https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/what-know-about-romance-scams
People reported a record $547 million in losses to romance scams in 2021. That's up about 80% from the reports the FTC got in 2020. In 2021, people reported paying romance scammers more with gift cards than with any other payment method. The 2021 reports also showed that cryptocurrency payments were the most costly.

https://www.aura.com/learn/dangers-of-online-dating
2. Romance scammers asking for money. The number one danger of online dating is being tricked into sending money or handing over your financial information. Scammers want you to send them cash and gift cards or to provide them with information they can use to commit financial fraud.

https://www.fbi.gov/how-we-can-help-you/scams-and-safety/common-scams-and-crimes/romance-scams
Learn how criminals use fake online identities to manipulate and steal from victims through romance scams. Find out how to protect yourself, recognize the signs of a scam, and file a complaint with the FBI.

https://us.norton.com/blog/online-scams/romance-scams
Learn about the types, signs, and costs of online dating scams, and how to protect yourself from cybercriminals who pose as potential partners. Find out the latest numbers and trends from the FTC and Norton data.

https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/data-visualizations/data-spotlight/2023/02/romance-scammers-favorite-lies-exposed
Romance scammers' favorite lies exposed. By. Emma Fletcher. February 9, 2023. Romance scammers tell all sorts of lies to steal your heart and money, and reports to the FTC show those lies are working. Last year's romance scam numbers looked a lot like 2021 all over again, and it's not a pretty picture. In 2022, nearly 70,000 people

https://www.pcmag.com/how-to/caught-in-a-sham-romance-how-to-spot-online-dating-scams
Learn the five love languages of romance scammers and the most popular online romance scams in 2024. Find out how to protect your personal and financial information from AI-generated profiles and pig butchering schemes.

https://www.kaspersky.com/resource-center/threats/beware-online-dating-scams
Learn about the common types of online dating scams, such as military romance, intimate activity, fake dating sites, and more. Find out how to spot the signs of a romance scammer and how to protect yourself from online dating fraud.

https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/data-visualizations/data-spotlight/2022/02/reports-romance-scams-hit-record-highs-2021
People reported losing $547 million to online dating scams in 2021, more than any other FTC fraud category. Scammers use fake profiles, pleas for help, bogus investments, and cryptocurrency to con people into sending money or personal information.

https://theconversation.com/online-romance-scams-research-reveals-scammers-tactics-and-how-to-defend-against-them-210124
The FBI gives advice on how to protect yourself from romance scams. Online dating app users can take precautions when talking to strangers. There are five rules users should follow to steer clear

https://consumer.ftc.gov/sites/www.consumer.ftc.gov/files/online_dating_scams_infographic_feb2021_en.pdf
Online Dating Scams Has an online love interest asked you for money? Scammers know millions of people use online dating sites. They are there, too, hiding behind fake profiles. Professes love quickly. Claims to be overseas for business or military service. Asks for money, and lures you off the dating site. Claims to need money — for emergencies,

https://www.consumerreports.org/dating-relationships/online-dating-romance-scams/
It Pays to Be Paranoid. The CR survey found that 35 percent of respondents who've tried online dating felt they had been grossly misled by someone's online profile, and 12 percent said they'd been

https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2023/02/new-ftc-data-reveals-top-lies-told-romance-scammers
Data spotlight also shows large increase in 'sextortion' as tool for scammers. New data released today by the Federal Trade Commission sheds new light on the lies that romance scammers use to take advantage of people—lies that reports to the FTC show cost nearly 70,000 consumers $1.3 billion in 2022. Using data from the FTC's Consumer

https://www.forbes.com/advisor/personal-finance/romance-scams/
More than one-third of people who reported losing money to an online romance scam in 2021 said it started on Facebook or Instagram. The median amount these victims lost to scammers? A whopping $2,000.

https://www.makeuseof.com/tag/spot-avoid-online-dating-scammer/
Learn the signs of a fake online dating profile and the tactics of scammers who try to cheat you out of money or personal information. Find out how to protect yourself from common dating site scams and what to do if you become a victim.

https://www.secretservice.gov/investigations/romancescams
These scammers have been known to also spoof phone numbers and hire actors to communicate with the victims via phone to further establish the ill-derived trust. Stay Safe Online: Avoid Romance Scams Romance scams are usually initiated online and often prey on vulnerable people. Scammers create fake online profiles and attempt to build phony

https://www.aura.com/learn/how-to-spot-a-scammer-on-a-dating-site
Learn how romance scams work and how to avoid them on online dating apps. Find out the common signs of a fake profile, such as love bombing, travel stories, and financial requests.

https://connect.usa.gov/dating-or-defrauding
Romance Scams - Online & Offline Dating. Be smart! Online Dating Scams - PDF. For more information on scams and prevention tips, ... such as those involving vulnerable populations targeted by online romance scams. The U.S. Postal Inspection Service is the federal law enforcement, crime prevention, and security arm of the U.S. Postal Service

https://www.aarp.org/money/scams-fraud/info-2019/romance.html
Learn how scammers use fake profiles, urgent requests and promises of love to trick you into sending money or personal information. Find out the warning signs, tips and resources to protect yourself from online romance scams.

https://www.fbi.gov/contact-us/field-offices/sandiego/news/press-releases/fbi-warns-of-online-dating-scams
Here's how the scam usually works. You're contacted online by someone who appears interested in you. He or she may have a profile you can read or a picture that is e-mailed to you. For weeks

https://www.wikihow.com/Spot-an-Online-Dating-Scammer
1. Keep your profile as private as possible. One of the first steps in making your profile scammer-proof is limiting the amount of information they can see. If possible, restrict your country/state/region, phone number, email address, job, and any other personal information from your public profile.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/online-dating-scams-11661968153
In some romance scams, people have given hundreds or thousands of dollars to someone they met online. Illustration: Jennifer Tapias Derch About 30% of Americans have tried an online dating service

https://www.datingnews.com/daters-pulse/online-dating-scams/
Ways to Avoid Online Dating Scams (#11-15) You now know how an online dating scammer might behave and what they might say to take advantage of you, but you've still got to learn the ways to detect a scam way ahead of time. This way, you won't fall into the trap at all. 11. Use a Separate Email & Number Just for Online Dating

https://www.chase.com/personal/banking/education/basics/how-to-avoid-romance-scams
There are red flags that you could identify to help avoid romance scams. One major appeal of online dating is the convenient way you can possibly find a meaningful romantic relationship. As with most online activity, it is important to exercise caution when dating over the phone and internet. Romance scams are unfortunate crimes of emotional

https://www.snbonline.com/about/news/how-to-detect-an-online-romance-scam
To avoid online dating scams, be on the lookout for these four red flags when you're getting to know someone online: 1. Romance scammers profess love quickly, without actually meeting you. Often times, the first sign of an online dating scam shows up when a romance scammer expresses strong emotions in a relatively short period of time.

https://consumer.ftc.gov/consumer-alerts/2024/06/what-do-if-your-online-love-interest-offers-teach-you-how-invest-your-money
No one thinks their online love interest is going to scam them, but scammers are good at what they do. They establish an emotional connection with you so you're more likely to believe that they're an expert in cryptocurrency investing, for example. But that online love interest is a scammer. People have lost tens of thousands ― sometimes millions — of dollars to romance scammers.

https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2023/02/02/key-findings-about-online-dating-in-the-u-s/
Online dating is more common among younger adults than among older people. About half of those under 30 (53%) report having ever used a dating site or app, compared with 37% of those ages 30 to 49, 20% of those 50 to 64 and 13% of those 65 and older. When looking at sexual orientation, lesbian, gay or bisexual (LGB) adults are more likely than

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/beware-of-pig-butchering-online-romance-schemes-in-ny-attorney-general/ar-BB1nLh3W
New York Attorney General Letitia James urged New Yorkers to be on high alert for increasingly common online romance scams that lead to the victims making fraudulent investments. Also referred to

https://www.dispatch.com/story/news/investigations/readers-watchdog/2024/02/14/takedown-of-alleged-dating-app-romance-scammer-from-iowa-john-clarke/72512742007/
Dating or romance scams are a subset. In 2022, nearly 70,000 people in the United States reported romance scams to the Federal Trade Commission, with reported losses reaching $1.3 billion. The

https://www.experian.com/blogs/ask-experian/the-latest-scams-you-need-to-aware-of/
Quick Answer. Scammers might use new technology and recent events, such as AI and student loan forgiveness, to add a twist to tried-and-true scams. Learn about the latest techniques to stay safe in 2024. As in previous years, many of the latest scams in 2024 will likely involve twists on time-tested scams. Scammers and fraudsters are expected

https://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/crime/2024/06/12/man-from-ghana-sentenced-for-online-romance-scam/74074548007/
0:04. 0:59. An immigrant from Ghana who was involved in a romance scam that targeted elderly and recently bereaved people was sentenced Wednesday to 6½ years in prison. U.S. District Judge