Be Smart With Your Heart
You can’t put a price tag on true love, but sadly, some people will go into great debt trying to find that special someone. This Valentine’s Day don’t become a victim of a broken heart and an empty bank account.
Romance scams are occurring all over North America and are typically started by someone overseas who will develop a relationship/friendship over the internet with promises to come to Canada, but first they need some cash to help them. It’s not uncommon for this person to quickly profess his/her love and then ask for money to assist with their illness or emergency. These amounts are often small at first and then gradually increase, resulting in many victims paying $1000 to $100,000 to fraudsters because they think they’ve found the one.
These scammers often use bank accounts that are fraudulently set up and then funnel the victim’s money through various channels in order to make it difficult to track. The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre has reported that romance scams cost Canadians $22 million in 2018.
It’s common to think that victims of romance scams are only middle aged women, but statistics have shown that victim ages have ranged from 20 to 75. People that haven’t found love can become vulnerable and that’s what the fraudsters prey on.
It can be difficult not to follow your heart, especially when you actually believe the person on the other end is real.
Follow these simple tips to protect yourself:
- Don’t share financial or personal information (birthdate, address) with anyone you’ve only met online.
- Be suspicious when someone you haven’t met in person professes their love to you. Ask yourself, “Would someone I’ve never met really declare their love after only a few emails?”
- Never send intimate photos or videos of yourself. The scammer may try to use these to blackmail you into sending money.
- Be cautious when conversing with an individual that claims to live close to you but is working overseas.
- Be wary of anyone requesting money for any reason.
This Valentine’s Day make sure you use your head and not just your heart when making decisions!
Watch our video featuring Constable Jennifer Horner and Constable Bancroft Wright to learn more about romance scams and for more information on how you can protect yourself from frauds and scams visit our website.
