Dating apps can help you find your better half but also break your heart and leave you destitute due to the shenanigans of “romance scammers,” the FBI warned Friday, just in time for the Day of
Valentine’s Day.
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“Romance scammers are liars and thieves, but they are also masters of their craft,” said Wayne A. Jacobs, special agent in charge of the Criminal Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in Washington, in a statement.
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on calls romance or trust scams a criminal creates fake profiles on dating sites or social media platforms to deceive victims by making them believe that they are in a relationship.
Once they win your love and trust, they make up stories of financial hardship to convince you to send them money or receive funds in the form of a check, money order, or wire transfer, to be forwarded or transferred to a third party with whom they supposedly have a relationship. debts.
“Victims may feel embarrassed” but it’s important that they contact the FBI “if they suspect their online admirer is a scammer, so we can help bring them to justice before they break someone else’s heart and bank account.” “, adds the agent.
The FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center received more than 23,000 complaints about these scams in 2020. In some scams, the financial risk to victims is less obvious. Fraudsters ask them to forward certain packages, thereby incurring costs – such as bank fees – and exposing themselves to fines and even lawsuits.
Scammers have a predilection for widowed, divorced, elderly or disabled women over 40, but that doesn’t mean they have to give up technological advances in search of love. Just follow a series of recommendations.
Think twice before sharing personal information online, opt for reputable dating apps, search for people’s profiles on the web, beware of suitors trying to isolate you from family or friends or asking you to send photos or inappropriate financial information “because it could later be used to extort money from you,” advises the FBI.
You also shouldn’t send money to someone you’ve never met in person, and if you see elderly relatives using new communication apps, “explain the red flags and pitfalls.”
In the United States, the victims of these scammers claim to have lost 547 million dollars (482 million euros) in 2021, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) published on Thursday.
The latest data shows that in 2021 this type of loss increased by almost 80 percent compared to 2020, and the total of those reported in the last five years reaches 1,300 million dollars (1,146 million euros), it adds.
These scammers lure victims with images stolen from the internet and with fake profiles carefully studied to make them believable, but they always find some reason not to meet them in person. On average, victims lose $2,400 (2,110 euros), according to the FTC.
Lately a new trend has appeared: fake cryptocurrency investment schemes.
Consumers who paid romance scammers with cryptocurrencies reported losing $139 million in 2021, averaging nearly $10,000 per person. But in general, scammers ask to be paid with gift cards (about a quarter of the cases registered in 2021 in the United States).
Statista’s Digital Market Outlook estimates that the market for online dating services will have around 370 million active users worldwide by the end of 2021, with the United States being the country with the largest number (around 49 million people). AFP
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