Sometimes, as the song goes, love hurts.
Unfortunately, that’s the case for the thousands of Americans who fall forromance scamseach year.
The survey results track with federal data.
Last year, theFederal Trade Commissionreceived 64,003 reports of romance scams.
which accounted for $1.14 billion in losses, with the median loss per victim totaling $2,000.
Romance scams themselves, also known as pig-butchering scams, are nothing new.
They’ll often build trust over weeks or even months before asking for money or personal or financial information.
Read on for guidance on how to sidestep a trap.
So they have algorithms and other safeguards in place that are designed to spot scammy behavior.
Be wary if someone wants to move your communications to an outside messaging app like WhatsApp or Signal.
The same goes for the key to yourcryptocurrency wallet.
Protect your private data.Never send personal information like your Social Security number.
If someone asks for naked or otherwise explicit photos, say no.
While you’re at it, do a reverse image search of your potential date’s photo.
If it pops up in other places under a different name, steer clear.
