Not everyone using online dating sites is looking for love. Scammers create fake online profiles using photos of other people — even stolen pictures of real military personnel. They profess their love quickly. And they tug at your heartstrings with made-up stories about how they need money — for emergencies, hospital bills, or travel. Why all of the tricks? They’re looking to steal your money.
As if all that isn’t bad enough, romance scammers are now involving their victims in online bank fraud. Here’s how it works: The scammers set up dating profiles to meet potential victims. After they form a “relationship,” they come up with reasons to ask their love interest to set up a new bank account. The scammers transfer stolen money into the new account, and then tell their victims to wire the money out of the country. Victims think they’re just helping out their soulmate, never realizing they’re aiding and abetting a crime.
Here are some warning signs that an online love interest might be a fake. They ask you to:
- chat off of the dating site immediately, using personal email, text, or phone
- wire money using Western Union or Money Gram
- set up a new bank account
Did you know you can do an image search of your love interest’s photo in your favorite search engine? If you do an image search and the person’s photo appears under several different names, you’re probably dealing with a scammer. And if the person’s online profile disappears a few days after they meet you, that’s another tip-off.
Here’s the real deal: Don’t send money to someone you met online — for any reason. If your online sweetheart asks for money, you can expect it’s a scam.
Unfortunately, online dating scams are all too common. There may be tens of thousands of victims, and only a small fraction report it to the FTC. If this happens to you, please report it at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
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If someone uses your name and personal information to get a credit card, that is identity theft. They can create debts in your name. The debts will go onto your credit report. You might get calls from debt collectors.
Report identity theft at www.IdentityTheft.gov. Report what happened. Get letters to send to credit reporting agencies and credit card companies where the fraud happened. Make a list of steps to protect yourself.
In reply to I have a question. Has anyone by Happa
A scammer might tell you he has a lot of money in the bank, and say you can check his bank account balance. He says he's rich because he's trying to persuade you to do him a favor.
But even if you see a page online that looks like a bank account statement, that doesn't prove there is really a bank account with a high balance. It doesn't prove that the person you're talking to has a lot of money.
In reply to I have a question. Has anyone by Happa
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Pagination