CLEVELAND, Ohio — After months of using various online dating sites, you think you maybe just met the “one,” and just before Valentine’s Day.
Of course, this could be the case. But FBI Cleveland is also encouraging members of the public to stay cautious and aware of romance scams, saying these cases continue to increase.
“While the ability to connect online has never been easier, so too is the risk of becoming victim to a scammer. At any given moment, we can log in to meet new ‘friends’ with shared interests, play a virtual game with someone on the other side of the world, engage in a conversation with a person who may tell us they are a distant relative, or strike up a romance through a dating app,” said FBI Cleveland Special Agent in Charge Greg Nelsen in a press release. “Sadly, if you are on a device, you are vulnerable, no matter your age, gender, or technological savviness. The FBI wants to remind the public about these schemes and educate people about the stories these fraudsters will use.”
The FBI said Ohioans lost more than $15.3 million in 2023 from these scams. Nationally, it was more than $652 million.
The most common targets, according to the release, are women older than 40 who are divorced, widowed, elderly or disabled; but the scams could affect anyone of any age.
“These criminals actively search dating websites, apps, chat rooms, and social networking sites in their efforts to build a relationship with the goal of accessing financial assets or personally identifiable information,” the release reads. “Romance scammers often spend hours honing their skills and sometimes maintain detailed journals, describing their targeted victims, to better understand how to manipulate and exploit them.”
After cultivating a connection that may seem genuine, these scammers often end up asking their victims for money or gift cards or even cryptocurrency. Sometimes they will lie about some sort of medical emergency, legal fees or other reasons for why they need the funds, the FBI says.
In order to avoid being a victim, the FBI encourages people communicating with someone they met online to:
- Ask many questions
- Don’t share too much personal info on social media
- Only use dating services with solid reputations
- Research photos and profiles to check if they’re used other places (consider a reverse image search)
- Be wary if they attempt to “isolate you from your family or friends”
- Be wary if they ask for inappropriate pictures or financial information
- Never send money to a person you have not met in real life
You can report an online scam here or by calling 1-800-CALL-FBI. If you have already sent money, you should also contact your bank.
“The best advice I can give is to encourage friends and family members to have open, honest discussions with one another about these dangers, and be wary about people you meet online who begin to ask or pressure you into sharing personal identifying information, ask you to send money, bitcoin, or gold; or threaten you or someone you love with physical, financial, or emotional harm,” Nelsen said in the release.
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