Romance Scams

Know the warning signs!

  • The person wants to move conversation away from the dating app/site early on.

  • They ask a lot of personal questions of you, but don’t answer any of themselves.

  • You’ve never met, and the person is professing their love in a short amount of time.

  • The person you’ve never met, and haven’t known very long, is telling you tales of financial troubles and asking you to send them cash, crypto currency, wire money, transmit money via an online/phone application, or with a gift card.

  • Remember: Once you wire money out of your account - it’s gone. Gift cards are for gifts. Period.

  • Never give or send more money to anyone than you can afford to never see again. Even if they aren’t a scammer, you have no guarantees that money will ever be repaid.

Looking for love? Be careful!

That sweetheart could be a

swindler out to steal your money!

Scammers ARE out to get you! Know how to spot them and what to do if you get got!

No matter our age, we all want to be loved, appreciated, and adored. Scammers know this. They use this basic human need to worm their way into our lives, get us to let our guard down, make us want to “help” them, and then take off with unsuspecting victims’ money. Think “Tinder Swindler” - but for the rest of us who aren’t millionaires. Romance scams aren’t happening just to those too young to know better or those potentially experiencing age-related cognitive issues - they happen every day to people just like us.

The FBI says it’s Internet Crime Complaint Center received more than 23,000 romance scam related complaints in 2020 — with reported losses of more than $600 million. Keep in mind, the US Attorney’s Office Western District of Washington indicates only about 15% of fraud victims actually report the crime. Fear and/or embarrassment often prevent people from reporting.

Add to this the fact that AI, photo filters and editing software make it nearly impossible to tell if the person you are communicating with is real or a creation and you have a recipe for trouble in your new-relationship paradise.

Do not send money, gift cards, cryptocurrency, or other things of value to someone you do not know or have only interacted with online or by phone. Do not reveal personal or financial information on social media platforms, or other online profiles. Verify whether a business recommended to you is legitimate. Businesses that provide money transmission or investment advisory services are generally required to be registered with a Federal regulator such as the U.S. Securities Exchange Commission, and/or the Department of Financial Institutions to engage in business in Washington State.

Research and verify information a potential partner suggests or recommends to you. Watch for warning signs like the scammer seems too perfect, progresses the relationship quickly, attempts to isolate you from friends or family, promises to meet you in person but always comes up with an excuse why they cannot meet.

Help stop future scams - REPORT IT!

  • If you suspect your online relationship is a scam, call

  • 1-800-CALL-FBI (225-5324) to file a report, or visit ic3.gov to submit a tip.

  • If they convinced you to invest in something or send them cryptocurrency, call the Washington State Department of Financial Institutions at 877-RING DFI (746-4334) or file a complaint at www.dfi.wa.gov/file-complaint.

  • You can also contact the Federal Trade Commission at 1-877-FTC-HELP (382-4357) or online at www.ftc.gov

  • If the scammers already have your bank account information, social security number, or other personal information, you may be a victim of identity theft. Contact your bank and the three major credit bureaus to take appropriate precautions. Procedures for contacting the credit bureaus are available on the FTC’s website at www.ftc.gov(link is external).

  • Keep informed about scams. https://dfi.wa.gov/news/alerts Visit https://consumer.ftc.gov/ and click on “Scams” for information about recent scams. Visit https://dfi.wa.gov/news/alerts to learn more about what type of potentially fraudulent activity Washington’s financial services regulator is seeing in our state.

What To Do If You Think Your Sweetheart Is A Swindler

• Stop communicating with the scammer.

• Check your financial accounts for unauthorized charges or changes.

• Immediately contact your financial institution(s) if you discover any unauthorized charges or changes.

• Take steps to protect accounts with personal or financial information.

• Report the incident to local law enforcement.

Volcano Guest Contributor Lyn Peters is the Director of Communications, Financial Education & Outreach

with the Washington State Department of Financial Institutions.

CommunicationDir@dfi.wa.gov 360-902.8731