Polk County man robbed by woman he met on dating app

AUBURNDALE, Fla. - A Polk County man was robbed at gunpoint after meeting a woman on a dating app.

According to the Polk County Sheriff's Office, Fabian Rodriguez Perez, 24, of Kissimmee, drove to a home on Old Dixie Highway in Auburndale on Tuesday to meet a woman he met on a dating app called "MeetMe." Perez told deputies he knew something was wrong when the woman he met, a heavy set Hispanic female in her late 20s, looked nothing like her profile picture.

The woman got into his truck and told Perez to continue driving down a dirt road off from the highway. When he parked his vehicle outside a home, a man in a black hooded sweatshirt came up from behind him. He pointed the gun at Perez's head and stole his cellphone, wallet and keys.

The armed man told Perez to walk away, during that time, he and the woman threw the keys and emptied wallet back into the truck.

"What are you thinking?" questioned Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd. "You show up to meet a strange person at a strange location, and you think it's for real. Well it could be us in an undercover capacity, or as he found the other night, it could be people waiting to rob you or possibly kill you."

Deputies are still searching for the couple who robbed Perez.

According to a new study by SafeWise, several Florida cities, including Tampa, Orlando, Jacksonville and Miami are ranked among the least safe cities in the country for online dating. Researchers analyzed FBI violent crime and cybercrime data, along with STD rates state-by-state.

To read the full study, click here: https://www.highspeedinternet.com/resources/safest-and-most-dangerous-cities-online-dating/

Authorities warn people that it's best to get as much information about a person as possible before meeting a stranger from a dating app. It's also better to meet in person, rather than in a public place.