Skip to main content

Valentine's Day

Make sure that your Valentine is not a scammer! Valentine's Day is the perfect time to learn more about Romance Scams to make sure you avoid becoming a victim of this type of scam.

Per the National Cybersecurity Alliance; Did you know? Americans reported losing a heartbreaking $1.3 billion to romance scams in 2022, according to the Federal Trade Commission, and the number is likely higher due to underreporting. 

SAFEGUARD YOUR HEART (AND WALLET) FROM SCAMMERS 

By adopting a few privacy habits, you can limit what scammers can learn about you: 

Share with care: Think before posting about yourself and others on social media or online dating services. Consider what a post reveals and who can see it. 

Check your settings: Consider setting your social media profiles to “private”. This makes it harder for scammers to target and communicate with you. 

Think before you click: Be wary of messages that push you for immediate action or ask for personal information. This is a red flag for phishing. Never share personal info via email or text if you do not know the sender. 

Use reverse image search: Do a reverse image search of the flirty account’s profile picture. You may see that image belongs to a completely different person, or has been affiliated with different online identities. If this is the case, there is a high chance the person behind the fake profile picture is trying to scam you. 

----------

Dating or Defrauding? Protect Yourself Against Romance Scams With Help From the Government

According to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), in 2020 alone, people who experienced romance scams lost over $600M. Romance scammers target people looking for love on dating apps and social media. But how can you tell the difference between dating or defrauding?

Explore the ‘Dating or Defrauding?’ landing page for more information.

https://connect.usa.gov/dating-or-defrauding

 

Additional Resources:

Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency - https://www.cisa.gov/news-events/alerts/2020/02/14/be-cautious-romance-scams

Federal Bureau of Investigation - https://www.fbi.gov/how-we-can-help-you/scams-and-safety/common-scams-and-crimes/romance-scams

Federal Trade Commission - https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/what-know-about-romance-scams

National Cybersecurity Alliance - https://staysafeonline.org/online-safety-privacy-basics/romance-scams/

United States Postal Inspection Service - https://www.uspis.gov/news/scam-article/romance-scam

United States Secret Service - https://www.secretservice.gov/investigation/romancescams

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement - https://www.ice.gov/features/LoveOnline