MINNEAPOLIS — Whether it's looking for long-term companionship or a casual encounter, nearly one-third of Americans turn to the internet for love, according to a recent Pew Research report. But being on dating sites or apps sometimes comes at the risk of being catfished or scammed for money.
In fact, data from the Federal Trade Commission shows a record $547 million was lost to romance scams in 2021, up 80% from 2020.
Ahead of Valentine's Day, here are some tips, backed by state and federal officials, to avoid being defrauded.
Look for signs of a phony profile
"Mr. Handsome" may actually just be a random photo scraped from the internet by a scammer. If the dating profile only has one picture, that can be a red flag. But even if it boasts several photos, consider doing a reverse image search so you know they are who they say they are.
The California-based company Social Catfish offers a paid service vet someone's identity and photos. They shared this public database of the top 100 most-used photos by scammers. Making the cut are several photos of people in military uniforms. This brings us to our next point...
Be cautious of anyone who matched with you from another country
Experts say scammers may often claim they are U.S. citizens living or serving abroad. It may be a lie that serves two purposes -- it excuses them from meeting in person and it offers an explanation for a potential offshore bank account they may ask you to wire money to, once they gain your trust.
Professing love quickly is a red flag
According to the Minnesota Attorney General's office, "Con artists may express their "love" quickly and effusively, find similarities with the victim, and claim the online match was destiny."
One woman, who wants to remain anonymous, shared screenshots with KARE 11 from a sketchy Tinder conversation.
After matching, the person behind the profile told her "I'm in Istanbul for a peace mission. I'm in the military."
When she asked how they matched, he said he set his match settings to "global."
Without him telling her much else about him, he asked if she'd be willing to "start a beautiful relationship... I know it's going to work."
She responded, "Uhh we barely know each other and have just started talking."
He said, "be my girlfriend.. let's start something serious. It's going to work if we both open our hearts."
She reported him, which was the right move.
Don't give someone you've never met on a dating site any money or gift cards
In December, a Minnesota man was indicted with 11 counts of wire fraud and 10 counts of money laundering after conning a Colorado woman out of $1.6 million.
According to a release from the District of Colorado U.S. Attorney's Office, Adetomiwa Seun Akindele, age 37 and living in Minnesota, posed as a wealthy Italian-American businessman named "Frank Labato" on a dating site. He began emailing a Colorado woman he met on the site in February of 2018 and a month later he claimed to be experiencing a financial crisis "related to his purported work abroad for which he claimed to need money, funds, and assistance from the victim."
According to the release, the FBI investigated and found that Akindele promised the woman he would pay her back, but it never happened.
Take action
If you find yourself the victim of a similar situation, stop contact.
First, make sure you have copies of your communication, then block all phone numbers and any electronic chats with the person.
You're also encouraged to report it to local police and to the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center.
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