Many individuals may be looking for love this Valentine’s Day in the wrong places and there are plenty of scammers banking on that, no pun intended.
The FBI reports that in 2020 alone, there were about 23,678 victims of romantic scams that cost them a loss of over $605 million.
According to the FBI, romance scams occur when a “criminal” adopts a fake online identity to gain a victim’s affection and trust.
“The scammer then uses the illusion of a romantic or close relationship to manipulate and/or steal from the victim. The criminals who carry out romance scams are experts at what they do and will seem genuine, caring and believable,” the FBI stated in a press release.
The FBI states the scammer’s goal is to establish a relationship as quickly as possible with a victim and gain trust. The scammer may then propose marriage and make plans to meet in person.
The scammer will eventually ask for money but may use a common ploy and claim that he or she works off shore or out of the country and is unable to meet the victim in person, authorities said. This makes it easier for them to ask for money for either a medical emergency or legal fees, the FBI reports.
The scammer may ask the victim to send money to a third party, also known as a “money mule” — or will ask the victim to convert the money into cryptocurrency.
The FBI says if someone you meet online is seeking your bank account information to deposit money “they are most likely using your account to carry out other theft and fraud schemes.”
The FBI has provided more information about how to keep yourself safe from romance scams on its website at www.fbi.gov/romancescams.
