Don’t look for love in the wrong places, it could get you into financial trouble.
That’s the message from the FBI this Valentine’s Day, which sent out a memo warning citizens about romance scams that become more prevalent around the holiday.
According to the FBI, romance scams occur when a criminal adopts a fake online identity to gain a victim’s affection and trust before using 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 notice reads. “Con artists are present on most dating and social media sites.
“The scammer’s intention is to establish a relationship as quickly as possible, endear himself to the victim, and gain trust. Scammers may propose marriage and make plans to meet in person, but that will never happen. Eventually, they will ask for money.”
Another common tactic is for scammers to say they are in the building and construction industry and are engaged in projects outside the U.S., making it easier to avoid meeting in person.
Generally, if someone you meet online needs your bank account information to deposit money, they are most likely using your account to carry out other theft and fraud schemes, according to the FBI.
The FBI provided several tips for avoiding so-called romance scams. You can see them below:
- Be careful what you post and make public online. Scammers can use details shared on social media and dating sites to better understand and target you.
- Research the person’s photo and profile using online searches to see if the image, name, or details have been used elsewhere.
- Go slowly and ask lots of questions.
- Be aware if the individual seems too perfect or quickly asks you to leave a dating service or social media site to communicate directly.
- Beware if the individual attempts to isolate you from friends and family or requests inappropriate photos or financial information that could late be used to extort you.
- Beware if the individual promises to meet in person but then always comes up with an excuse for why he or she can’t. If you haven’t met the person after a few months, for whatever reason, you have good reason to be suspicious.
- Never send money to anyone you have only communicated with online or by phone.
If you suspect an online relationship is a scam, stop all contact immediately. If you are the victim of a romance scam, file a complaint with the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at www.ic3.gov.
