The FBI warned today that a huge increase in online romance scams has caused Americans to lose more than $113 million since the beginning of 2021.
The scammers behind this type of online fraud – which can lead to significant financial losses and devastating scars – use fake identities online to gain the trust of potential victims on dating or social media platforms.
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After luring victims, scammers exploit the illusion of a romantic relationship they project to manipulate targets into sending money or financial information that can later be used for other types of scams, including investment scams.
The FBI also published some tips for protecting yourself from romance scams:
- Never send money, make transactions or make investments suggested to you by someone you just met online and don't know in person.
- Do not reveal your current financial situation to unknown and untrustworthy people.
- Do not provide your banking information, Social Security Number, copies of your ID or passport, or any other sensitive information to anyone online or on a website that you do not know is legitimate.
- If an investment or trading website is promoting incredible profits, it is most likely a scam.
- Be wary of people who claim to have exclusive investment opportunities and urge you to act quickly.
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Over $1 billion lost to romance scams in 2019 and 2020
Internet crime reports for 2019 and 2020 published by the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) show that romance scams have caused tens of thousands of Americans to lose more than $1 billion ($475 million in 2019 and over $600 million in 2020).
The FBI also warned victims of romance scams that they could be transferring money on behalf of scammers.
To further illustrate the scale of this ongoing problem, the Department of Justice website lists hundreds of cases where fraudsters have been charged or found guilty of operating large-scale romance scams targeting American citizens.
If you have been a victim of such a scam, you should immediately stop communicating with the scammer and file a complaint with IC3 at www.ic3.gov.
You should also contact your financial institution to see if it is still possible to stop or reverse any financial transactions you may have made after the scammer contacted you.
See also: Britons have lost over £1 billion to scams in 2021
The FBI and FTC have issued another warning about an increase in scams targeting members of the LGBTQ+ using dating apps and websites.
Information source: bleepingcomputer.com
