FBI Warns Of Online Romance Scams When Looking For Love

WASHINGTON, DC — Online romance scams have stolen millions from victims, and Valentine's Day is often a season when scam artists and thieves are prevalent, authorities say. About a year ago, a group of Maryland residents were convicted of luring victims into fake romantic relationships and then bilking them out of millions of dollars. To help keep unsuspecting daters from being conned by predators, the FBI recently issued a warning about online romance scams, also called confidence fraud.

Typically in these cases, scammers take advantage of people looking for romantic partners on dating websites, apps, or social media by gaining access to their financial or personal identifying information. Romance scams are prevalent during this time of year, and the FBI cautions everyone who may be romantically involved with a person online.

Romance scams steal more money than any other type of online crime, the FBI says in a recent warning post. In 2016, almost 15,000 complaints categorized as romance scams were reported to federal authorities, nearly 2,500 more than the previous year, and the victims reported a total of more than $230 million was stolen.

In the Maryland case, four defendants were convicted of conspiracies to commit wire fraud and money laundering. Prosecutors say they searched online dating websites to begin romantic relationships with "vulnerable male and female individuals," according to a statement from the Justice Department.

The con artists convinced victims to give them money on the pretext of paying fake hospital bills, plane trips to visit the victims, problems with overseas businesses and foreign taxes. The four perpetrators opened bank accounts to receive millions of dollars from victims, with payments ranging from $1,720 to $50,000.

Before you develop a romantic relationship with someone you meet online, the FBI suggests:

• Research the person’s photo and profile online to see if the material has been used elsewhere.
• Go slow and ask a lot of questions.
• Beware if the other person seems too perfect or quickly asks you to leave a dating service or Facebook to go “offline.”
• Watch out if the individual attempts to isolate you from friends and family, or if a requests is made for inappropriate photos or financial information that could later be used to extort you.
• If in-person meetings are repeatedly canceled so you haven’t met the person after a few months, for whatever reason, you should be suspicious.
• Never send money to anyone you don’t know personally.

“We recognize that it may be embarrassing for victims to report this type of fraud scheme because of the personal relationships that are developed, but we ask for victims to come forward so the FBI can ensure that these online imposters are brought to justice,” said Timothy R. Slater of the FBI Washington Field Office’s Criminal Division.

If you believe you are a victim of a romance scam, file a complaint online at ic3.gov, the agency says.

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