HARRISBURG, PA — As Valentine’s Day approaches, AARP Pennsylvania is sounding the alarm on an old crime with a new twist—romance scams. With digital love connections on the rise, so are instances of these heart-breaking frauds, making it more important than ever to stay vigilant.
Romance scams have been around for years, but in today’s hyper-connected world, they’ve found a fertile new hunting ground. Social media, mobile game apps, and online dating sites have become the perfect platforms for these virtual vipers to strike. David Kalinoski, Associate Director of Outreach for AARP Pennsylvania, cautions, “The internet is full of scammers eager to take advantage of lonely hearts, and their ranks are growing.”
So how do these scams work? It usually starts innocently enough—an invitation to connect while playing an online game or browsing a dating site. The connection grows, often moving off the original platform to more private forms of communication. A close relationship develops quickly, but there always seems to be a reason why you can’t meet in person.
As the ‘relationship’ progresses, requests for money begin. Sometimes, it’s a plea for help in a crisis. Other times, it’s a suggestion to invest in a ‘sure-thing’ like cryptocurrency. But in the end, the ‘relationship’ abruptly ends, leaving the victim heartbroken and out of pocket.
AARP Pennsylvania volunteer Kate Kleinert knows all too well the devastating impact of these scams. After losing $39,000 to an online scammer, she’s made it her mission to educate others about the risks. “We need to change attitudes about romance scams, and it needs to be made more public,” says Kleinert. “This can easily happen to anyone.”
And she’s right. According to the Federal Trade Commission, 70,000 people fell victim to romance scams in 2022 alone, with losses totaling a staggering $1.3 billion.
So how can you protect yourself? Be wary of relationships that develop quickly and requests to move off the platform where you first connected. If you never get to meet in person, consider it a red flag. Use your browser’s image search feature to check if a photo is associated with someone else. And if you’re asked for money, chances are very high that it’s a scam.
If you suspect you’ve been targeted by a romance scam, cut off contact immediately, alert the platform where you first met, and call the AARP Fraud Watch Network Helpline. You can even share your experience on AARP’s Scam Tracker Map to help warn others.
As we approach Valentine’s Day, remember that true love shouldn’t cost you. Stay vigilant, stay safe, and don’t let a scammer steal your heart—or your savings.
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