Yvonne Costales thought she might have met her mate online. The scammer said his name was Robert. His profile pictured rugged good looks and what seemed like a heart of gold, even posing in one photo at a charity bike ride for breast cancer. Costales says the final red flag was the day Robert explained he had been in an accident and needed the two to exchange money. That small voice in the back of her mind grew louder and made her wonder if any of this online courtship was for real.
In a new and rapidly growing twist to online fraud, scammers are investing weeks, even months or years to build trust and even what feels like love. Dubbed "Romance Scams," the Federal Trade Commission is reporting a spike, making 2021 a record year for consumer loss.In a new and rapidly growing twist to online fraud, scammers are investing weeks, even months or years to build trust and even what feels like love.
The scammer said his name was Robert. His profile pictured rugged good looks and what seemed like a heart of gold, even posing in one photo at a charity bike ride for breast cancer. David McClellan is the CEO and co-founder of socialcatfish.com, which builds tools to allow people to verify who they're talking to online. He says with no verification requirements to create online profiles scammers go unchecked every day and notes, "Especially in the last 18 months, we have seen a massive uptick in scams."
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