| How old am I: | I'm 48 years old | |
| Ethnicity: | I'm latvian | |
| Sexual identity: | I like guy | |
| Eyes colour: | I’ve got lively gray-blue eyes | |
| What I prefer to listen: | Country |
The Federal Trade Commission told lawmakers on Capitol Hill that it has received complaints about phone and online scams. For people forced to stay home during the pandemic, an online connection can offer solace and love.
But federal officials warn of a more sinister presence lurking on social media: con artists seeking to defraud vulnerable victims by posing as romantic suitors. Nearly 11, people in the U. Data from the Federal Trade Commission also shows an increase in reported romance scams in the first half of this year. Agents with the FBI Houston branch hosted a Tuesday afternoon Twitter forum to educate and encourage people to recognize and report romance scams.
Questions from more than a dozen people suspicious about their own online encounters or curious about romance scams flowed in during the two-hour session. Houston is a hot spot for such crimes, said Keith Houston, Harris County assistant district attorney.
Roughly half of the financial cyber crimes he investigates are romance scams, the majority of which involve victims older than 50, he said. The ploys typically involve a network of well-organized criminals, Brunstetter said.
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Often, the scam begins like a regular relationship with a message via social media that le to continued conversations via text or. The scammers pose as a romantic partner, sometimes for six months to a year, before asking for money that is supposedly for a sick child, an investment or a business venture.
He claimed to be working in construction, and she wired him money for a project at his request. Most of the fraudsters are foreign, Houston said, so the crimes fall outside the jurisdiction of the FBI or Harris County.
Breadcrumb
People targeted as victims, too, can become involved in criminal activity both with and without their knowledge when they start receiving benefits. Harris County prosecutors are drafting arrest warrants for a man who was warned by bank security officials that he was the victim of a romance scam, Houston said.
Many of the scams go unreported due to the stigma or shame of falling victim to an emotionally and financially devastating scam, said Christina Garza, spokeswoman for the FBI Houston branch. One woman was only convinced that she was being scammed when Houston showed her the website from which her apparent suitor had copy-and-pasted poems, he said.
Don’t become a victim
People should use common sense, be vigilant and look for red flags such as a person claiming to be overseas, making excuses to avoid meeting in person or acting too good to be true. Online daters should stay on the platform for at least a month before moving conversations to private channels like WhatsApp, Houston recommended. Many dating and social media sites are able to detect scammers.
The FBI encouraged people to report romance scams online. But what about the unvaccinated people he may have exposed? By The Editorial Board.
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