Online dating can be a great way to expand your horizons and social circles, find your life-long love, or just a fling. These services also present opportunities for scammers, though. Between 2017 - 2021, people have reported losing $1.3 billion to romance scams to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), more than any other scam category the FTC keeps track of. Reports of romance scams have been skyrocketing in the past several years, with $547 million lost in 2021. The average loss per individual in 2021 was $2,400.
Scammers in this category are the master of disguises, stealing attractive photos from the web to masquerade as others while luring their victims. Sometimes they will even assume the identities of actual people by studying their online profiles. The lives they paint will always include built-in excuses for why they can't meet in person, some claiming to be serving overseas or working offshore.
Many of the reported scams come from contact on dating apps but it's not uncommon for romance scammers to directly reach out to you on social media. Over a third of the people who lost money to a romance scam in 2021 said it started on Facebook or Instagram.
Romance scammers can use a multitude of stories to con people, but their most common include asking for money for financial and/or health crises. This could include stories about a sick child or a temporary inability to get the money themselves. Victims in these scams usually believe they are helping someone they care about.
Other tactics they can use make the victim think they're doing a favor for their loved one. They ask for money to help get their inheritance money or to move funds for an important business deal. Some people end up being "money mules," helping criminals launder stolen funds. Reports also include victims cashing a check from their sweeties and sending some of that money back to them, only to later realize the check was fake.
A growing trend in 2021 was being lured into investments, especially cryptocurrency. The victims believe their new love is a successful investor and follows their advice. They end up investing and making trades on foreign exchanges (forex) or in cryptocurrency, only to lose all the money they've "invested."
Romance scams have increased in every age group in 2021, with people ages 18 to 29 most affected. The number of reports for this age group grew tenfold between 2017 to 2021, with an average loss of $750. The age group with the highest average loss, though, were people 70 and older reporting an average loss of $9,000.
Here are some tips to avoid romance scams while dating online.
Nobody legit will ever ask you to help by sending cryptocurrency, giving the numbers on a gift card, or by wiring money. Anyone who does is a scammer.
Never send or forward money to someone you haven’t met in person, and don’t act on their investment advice.
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.
You can also report romance scams to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
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