HARRISBURG — As Valentine’s Day approaches, Attorney General Dave Sunday is reminding Pennsylvanians to protect their hearts – and their wallets – from scammers who prey on those seeking companionship.
“Every year, we see hardworking individuals lose their life savings to scammers,” Attorney General Sunday said. “Scammers exploit people seeking connection, harming their targets emotionally, and in many cases, financially. If you are concerned a loved one may be communicating with a suspicious individual, please check in with them. Ask the difficult questions.”
Online romance scams remain a persistent problem in Pennsylvania. The Office of Attorney General’s Bureau of Consumer Protection constantly reviews these types of incidents and works on the victims’ behalf.
Although seniors were previously the primary targets, non-seniors are now being targeted at nearly the same rate. Scammers do their homework, researching a target’s social media to gather personal details, allowing them to mirror interests and build trust.
Once a connection is established, scammers insist their targets keep the relationship secret, all the while draining the victim’s bank account or retirement funds. Scammers also ask for payments via cryptocurrency transactions, wire transfers, and gift cards.
The Office of Attorney General’s Bureau of Consumer Protection works to intervene and stop the movement of money, but recovery options can be limited depending on when complaints are received.
Consumers who feel they may have been victimized by this or any other scam may submit a complaint to the Office of Attorney General’s Bureau of Consumer Protection by visiting the website, emailing sc***@*************al.gov or by calling 1-800-441-2555.
Before pursuing relationships online, Pennsylvanians are encouraged to keep the following tips in mind. Common scammer behavior includes:
- Wanting to leave the dating site immediately in favor of emailing, texting or more direct messaging.
- Making excuses to not video chat or meet in person. When plans are made, they will cancel at the last minute.
- Contacting you from inconsistent phone numbers, email addresses or multiple online profiles.
- Attempting to isolate you from your family and friends. This can include the scammer telling you not to tell others about the situation and asking you to lie about an aspect of your interaction with them.
- Seeking personal or financial information or asking for compromising photos early in the conversation.
Other red flags to watch out for:
- Scammers often create fake profiles on dating apps.
- Scammers sometimes send engaging messages to potential victims, such as “hey we haven’t talked in a while, hope you’re ok,” which implies you have an existing relationship.
- Scammers may use Facebook to send a friend request. The request may appear to be from someone you may know or someone new to you.
Victims may also report scammers to the online dating website where you met, the Federal Trade Commission, or the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center.
