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Romance scammers tell all sorts of lies to steal your heart and money, and reports to the FTC show those lies are working. Last year’s romance scam numbers looked a lot like 2021 all over again, and it’s not a pretty picture. In 2022, nearly 70,000 people reported a romance scam, and reported losses hit a staggering $1.3 billion.
- Online Dating
Romance Scams... Report. Protecting Older Consumers...
- Online Dating
- What You Need to Know About Romance Scams
- How to Avoid A Romance Scam on Social Media
- Investment Scams Target Crypto Curiosities
- How to Avoid An Investment Scammer
- What to Do If You Spot A Scam
More than one-third of people who reported losing money to an online romance scam in 2021 said it started on Facebook or Instagram. The median amount these victims lost to scammers? A whopping $2,000. And that’s just fraud that’s been reported— the vast majority of scams don’t get reportedat all. Anyone can fall victim to romance scams, but if you’...
Be Skeptical of New Contacts or Friend Requests
Check out new contacts before accepting a friend request or responding to a message. Does this person have a fairly established profile, with personal details and information you can verify through other methods? Keep in mind that scammers can easily impersonate just about anyone. Rutherford recommends doing an image searchon your new contact’s profile photo to see if it’s being used elsewhere. If you see the same photo attached to several different names, you’re probably messaging with a sca...
Don’t Share Financial Details
The FTC says to stop contact immediately if someone you haven’t met asks you for money or gifts. And while you probably know not to give out your credit card or Social Security number, remember that scammers can get plenty of other information to aid them in defrauding you. Financial information, Rutherford warns, can include whether you rent or own your house, how much money you have in savings, or whether you participate in expensive activities.
Be Skeptical of Excessive Compliments
Be wary of anyone who “love bombs” you—that is, starts proclaiming their love for you soon after you start chatting. Rutherford says resisting this type of attention can be difficult, but you should take a step back to consider whether your online friend’s feelings are legit. Video: Federal Trade Commission
Investment fraud was even more profitable than romance cons for social media scammers last year, the FTC reported. More than half of reports that someone lost money to an investment scam last year said the scam started on social media, according to the FTC report. The median amount of money lost to an investment scam from social media last year was...
Use Common Sense
Common sense is your best defense against investment scammers trawling social media for prey. Anyone with a great investment opportunity to share is unlikely to send out messages to strangers, and NFT creators usually don’t discount their limited-edition creations. An investment of any kind always involves risk, and the odds of making money on your investment right away are usually pretty slim. Anyone who tells you otherwise is probably a bad actor. “Promises of guaranteed huge returns or cla...
Don’t Fall for Flattery
A scammer “may use flattery, appeal to you for help, or create a sense of urgency to initiate a financial transaction,” warns Rebecca Taylor, incident command knowledge lead at cybersecurity firm Secureworks. If anything feels “off” about a potential transaction, she advises taking time to reassess the situation before committing to sending money to anyone.
Double Check the Details
“If you’re not sure someone is legitimate, find another way to reach them to confirm,” says Lewis Huynh, chief security officer of unified IT operations software company NinjaOne. If you get a message from a friend asking for money out of the blue, call them directly or send them a text message using a different app to confirm it’s really them. The same goes for any company that says you’ve won a prize or giveaway, Huynh says. Search online for a phone number to call that business or retail...
If you suspect the new person sliding into your DMs is a scammer, file a report with the FTC. Information about the scammer and their techniques can help the agency investigate fraud methods and distribute information about new varieties of scams. If you’ve sent money to someone who turns out to be a scammer, file a report with the FTC, but keep in...
May 18, 2024 · Cases of what are known as APP (authorised push payment) scams - where criminals get victims to transfer money online - rose 22% between the first half of 2022 and the same period in 2023.
2 days ago · The Sting: Here, the scammers begin to request money from their victims. Scammers may use a variety of schemes to receive money but one of the most common schemes is the “crisis in the narrative.”. This is where scammers con their victims into sending small amounts of money by saying there is a never-ending crisis like a medical emergency.
Feb 13, 2024 · A romance scam, also known as an online dating scam, is when a person gets tricked into believing they’re in a romantic relationship with someone they met online, when in fact their other half is a cybercriminal using a fake identity to gain enough of their trust to ask — or blackmail — them for money.
Report Romance Scams. Visit ic3.gov, the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), to report romance scams. If you've been victimized, stop all contact with the scammer immediately.
Jan 12, 2024 · In this article. What is a romance scam? Online dating scam statistics. Common tactics used in romance scams. Signs of a romance scam. How to report a romance scam. How to prevent romance scams: 6 tips to protect yourself. Protect yourself (and your finances) online. FAQs about romance scams.
