Love is in the air this time of year and dating apps may be more popular than ever, but the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is reminding us that not everyone is who they appear to be on the Internet. With Valentine’s Day approaching, they’re warning that scammers are out there creating fake profiles and taking advantage of the economic crisis and looking for victims.
In a new report, the FTC reveals that online scammers conned people out of a record amount of money last year. Americans lost over $300-million in romance scams during 2020, a 50% increase from the year before. And if you think this can’t happen to you because only old folks fall for these kind of romance scams, think again. The biggest age group targeted by scammers? People between 20 and 29.
So what can we do to avoid becoming a victim of a romance scam? Here’s what the FTC advises:
- Scammers make excuses to not meet in person – Monica Vaca, FTC associate director for the division of consumer response and operations, points out that this has been especially easy during the pandemic. People use COVID precautions or even say they’ve tested positive as an excuse to avoid meeting in person. If the person you’re talking with online repeatedly rejects invitations to meet up face-to-face, Vaca says you’re probably being scammed.
- Never send money – The FTC advises never sending money or gifts to someone you haven’t met in real life. To avoid fraud, they recommend taking it slowly, asking questions and looking for consistent answers.
- Do a reverse-image search on the person’s profile photos – Do some Internet detective work and if the picture of the person you met online is associated with another name or the details don’t match up, there’s a good chance they’re scamming you.
Source: ABC News