Valentine's Day Alert: Romance Scam Warnings From The FBI

Valentines Day - the day of love but also a time to be wary of online romance scams. A FBI Birmingham Office bulletin is advising that seeking love online can result is significant financial ruin.

According to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center, 261 romance scams were reported in Alabama last year, resulting in reported losses totalling $7,560,074. Officials note that many more cases likely went unreported.

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An FBI bulletin warns,

"In romance scams, a criminal uses a fake online identity to gain a victim's affection and trust. The scammer then uses the illusion of a romantic or close relationship to manipulate and/or steal from the victim.

"The scammer wants to establish a relationship as quickly as possible, endear himself (or herself) to the victim, and gain trust. Scammers may propose marriage and make plans to meet in person, but that will never happen. Eventually, they will ask for money.

"The criminals who carry out romance scams are experts at what they do and will seem genuine, caring, and believable.
Con artists are present on most dating and social media sites."

Many romance scammers are in foreign countries; some being forced by gangs or even corrupt governments to establish fake online relationships that quickly lead to getting your personal information and/or you sending them money.

The FBI has released advisories on how to protect yourself:

Be careful what you post and reveal online. Scammers can use details shared on social media and dating sites to better understand you 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. Remember, AI is frequently used to commit fraud with realistic looking fake photos, videos and voices.
Go slowly, ask a lot of questions.
Beware if the individual seems too perfect or quickly asks you to leave a dating service or social media site to communicate directly.
Beware if the individual attempts to isolate you from friends and family or requests inappropriate photos or financial information that could be used later to extort you.
Beware if the individual promises to meet in person but then always comes up with an excuse why he or she can't. If this goes on for months, be highly suspicious.
Never send money to anyone you have only communicated with online or on the phone. Scammers will ask for money due to purported financial hardship after gaining the victim’s affection and trust.
Cryptocurrency Fraud: Scammers use romance to entice victims into cryptocurrency investments.
Verification Scams: Scammers ask victims to take the conversation off the dating app and onto a different site with the pretence that it will be more secure. They send the victim a verification link, where the victim enters personal information such as a phone number and credit card, which allows the scammer to gain access to that information.

If you are the victim of a romance scam, immediately file a complaint with the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at www.ic3.gov.