Valentine’s Day is coming, and we think about romance in our lives. A downside of romance is the fact that scammers try to take advantage of people’s need for relationships to steal their money and their identities. And if you have experienced a recent loss (divorce, breakup, death of a spouse) or other hardship, you may be more vulnerable.
Places where scammers often lurk include dating apps
like Tinder and Zoosk. But, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has found that
romance scams are the second most profitable scam on social media, second only
to investment scams.
Scammers will tailor their personas to meet your needs.
It isn’t bad to go into a dating app or social media conversation with a
potential suitor with some skepticism. People do fall in love legitimately
online, but sometimes scammers do take advantage of people who think they are
in love.
Some things you can look for to stay away from a romance
scam (also known as catfishing) include:
·
Don’t overshare on social media. Don’t
reveal everything about yourself right away, especially in your profile.
·
Watch out for suitors who appear too good
to be true. For example, their pictures look like they are models or movie
stars. Do a reverse image search to see where their pictures really came from.
·
Be careful of people who are in a hurry to
get off the site to talk to you, such as wanting to go to email, messenger, or
the phone to talk.
·
They profess their love really fast. That
should be a warning.
·
They constantly talk about trust. This
could be setting you up for the scammer to ask for money.
·
They are unable to meet in person. Often
scammers will claim to be in the military or are oversees. If the two of you do
arrange to meet, the scammer will come up with an excuse that they cannot make
it at the last minute.
·
If the other person uses poor spelling or
grammar, overly flowery language and phrases that do not make sense that may
indicate a scam.
·
They have a hard-luck story. This can be
someone who professes to be successful but has a disastrous calamity that puts
them in a financial pinch opening the door for them to ask for financial help
from you.
·
They ask for money. Be wary of someone who
you have not met who asks for money.
The Seattle Times:
Identity Theft Resource Center:
https://www.idtheftcenter.org/post/swipe-left-on-romance-scams/
Federal Trade Commission:
https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/blogs/data-spotlight/2022/01/social-media-gold-mine-scammers-2021
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