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Chocolates, flowers, and spending time with your special someone are all Valentine’s Day traditions, but what about helping a friend or loved one spot and avoid a romance scam?

Even though a romance scam might not be affecting you, someone you know might be facing one. According to a new FTC report, people sent $547 million to online romance scammers last year. And more than a third of those who lost money said the contact started on Facebook or Instagram, often through an unexpected private message. 

So pick up the phone and reach out to someone you might not have spoken with in a while. Check in with them, see how they’re doing, and listen to what they say. You might just be able to help them spot and avoid a romance scam.

As you start a conversation, here are some things to keep in mind:

  • If a friend or loved one mentions an online love interest, ask if they’ve met in person.
  • If they haven’t met in person, but that love interest has asked for money, that’s a scam. Period. No matter what story they tell — even if they send you money or gifts first.
  • Romance scammers often create fake profiles. Use a reverse image search to see if someone else has used that profile picture, or if the details don’t match up.
  • Never send or forward money to people you meet online. And only scammers ask you to pay by cryptocurrency, gift cards, or wire transfer.

Learn more at ftc.gov/romancescams and report scammers at ReportFraud.ftc.gov

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Topics
Identity Theft and Online Security
Online Privacy and Security

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The purpose of this blog and its comments section is to inform readers about Federal Trade Commission activity, and share information to help them avoid, report, and recover from fraud, scams, and bad business practices. Your thoughts, ideas, and concerns are welcome, and we encourage comments. But keep in mind, this is a moderated blog. We review all comments before they are posted, and we won’t post comments that don’t comply with our commenting policy. We expect commenters to treat each other and the blog writers with respect.

  • We won’t post off-topic comments, repeated identical comments, or comments that include sales pitches or promotions.
  • We won’t post comments that include vulgar messages, personal attacks by name, or offensive terms that target specific people or groups.
  • We won’t post threats, defamatory statements, or suggestions or encouragement of illegal activity.
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