If I had to rate the worst scams on the planet, romance scams would be near the top. Everybody wants to be loved. So scammers prey on this desire big time using the Internet! Often leaving their victims brokenhearted, empty-handed and completely embarrassed.
In 2018, people reported losing $143 million to romance scams—a higher total than for any other type of scam reported to the FTC. The median reported loss was $2,600, and, for people over 70, it was $10,000.
– The Federal Trade Commission (FTC)
A few weeks ago the FBI arrested dozens of people in California for a love scam aimed at women across the globe. U.S. Attorney Nick Hanna described what happened:
“In some cases, the victims thought they were communicating with US servicemen stationed overseas, when in fact, they were emailing with con men,” Hanna said. “Some of the victims in this case lost hundreds of thousands of dollars in this way.”
This online love scam left elderly women out of as much as $200,000 and $750,000. Those are big bucks! These women were told lies and deceived out of their money. In some cases, they did not even have the money to give and borrowed it to satisfy their love interest’s so-called needs.
Romance scams are on the rise. The truth is there are probably more victims out there who may be too embarrassed to share their stories. Yesterday I saw another disturbing headline that prompted me to finish this blog post. It read, “New Jersey man accused of scamming $2 million by ‘wooing women with words of love’ online.”
This was more than a headline to me. Because there are hurt people behind it, who were scammed in the name of love. These victims have real feelings and they have been emotionally abused. Discovering they were scammed often leads them down a path of despair, which makes some victims even suicidal.
Don’t be a victim of romance scams. Here are some tips to help you avoid them. Read them and share them with those you love.
How to Protect Yourself from Online Romance Scams:
- Do Not Trust Anyone You Meet Online – People can say (make up stories) and post anything (stolen pictures) online. For example, in one of the biggest romance scams in U.S. History these men posed as U.S. servicemen and communicated only through email. In reality, they were not U.S. servicemen but con men with one goal in mind – to earn your affection and take your money!
- Beware of People Who Proclaim Their Love For You Too Quickly – So you’ve chatted a few times over email or text, then suddenly someone is ‘all in love’ with you. And you’ve never met in person. Chances are you are dealing with a scammer, who may be using an inventory of scripts to lure you in. I’ve never heard of anyone falling in love after reading a few sentences and seeing a picture.
- Do Not Respond to Urgent Requests for Money – Normally people have a hard time asking other people for money. But scammers have no problem at all asking for your money within a relatively short timeframe. They tell you sob stories to prey on your emotions. If you don’t have the money, they may suggest you borrow it. As time progresses, they keep asking you for more and more money.
- Do Not Send Money to Someone You Have Never Met In Person – Beware of people who ask you for money that you have never met in person. They say love is blind, but THINK before you act whenever someone asks you for money. Most love scams involve people outside of the U.S. who request you to wire them the money (this is a big red flag). Many of the romance scam victims wired money or put it on a gift card to give someone they never met in person. Only later to find out, they are not getting it back. It was all a scam.
- Beware of Online Dating Sites –Some people on online dating sites are predators. A warning sign is when they ask you to leave the site and communicate another way. These people always fall in love with you quickly and shower you with praises. They can never meet you in person and only give you empty promises and excuses. Always remember if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
Have You Been a Victim of a Romance Scam?
If you are a victim of a romance scam, look for a support group to get help with your emotions and report it immediately:
- Contact the Dating Website – Notify the online dating site about the issue.
- Notify the Federal Bureau of Investigations (Internet Crime) at ic3.gov.
- File a Complaint with the Federal Trade Commission – ftc.gov/complaint.
U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command (Army CID) Warning on Online Dating
“Army CID is warning anyone who is involved in online dating to proceed with caution when corresponding with persons claiming to be U.S. Soldiers currently serving in Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria or elsewhere.
Army CID receives hundreds of allegations a month from victims who state they got involved in an online relationship with someone, on a legitimate dating website or other social media website, who claims to be a U.S. Soldier. The “Soldier” then begins asking for money for various FALSE, service-related needs such as transportation costs, communication fees, marriage, processing and medical fees. Victims of these online scams have lost hundreds of thousands of dollars, with a very low possibility of recovery.
The U.S. has established numerous task force organizations to deal with this growing epidemic; unfortunately, many times the people committing these scams are from African countries using untraceable email addresses, routing accounts through numerous locations around the world and utilizing pay per hour Internet cyber cafes, which often times maintain no accountability of use.” Click here to read more information on this.
In closing, please know that you are loved.
Photo: ButterflySha
