Romance Scams: “I Love You; Send Money”
If you think you’ve met the love of your life, but you’ve never seen them in person, there’s a good chance you may be the victim of a romance scam. Whatever you do, do not send this person any money. No matter how much they say they need it. Or promise to repay you and offer proof that they can. Nothing! Doesn’t matter how small the amount. Just ask Kate. Who’s Kate? Well, she’ll tell you her story.
Thieves armed with convincing, compelling stories are exploiting the fact that so many of us are isolated and looking for connections. That a lot of us are socializing online enables the fraudsters to carry out their schemes with phony social media profiles and bogus websites, according to Deborah Royster, assistant director for the Office for Older Americans at the Consumer Finance Protection Bureau. Victims, believing they, are tricked into sending money, personal and financial information or items of value to fraudsters who prey on the victims’ “heartstrings”.
