Scammers take advantage of people looking for romantic partners, often via dating websites, apps or social media by pretending to be prospective companions. They play on emotional triggers to get you to provide money, gifts or personal details. Dating and romance scams often take place through online dating websites, but scammers may also use social media or email to make contact.

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The Phony Profile
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A recent study indicates that 15 percent of American adults use online dating websites or mobile applications. As the number of people looking to meet new people online grows, so does the opportunity for fraud. Some scam artists use bogus profiles to con the people they meet out of hundreds or thousands of dollars. This leaves many victims not only embarrassed but also in financial distress. It is important for online users to be on the look-out for online dating and romance scams. It can happen like this:. Romance scammers often create a phony profile. The scammer may use photos from magazines and portray himself or herself as talented and successful. Fake profiles may have discrepancies or inconsistencies, like disproportionate height and weight, or be suspiciously vague. Romance scammers often claim to be a U.
Moreover, she said, romantic love can produce feelings of euphoria similar to the effects of cocaine or heroin, which explains why otherwise intelligent and accomplished people do irrational things to get a fix. Scammers typically create fake profiles on dating sites and apps like Match. This lures victims who swipe or click to begin corresponding. The perpetrators may be working out of call centers in West Africa, wooing four or five people at a time.