Online dating allows scammers
to turn romance into fraud
In 2023, about 64,000 people reported to be victims of romance scams, totaling $1.14 billion. It’s been around for decades, but many Americans still fall for the scam. Understanding the warning signs can help keep your safe and prevent you from breaking the bank and your heart.
In a romance scam, criminals impersonate others to form relationships with their victims, often promising love or companionship. These scammers may pretend to be a celebrity going through a divorce targeting super fans, or they may claim to live in another country.
After gaining trust, they ask for money for urgent needs such as travel costs, fees, or medical bills. These requests can end up sounding reasonable to a love interest, making this scam especially convincing.
Suspicious behavior to watch for
- Romance scams often begin on dating websites or apps. Anyone who quickly pushes communication to another app, email, or messaging platform should raise concern.
- Scammers frequently avoid phone or video calls and may overwhelm victims with affection. This behavior can continue for months or even years, making it harder for victims to break contact.
- To appear legitimate, scammers may use stolen photos or personal details from real people online. A reverse image search using tools like Google Images can help identify stolen identities.
- When plans to meet in person come up, scammers may express excitement but cancel repeatedly with last-minute excuses or emergencies.
If you notice any of these signs, you may be communicating with a scammer. Be alert to behavior meant to avoid direct contact, collect personal information, or request money.
Involving trusted family members or friends can provide an important layer of protection. An outside perspective may notice manipulation tactics or suspicious behavior that could be harder for you to see. Scammers know this and often try to isolate their targets, making secrecy itself another warning sign.
Keep scammers away from your network
Romance scams often start with a single online message, but the risk does not stop there. Clicking a bad link or sharing information can put personal data at risk and expose other devices on a home network. Staying safe online means being careful about who you talk to and making sure your internet connection is protected.
Ultimate Wi-Fi helps protect the entire home network, not just one device. You can use the My Golden West Wi-Fi app to monitor connected devices and block known threats before they cause problems. Add multi-layered internet security to your network by calling 1-855-888-7777, option 3 or find more information at goldenwest.com/ultimate.
Sources: Federal Trade Commission, Federal Bureau of Investigation
