.
If you or someone you know has experienced this behaviour after using a dating app or other social media platform please make a report to police.
As when using any app or social media platform, we encourage people to always remain vigilant by protecting your identity and location and verifying the other person's identity before meeting up.
In an emergency, always phone Tripe-0 (000). If you can't get to a phone, ask someone else to do it for you.
For more information on safe online dating, visit: www.crimestoppersvic.com.au/current-focus/onlinedating(opens in a new window)
If you would prefer to speak to a Victoria Police LGBTIQA+ Liaison Officer, visit: LGBTIQA+ Liaison Officers | Your safety | Victoria Police(opens in a new window)
Quotes attributable to Southern Metro Region Investigation & Response Acting Inspector Jarrod Dwyer:
"This behaviour isn't just concerning it's a serious criminal offence. There is no place for it in our society and it will not be tolerated by police.
"This would have no doubt been a distressing situation for the victims involved - and these arrests show just how serious we are in holding offenders to account.
"Everyone has a right to go about their lives, meet new people and start a relationship in safety.
"We take any report of the crime extremely seriously and urge anyone who has experienced this behaviour to come forward and make a report to police so we can investigate.
"It is never too late to make a report - so when you're ready, please speak to us. The more we know, the more we can do something about it and keep victims safe."
