COLUMBIA, S.C. (WSPA) - The Federal Bureau of Investigation is warning a romance scams ahead of Valentines Day.
The FBI said romance scams happen when criminal actors deceive victims into believing they are
engaging in a trusting relationship.
The criminal actors use that relationship to persuade victims to spend money, provide personal and financial information, or purchase items for them.
In 2020, research from the FBI showed that victims lost more than $281 million to romance scams.
South Carolinians alone reported losing more than $4.4 million that year. The FBI offers these warning signs of the actors and their schemes:
- Immediate attempts to communicate by email or messaging services outside of a dating site.
- Claims to be from the U.S. but is currently living or traveling abroad.
- Claims that being introduced was “destiny” or “fate”.
- Reports a sudden personal crisis and pressures you to provide financial help.
- Disappears suddenly from a site, but reappears under a different name.
- Asks for money, goods, or other types of financial assistance without having met in person.
FBI recommends the following tips to avoid becoming a victim:
- Never send money to someone you meet online, especially by wire transfer.
- Never give someone your banking or credit card information without verifying a
- recipient’s identity.
- Never share your Social Security Number or other personally identifiable information with someone who does not need to know the information.
- Be careful what you post and make public online. Scammers can use details shared on social media and dating sites to better understand and target you.
- Research the person’s photo and profile using online searches to see if the image, name, or details have been used elsewhere.
- Go slowly and ask the other person lots of questions.
There are a couple of steps you should take if you think you are a victim of romance scams:
- First the FBI recommends you report the activity here.
- Contact your financial institution if you discover fraudulent or suspicious transactions.
- Report the activity to the website or application where the contact first began.
0 Comments