Have the urge to try online dating? The FBI on Thursday issued a warning asking the public to beware of online dating scams.
These criminals—who also troll social media sites and chat rooms in search of romantic victims—usually claim to be Americans traveling or working abroad, officials said in a press release. While their most common targets are women over 40 who are divorced, widowed, and/or disabled, but every age group and demographic is at risk.
Officials said scams include people asking for money or posting intimate photos of the victim online.
If you think you’ve already been victimized, officials encourage you to file a complaint with our Internet Crime Complaint Center at www.ic3.gov.
Here are some warning signs that your online “date” may only be interested in money. He or she:
- Presses you to leave the dating website you met through and to communicate using personal e-mail or instant messaging
- Professes instant feelings of love
- Sends you a photograph of himself or herself that looks like something from a glamour magazine
- Claims to be from the U.S. and is traveling or working overseas
- Makes plans to visit you but is then unable to do so because of a tragic event
- Asks for money for a variety of reasons (travel, medical emergencies, hotel bills, hospitals bills for child or other relative, visas or other official documents, losses from a financial setback or crime victimization)
