HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania’s Attorney General has issued a warning about romance scams amid the Valentine’s Day season.
AG Dave Sunday said romance scams are on the rise in Pennsylvania and across the country. He said its common around this time of year because people looking for companionship may be more vulnerable.
“Be aware of scammers who use the holiday to target single people in chat rooms and other online platforms,” Attorney General Sunday said. “Online scammers and other bad actors know no bounds when it comes to bilking Pennsylvanians out of their hard-earned money. This conduct sounds callous and cold, but it happens, so be alert.”
Scammers will often pretend to be someone they are not and do research on someone’s social media before contacting them. He released a list of tips for people to consider before pursuing online relationships. Those tips are to be weary of people who:
- Want to leave the dating site immediately in favor of emailing or instant messaging. Many scammers are currently trying to move victims to WhatsApp or Signal because these apps offer better protection to scammers.
- Makes excuses not to video chat or meet up in person.
- Says they are from the United States, but that they are traveling or working overseas.
- Contacts you from inconsistent phone numbers, email addresses, or multiple online profiles.
- Plans a visit, but is prevented from traveling due to a traumatic event or work conflict.
- Changes their story or history frequently. For example, how many siblings or children they have or what city they live in.
- Attempts to isolate you from your family or friends. This may look like the scammer asking you not to tell someone about the situation or the scammer asking you to lie about an aspect of your interaction with them.
- Asks for money, gift cards, or cryptocurrency.
- Offers to help you invest in cryptocurrency.
- Seeks personal or financial information, or compromising photos early into the conversation.
Scammers are also known to create fake profiles on dating apps, send enticing and targeting messages, use Facebook to send a friend request from people you may think is someone you know.
Anyone who feels they might have been a victim of a romance scam or another scam is encouraged to submit a complaint with the Office of Attorney General’s Bureau of Consumer Protection by visiting the website, by emailing scams@attorneygeneral.gov, or by calling the office at 1-800-441-2555. Victims may also report scammers to the online dating website where they met, the Federal Trade Commission, or the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center.
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