BBB study shows online romance scams are stealing millions from victims

ST. LOUIS, Mo. (WTVQ)- The Better Business Bureau, BBB,  recently released a study that shows around 1 million Americans have fallen victim to romance fraud scams.

The study says that the scams take several months to play out because scammers work to gain their victim’s trust then will ask for money, starting off in small amounts.

In the last three years victims have lost nearly $1 billion through dating site scams.

The BBB has recommended that dating sites and social media should be more proactive when it comes to screening, identifying, and removing profiles used for scams.

Recently an Eastern Kentucky woman who joined a pay dating site contacted the BBB because she felt uneasy about profile she was in contact with.

The profile claimed to be of a man who was in the U.S. military in Iraq, who was planning on retiring in June.

The woman claims that within a week of contact, the man said he would relocate to Kentucky once he returned from overseas even though they had never talked over the phone.

He began to ask her to buy Amazon gift cards and take pictures along with the activation receipt so he could use the money to buy data for his cell phone and this prompted her to contact the BBB.

The BBB asks that if you find yourself in a situation like this to contact them.

The study found that there is no typical victim of romance fraud, so it can happen to anyone.

Scammers often portray themselves as U.S. military members, which has  lead to numerous complaints to military officials.

Military officials say that military members will never need money for leave of health care, so it’s a red flag if you find a military profile that does.

Some tips to follow if you don’t want to be caught in a romance scam include: never sending money or personal information to someone you’ve never met in person.

Also, be careful of posting personal information in video apps.

If the conversation goes from a monitored, public site to a private message or email, then the scammer could be trying to isolate you.

Carefully go over the profile and information because if it sounds too good to be true, it more than likely is.

Ask for details and get specifics like a photo with them holding something with their username on it.

Be aware of bad grammar and misspelled words; if mistakes are often repeated, it could suggest that they aren’t from where they claim.

Be sure to report it if you feel like you’ve been a romance scam victim.

You can view the BBB study here: “Online Romance Scams: A Better Business Bureau Study on How Scammers Use Impersonation, Blackmail and Trickery to Steal from Unsuspecting Daters”