JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Editor's Note: The video above is from a previous story on rental scams dated Feb. 5, 2022.
The season of romance is here with Valentines Days just a week away. However, while some people might be looking for love, there are also scammers looking to take advantage of people hoping to find a special someone, especially online.
According to the FBI, scammers often fake an online personality to gain their victim's trust and affection. With that trust, the scammer will then create an illusion of a relationship with their victim to either manipulate, extort or steal from them.
These scammers are no more than con artists, but the FBI warns they are experts in manipulating their victims to believe their are genuinely caring and affectionate. The scammers hope to establish a relationship with the victim quickly and may even propose marriage and an in-person meeting, though that meeting never comes.
The FBI says one red flag is when a potential partners says they are in the building and construction industry and are working on projects outside the United States. This not only allows the scammer to have an excuse to avoid an in-person meeting but gives them a plausible explanation when the scammer asks for money for a medical emergency or unexpected legal fee.
If a potential romantic partner ever asks for bank account information to deposit money, they are likely using that information to carry out theft or other fraud schemes, the FBI says.
Here are some other tips the FBI has for people who are looking to meet a romantic partner online:
- Be careful what you post and make public online. Scammers can use details shared on social media and dating sites to better understand and target you.
- Research the person’s photo and profile using online searches 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 promises to meet in person but then always comes up with an excuse why he or she can’t. If you haven’t met the person after a few months, for whatever reason, you have good reason to be suspicious.
- Never send money to anyone you have only communicated with online or by phone.