FARGO, N.D. (Valley News Live) – We may be social-distanced, but that’s not stopping people from looking for love.
“You can’t go out. The number of people on the apps has increased,” Deshaun James says. “It’s great for me, I’ve been swiping.”
Amid the pandemic, more people than ever are using dating apps. While we expect love to take an emotional toll, a new report by the Federal Trade Commission says it’s also hurting wallets. More than $300-million lost to romance scams in 2020 alone.
“Something that says PayPal or CashApp in the bio, that could be a scam,” Devonte Figueroa says. “It doesn’t always have to be someone pretending to be who they’re not.”
The pandemic has only made it easier for scammers to lurk, strike up conversation and hide their real motives. However, there are many ways you can protect yourself. Experts say you should continue talking on the app and ask specific questions about their profile.
“Make sure the person you’re talking to is actually who they say they are,” Brady Kline says.
Go slowly and beware if someone is trying to isolate you or doesn’t want to meet in person.
“Anyone can get taken advantage of,” James says. “It happens in movies, it happens in real life, it just happens.”
Whatever the romance scam, experts say if something doesn’t feel right, that’s because it probably isn’t.
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