This Valentine’s Day, don’t let scammers steal your heart and your money with sweet conversations and emojis. They’re working all year long to trick people into falling hard.
According to the FBI, “In a confidence fraud or romance scam, an individual believing they are in a trusting relationship, whether family, friendly, or romantic, is tricked into sending money or personal information to the scammer.”
The Seattle Police Department is working with Chase Bank for a community workshop on Feb. 12 to raise awareness about scams. Valentine’s Day is a great reminder to be cautious when using dating apps and websites or making new friends on social media. Scammers work to gain trust while presenting a fake persona and oftentimes use information victims share about themselves on the internet to establish a close relationship.
Criminals have been successful breaking hearts and piggy banks in recent years. The Federal Trade Commission says romance scam victims lost more than $1 billion in 2023 and more than $800 million in 2024.
A 2023 AARP report found older Americans are also particularly vulnerable to financial exploitation, in general, and cases are underreported. The organization discovered criminals steal an estimated $28.3 billion from seniors each year.
Here are some tips from the FBI to help make sure you don’t fall for a scam this Valentine’s Day and every day:
-Think twice before you share personal information online. Scammers can use details shared on dating sites and social media platforms to better target victims.
-If you try online dating, only use dating sites with well-known reputations. Search people’s photos and profiles online to see if anyone has used the names, images, or information elsewhere.
-Take the relationship slow and ask lots of questions.
-Beware if the person quickly asks you to leave a dating app or social media platform to go “offline” — or tries to isolate you from friends and family.
-Never send money, cryptocurrency, or gift cards to anyone you’ve only communicated with online or by phone.
-Be particularly cautious if the person you’re communicating with is overseas — oftentimes scammers use overseas construction or military jobs as an excuse to not be able to meet in person.
-Scammers can fabricate things like medical emergencies that they need money to pay for, or if wanting to meet in person, request the victim pay for their airfare and travel up front.
The Federal Trade Commission also says it’s important to learn about investment scams, such as when someone claims they have a secret method to make money. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission warned in 2024 that, “investors should know that bad actors are using the growing popularity and complexity of AI to lure victims into scams.”
According to AARP, a man in Chicago lost nearly $60,000 in a cryptocurrency investment pitched to him by a romance scammer who communicated through what authorities believed was a deepfake video.
Remember: Scammers never stop trying and their work can seem personal and tailored to the victim. Whether it’s a text message, phone call, email or another form of communication, the damage can be devastating. If you think someone is a scammer, cut them off immediately and report the activity to the authorities and your financial institutions. Do not be ashamed.
You can report these scams using these websites:
FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center: IC3.gov
Federal Trade Commission: ReportFraud.ftc.gov
Learn more locally: The Seattle Police Department is working with Chase Bank for the ‘Chase x Kin On Senior Financial Health Workshop’ on Feb. 12 at 10 a.m. to share ways people can protect themselves from fraud and financial scams. Chase Bank representatives say Cantonese and Mandarin interpretation services will be provided. The deadline to register for the event is Feb. 11. Register at this link.