With Valentine’s Day just around the corner and many people celebrating love, the Better Business Bureau is reminding people to look out for romance scammers who may be looking to steal your money.
Romance scams remain an underreported crime, often because victims feel embarrassed to come forward.
“We’ve seen it too many times. It’s heartbreaking, especially this time of year,” said Jason Meza, senior director of communications for the Better Business Bureau. “People looking for love, they go online. They find somebody that says the right things. They never agree to meet in person, but they are always nice and agreeable.”
Meza said that reluctance to meet face-to-face is one of the first major red flags. He says scammers often create fake online identities and will spend weeks or even months building trust with their targets.
“They will happily talk all day long. They might provide videos,” Meza explained. “Even ‘live’ video chat, they kind of steer away from because they might be an imposter. They might be using a voice-cloning tool. They might be using AI, some deepfake scenario.”
Meza said scammers will work hard to gain a victim’s trust and then change their story. They may claim an emergency, a travel issue, or a medical expense, and that’s when they ask for money.
“If there’s money going out the door, that’s already your second red flag,” Meza said. “If there’s money being exchanged at any point from somebody you never met — usually through Bitcoin or a cash app scenario where it’s hard to trace that money, gift cards — that’s money that’s never going to be seen again.”
Over the years, victims have lost thousands of dollars to romance scams. However, Meza said catching the scammers is rare, so he is encouraging anyone who believes they may be targeted — or who suspects a family member is involved in a suspicious online relationship — to report it immediately to local law enforcement or the Better Business Bureau.
