A few weeks ago an Edmonton man lost $143,000 to an online romance scam according to CTV Edmonton. It’s sad to hear when it happens to others, but most of us think to ourselves, “I won’t fall for it.” But don’t be so sure. These scammers are getting more sophisticated and working harder because of how lucrative the business can be. In 2017 Edmontonians lost $400,000 to online romance scams which increased by 275% last year to $1.1 Million!
Scammers are seeming more real and coming up with more believable stories. We at TickTockTech see the unfortunate aftermath of these and other online scams when we come out to repair computer systems. We implement the newest and strongest protections against these scams for our customers. However, no matter what protections you put in place, nothing will be better than a good understanding of what to look for.
How to Recognize Online Romance Scams
- Remember scammers are usually after money or personal information.
- In Romance scams, they will shower the target with compliments and profess love early on to try to get the lonely target hooked.
- They will generally request money or personal information after grooming the target for a time. Maybe weeks, maybe months.
- Although they will be available quickly for texting or chat conversations, they will generally avoid video and voice chats.
- The pictures they use are usually stolen images from Facebook or other social media.
- Finally, they will always find a reason for you to send money or let them have your personal information.
JUST DON’T GIVE IT TO THEM!
When building relationships online, remember that you don’t actually know for certain who is on the other end of that line. Be skeptical. Don’t give up your personal information or your cash. If there is any sign of a scam, it’s probably time to move on.
