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Online dating has long been in the mainstream, thanks to a rise in dating websites in the ’90s followed by dating apps and now simple social media DMs. And while these sites can help expedite our love stories, they also can come with pitfalls. A romance scam, commonly known as an online dating scam, is when a cybercriminal lures open-hearted victims by entering into a fake online relationship with them to gain their trust and, in turn, their money.
There are, of course, some success stories to come out of finding love on sites like Craigslist classifieds but according to the FTC, over 25,000 consumers filed a report about romance scams in 2019, alleging that their losses amounted to about $201 million that year alone. Since cybercriminals have been playing this game for some time, cybersecurity professionals have been able to hone in on a few romance scam warning signs online daters can watch for. In time for Valentine’s Day, Norton compiled some of those tips into a guide on how to outsmart a romance scammer. They also pared those and some other alarming statistics into an infographic, which you can view here.
Infographic supplied by Norton