Don't Let Scammers Leave You With a Broken Heart and Empty Wallet on this Valentine's Day
Friday, February 14th, 2020 -- 12:45 PM
(WRN) -It's Valentine's Day, and some crooks are looking to capitalize on lonely hearts to scam people out of money.It's Valentine's Day, and some crooks are looking to capitalize on lonely hearts to scam people out of money. State consumer protection administrator Lara Sutherlin calls them 'sweetheart scams' and says that criminals create phony dating site accounts, and then prey on people for money.
"They need money for a loved one, or for a sick child, or they need money to come see you. They really want to come see you, but they don't have any money, can you wire them the money so they can come see you? These are red flags that someone might be scamming you."
Sutherlin says that anyone can fall victim to someone in online dating, but that most victims are either recent divorcees or widows and widowers.
"We go to the internet to look for connections, to look for companionship, and we may be more willing to share our lives with somebody more quickly if we're in a particularly vulnerable place."
Sutherlin says that people shouldn't feel bad if they've been scammed, it happens to a lot of people.
"In 2015, 33 million dollars were lost to this scam according to the FTC. That has risen up to 143 million dollars in 2018."
Sutherlin says that signs that someone might be a scammer include asking you to wire them money, always coming up with excuses to never meet you in person, and people who ask you for personal info like bank numbers or checking accounts.
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