The FBI in Atlanta is warning Americans of an expected surge of Romance/Confidence scams around Valentine’s Day.
In
2022 (the last year numbers are not available), at least 425 Georgians reported
falling victim to a romance scam. The Georgia victims lost a combined
$10,516,818. Nationally, 19,800 victims lost a combined $735,000,000. And
that’s simply those that were reported. FBI Atlanta estimates 2-3x that number
of victims never report the crime.
In
a confidence/romance scam, victims are lured into thinking they are in a
relationship with a friend or romantic partner, then are tricked into sending
money, financial information, or personal information to the criminal. They may
also be deceived into laundering money.
Romance
scammers follow a well-rehearsed script that has worked before, and often view
this scam as a full-time job. Special Agents have noted they may wait for
months developing the relationship before asking for anything of value.
To
avoid becoming a victim:
- Be
careful what you post online.
- Use
only dating apps with national reputations, but assume scammers are
trolling even those websites looking for potential victims.
- Take
the relationship slow and ask questions.
- Research
the person’s picture and profile to make sure they aren’t using someone
else’s profile.
- If you
suspect a scam, stop contact immediately.
- Report
scams to the FBI at IC3.gov.
No comments:
Post a Comment