NEW YORK (Newsource) — This Valentines Day, the FBI and the Federal Trade Commission are warning people to be on the lookout for romance scams. Con artists targeting lonely people through dating apps and social media to get their money.
New numbers from the FTC show romance scams cost nearly 70,000 consumers $1.3 billion dollars in 2022. A growing concern, romance turning into investment scams.
“Romance becomes the hook and then that person that they now feel attached to suggest to them that they might try investing in Cryptocurrency and it’s all a scam,” explained Emma Fletcher, FTC senior data researcher.
They warn anyone can be a target. So, what are the red flags?
“A big one would be that they cannot meet you in person.” said Fletcher. “They will have all sorts of excuses not to meet in person. And generally those excuses are built right in from the beginning, they’re baked into their identity.”
The FBI is sharing these tips for protecting yourself:
- Be careful what you post and make public online,
- Scammers can use these details to better understand and target you,
- Research the person’s photo and profile to verify their identity,
- Never send money to anyone you have not met in person.
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