Justin Lavelle

Justin Lavelle is the social media director and blogger for BeenVerified.com. He is based out of Northern Virginia.

6 Things to Like About the iPhone 6 Announcement

Justin Lavelle

September 10, 2014

As developers of an iPhone app we watched Apple’s launch event yesterday with anticipation. We found at least six things to like or at least find interesting, and none of them have to do with Bono. Many of the cool new features have to do with the announcement of Apple Pay. Using a technology called Near Field Communication (NFC) your iPhone can double as a digital wallet featuring one touch checkout.

Don't Fall in Love Until You Do This

Justin Lavelle

July 25, 2014

Some people may say that running a background check on a potential date is the least romantic thing a person could do. We absolutely disagree. In fact, we can easily think of ten things that are less romantic than running a background check on a potential date: Going on a date with a married person who claims to be single. Falling in love with an imaginary person. A date with a history of sexual violence.

Four Ways to Protect Mom and Dad From Scammers

Justin Lavelle

August 22, 2014

We have looked at at the explosive growth of online dating scams this week, but there is another group of people that con men have a long history of preying upon, as this recent story noting the rise of “The Grandparents Scam” illustrates. The reality is that a certain group of con artists focus their efforts on the elderly. The elderly can make excellent marks for many reasons. First, many elderly people have significant financial resources and do not have the same obligations that younger people may have, such as a mortgage, car payment, college savings, or saving for retirement.

The Key to Repelling Unwanted Phone Calls

Justin Lavelle

July 24, 2014

When so many of us rely upon our cell phones not just for calls, but for internet access, cameras, and entertainment, getting persistent calls from unknown numbers can feel more like an orchestrated invasion rather than just a mere nuisance. This is especially true if you answer the call and find out that it’s someone you do not want to talk to: sales calls, someone trying to pull a phone scam, a crazy ex or a stalker, or even a bill collector.

Tinder: When in Doubt, Swipe Left (Or Hit Block)

Justin Lavelle

September 4, 2014

Tinder has changed the face of online dating. The process used to consist of hours crafting a detailed profile complete with one’s favorite foods and movies to tap into a network of complex algorithms in order to test for compatibility in connecting with a potential date. This was often followed by days or weeks of correspondence to determine if the date appeared worthwhile to meet for a preliminary coffee date.

Unfriend old social networks in 3 easy steps

Justin Lavelle

June 3, 2014

There are various things you should look out for when you run your own background check, one of which is old social media accounts. Think of the MySpace account you haven’t updated in five years but still sits open. Is that information you still want out there about yourself? In the spirit of spring cleaning, we thought it a good time to highlight the best ways to clean up those old social media accounts from your past life that have been lying dormant but are still part of your public record.

Who is Your Teen Discovering on Tinder?

Justin Lavelle

September 9, 2014

Last week we shared our thoughts about the potential pitfalls of Tinder, the app that has taken taking the online dating world by storm over the past couple of years. One aspect we didn’t discuss was Tinder’s fast growing population of underage users. Tinder’s founder, Justin Mateen, disclosed this stat himself earlier this year: over 7% of Tinder’s users are aged 13-17. As we mentioned in our previous post, one of the game-changing features of Tinder and similar online dating apps is the mandatory use of GPS location services that come built-in with smartphones to connect users in a similar geographic area.

You See Love, They See Gold: Yet Another Online Dating Scam

Justin Lavelle

August 19, 2014

Yesterday we looked at the growing phenomenon of online dating scams that are cheating unsuspecting and vulnerable people out of millions of dollars across the globe. While we noted that online dating’s move to the mainstream is likely the main cause in the growing number of scams out there, another long-term trend is also partly responsible: Globalization. Anyone reading the news today can become discouraged with the number of crises and conflicts in the world.

Your Next Date: A Con Artist?

Justin Lavelle

August 18, 2014

As online dating has gone from niche to mainstream, scams targeting online daters are exploding, with more and more people using the Internet to prey upon the unsuspecting to make them fall in love and then steal their money. British newspaper The Guardian recently called dating scams “the most costly in existence” and reported that in Australia there have already been 43 people this year who have lost more than $100,000 each in related scams.

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Justin Lavelle

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