ROMANCE SCAMS SKYROCKET

According to the Federal Trade Commission, there has been an 80% increase in 'Romance Scams' in the last year. In one common scenario, scammers target lonely widows. (This typically takes place on social media sites such as Facebook or Instagram.) Often, the scammers say they have also been heartbroken by the loss of a spouse and send a warm and empathetic message. Gradually, the scammer wins the trust of their victim--and they chat frequently. Eventually the scammer asks for money. Rather than asking for money for themselves, they may pretend to be giving their victim information on an investment opportunity, which often involves cryptocurrency. This is a particularly cruel scam because in addition to losing money, the victim is heartbroken and humiliated to have fallen for the scammer's lies. The victim may unknowingly break the law by becoming a 'money mule', following the scammers instructions to transfer money into other accounts--inadvertantly helping the scammer to 'launder' money. To avoid falling for this cruel scam, the FTC shares the following tips: - Don't send money to someone you haven't met in person. - Don't buy gift cards or wire money to someone you haven't met in person. - Don't follow the financial advice of someone you haven't met in person and be especially wary of requests to purchase cryptocurrency or to wire money. - Talk to friends and family about the online relationship. - If your new friend has sent you a photograph, do a reverse image search. - Google their name. - Report suspicious profiles or messages to dating apps and social media platforms. - Report the scam to the FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov - If you live in the Santa Barbara area, call Deputy District Attorney Vicki Johnson on the Santa Barbara County Fraud Hotline at 805-563-2442