BOISE, Idaho — This Valentine’s Day, the Salt Lake City FBI is raising awareness about romance scams to protect consumers' hearts and wallets.
According to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), about 24,000 victims lost an approximated $1 billion to romance scams in 2021.
In 2020, nearly 130 Idahoans reported losing more than $2 million to romance scams. That same year, 68 victims in Montana reported losses of $936,068, and in Utah, 300 victims reported a combined loss of more than $6 million.
A romance scam occurs when a victim is tricked into believing a trusting, friendly, romantic, or familial relationship between them and the perpetrator. The victim is then persuaded to send money, personal or financial information, items of value, or launder money on behalf of the perpetrator.
Romance scams can happen to anyone at any time and have resulted in some of the highest amounts of financial loss when compared to other Internet-initiated crimes.
The FBI recommends following the tips below to avoid becoming a victim:
- Be careful what you post and make public online. Scammers use details shared on social media and dating sites in order to better understand and target you.
- Using online searches, research the person’s photo and profile to see if the image, name, or details have been used elsewhere.
- Go slowly and ask lots 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 later be used to extort you.
- Beware if the individual continues to promise a meet-up in person but then always comes up with an excuse why he or she can’t.
- Never send money to anyone you have only communicated with online or by phone.
People should stop all contact immediately if they are suspicious about an online relationship being a scam. If money has already been sent, immediately report the transfer of funds to your financial institution, file a complaint with the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center, and contact your local FBI office or other law enforcement agency.
For more information on romance scams, visit www.fbi.gov/romancescams.
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