Talk about a bad breakup: In the first three quarters of 2021, Americans lost $343m+ to romance scams, per an analysis by Atlas VPN.
That’s more than all of 2020, in which Americans reported $304m in romance scams to the FTC, up 50% from 2019.
According to the FBI, it’s when a scammer uses a bogus online persona to build a relationship with someone they later con out of money.
Romance scammers [also known as catfishing online dating] typically lurk on dating sites or social media to find victims, and may be part of a criminal organization.
Common targets are lonely or vulnerable people over 50, often women. Scammers establish trust and affection, then ask for money — perhaps for medical or legal fees, debt, or travel expenses.
And they usually want it via some less traceable means, like gift or reload cards, transfers, or crypto.
One theory: the pandemic. People have a good excuse for not wanting to meet in person and have been more isolated than ever. A recent study found 36% of Americans are feeling “serious loneliness.”
Btw: Some scammers are brazen enough to do it in person, like John Meehan — subject of The Los Angeles Times’ “Dirty John” series — or Derek Alldred, who, per The Atlantic, scammed 12+ women out of ~$1m.
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