Romance scams | Signs to be aware of to avoid losing money | #datingscams | #lovescams

ATLANTA — As scams continue to target older adults in Georgia, Attorney General Chris Carr released tips and warnings to watch out for when dealing with certain schemes and frauds.

In a post to Twitter, Carr stated that his office recently received a guilty plea in a case against a Gwinnett County man where the suspect stole $230,000 from numerous older adults by successfully completing what is called a romance scam. The case was reported to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center.

Carr is encouraging seniors and their caregivers to be aware of the following activity that could represent signs of a romance scam:

• Be suspicious if an online romance is escalating to a point where it is getting serious but the person is unable to meet face-to-face
• Never send money to anyone you haven’t met in person
• Do not open a bank account for any person that you don’t know or haven’t met in person
• Under no circumstances should you share your financial information or social security number with anyone who requests it that you do not know

Those who believe they have been victimized by romance scams are urged to cut off any communication with the person right away. They then should contact their bank or credit card issuer to see if they can get their money back. They are also encouraged to alert the online dating company or social media network that the communication occurred on, and then contact the FBI at ic3.gov.

You can also contact the Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division by calling 404-651-8600. A full list of common scams that specifically target older adults and red flags to avoid them can be found here.