Wednesday, the LA County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk announced that 213 couples were married here this Valentine’s Day.
Although February has been deemed the month of love, a recent study revealed that romance fraud is a common cybercrime in the U.S., especially this month.
“For many at this time of year, the heightened search for a love interest online can result in an increased risk of becoming a fraud victim,” said Ariana Bago, fraud executive at Proxyrack. “If you are scammed, think and act fast to contact your bank — just taking them through the incident and getting your cards and accounts frozen could quite easily minimize the damage considerably.”
In 2022, there were over 366 million online dating service users worldwide, and along with an unprecedented rise in participants since the COVID-19 lockdowns, the number of people being ‘catfished’ or scammed has increased dramatically.
‘Catfishing’ is the underlying term that refers to people who set up fake online dating profiles to trick people, commonly for money.
Before interacting in any deep and meaningful conversations with a match, realistically look into their name on the internet or on social media sites to find a trace of existence — even backchecking the photos on their profile could prove necessary.
“You should also never send money to dating matches or share too much personal information, but ultimately, you need to trust in your own instinct and take the relevant precautions if you have any doubts,” Bago said.
Here are some other tips to protect one from being a victim of romance fraud:
Spot the early warning signs: Most fraudsters will go to great lengths to make the act they are playing believable, and on a romantic level, this could be anything from sending flowers to confessing their love very early in the process of talking online. Keep in mind any mention of traveling for work, or any excuses they offer to not meet up in person.
Don’t share personal details: Choose a trusted dating site and take time to pick the right one. When creating a profile, be careful when selecting a username and don’t include too much personal location information. Even if it is someone who is a believed match, it could be a fraudster on the other side of the screen — so don’t share birthdates or home addresses.
Don’t send or receive money: Under no circumstances should one consider sending money to someone they’ve met online — whether this is through a credit card, cash, or any financial substitute.
Complete background checks: When online dating, some people want to be in the dark and find love through messaging or meeting them in person. Unfortunately, this may prove to be a naive approach in the modern world, and one should look to complete some basic research into anyone they talk to. This could be looking into any existing social media accounts, or trying a reverse-image search on their pictures.
Contact your bank immediately: The realization of being scammed can leave one feeling extremely low, but don’t be a defeatist — urgent action is required. Contact the bank immediately. Talk through what has happened with them, and then bank cards and transactions can be frozen in good time to make sure there is no further damage by the scammer.