WGAL’s Brian Roche is counting down the top scams of 2021, and the romance scam takes the No. 5 spot.Romance scams have been around for years, but the loneliness and isolation brought on by the coronavirus pandemic have made this scam much more common and vaulted it onto the scam list for the first time.A recent News 8 On Your Side investigation focused on a York County widow who was victimized in a romance scam.Left emotionally vulnerable by the deaths of her parents and her husband in a span of 20 months, she began communicating with a man online. He eventually asked her to send money, and she did.”It just kept going and before you knew it – like, in three months – it was up to $280,000,” she said. Most victims of romance scams will not report them because they are too embarrassed to tell their family or talk about it publicly.That creates a target-rich environment for scammers, and that’s why this scam needs to be talked about more often.Romance scammers find targets on dating sites, but they also go trolling in online prayer groups, book clubs and social media.The No. 1 rule to protect yourself is to never send money to someone you haven’t met in person, no matter how much they sweet talk you online.
WGAL’s Brian Roche is counting down the top scams of 2021, and the romance scam takes the No. 5 spot.
Romance scams have been around for years, but the loneliness and isolation brought on by the coronavirus pandemic have made this scam much more common and vaulted it onto the scam list for the first time.
A recent News 8 On Your Side investigation focused on a York County widow who was victimized in a romance scam.
Left emotionally vulnerable by the deaths of her parents and her husband in a span of 20 months, she began communicating with a man online. He eventually asked her to send money, and she did.
“It just kept going and before you knew it – like, in three months – it was up to $280,000,” she said.
Most victims of romance scams will not report them because they are too embarrassed to tell their family or talk about it publicly.
That creates a target-rich environment for scammers, and that’s why this scam needs to be talked about more often.
Romance scammers find targets on dating sites, but they also go trolling in online prayer groups, book clubs and social media.
The No. 1 rule to protect yourself is to never send money to someone you haven’t met in person, no matter how much they sweet talk you online.
