Looking for Love <3
Romance scammers lie to steal your heart and money and it works! According to the Federal Trade Commission, nearly 70,000 people reported a romance scam with losses totaling $1.3 billion. The median loss was $4,400 in 2021.
These scammers pay close attention to the information you share, and are immediately your “perfect match”. You want to settle down They do to! You love a tropical vacation; they do also. You want to meet in person? They DON’T! They will claim to be on a faraway military base or are an offshore oil rig worker. Widows and widowers are particularly vulnerable to their lies.
Some favorite lies are:
I or someone close to me is sick, hurt or in jail.
I can teach you how to invest.
I’m in the military far away.
I need help with an important delivery.
We’ve never met but let’s talk about marriage.
I’ve come into money or gold.
I’m on an oil rig or ship.
You can trust me with your private pictures.
Many romance scammers offer to do you a favor. They may claim to be a successful investor who’ll teach you how it’s done but any money you “invest” goes straight into their wallet. In another twist, they might say they’ve shipped you a valuable package (not true), which requires you to send money for “customs” or some other made-up fee. It’s all a lie. You send the money, and the package never turns up.
The way romance scammers take your money is another important piece of the story. People reported sending more money to romance scammers using cryptocurrency and bank wires than any other method: together, they accounted for more than 60% of reported losses to romance scams in 2022. Other methods were Gift Cards, and a payment app or service (ex: Paypal, Venmo, CashApp).
How can you spot a romance scammer in the act?
Nobody legit will ever ask you to help—or insist that you invest— by sending cryptocurrency, giving the numbers on a gift card, or by wiring money. Anyone who does is a scammer.
If someone tells you to send money to receive a package, you can bet it’s a scam.
Talk to friends or family about a new love interest and pay attention if they’re concerned.
Try a reverse image search of profile pictures. If the details don’t match up, it’s a scam.
How can you help stop scammers?
Report suspicious profiles or messages to the dating app or social media platform.
Tell the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
If someone is trying to extort you, report it to the FBI.
Learn more at ftc.gov/romancescams.
Source: Ron Hartley; adapted from Romance scammers’ favorite lies exposed | Federal Trade Commission (ftc.gov)