A sort of deception, romance scams are amongst the most popular forms of assurance frauds. Interventions are generally carried out through the Web by others with whom the target has built an email communication. Romance frauds are a type of deception hoax wherein the victims are duped into handing away their wages or personal possessions. Generally, the fraudster would build a phony Facebook account and utilize it to approach people searching for love. Hackers would then cultivate a friendship with the target over weeks or months before approaching them for payment. The fraudster will next demand credit card or bank details, stating that they are in a terrible circumstance and do need assistance.
According to the Bureau, romantic frauds cost the United States roughly $24 billion annually. As more and more individuals resort to online dating apps and services, this figure is really only likely to rise. According to internet dating figures, the proportion of people utilizing online dating apps has increased. According to Chargebacking, several sites had over a billion monthly active users in 2019. Romance scams will become more common in 2023 than they’ve ever been. Because the individuals using apps like tinder are growing at an increasing rate, fraudsters will have a better chance of finding their targets.
Current Working of Romance Scams
Romance scams are indeed a form of deception or dating site fraud whereby someone claims to be engaged with a potential husband, usually somebody they haven’t ever met face to face, in return for money or even other valuables. The scammer may obtain private information from the user via media platforms, email, text messaging, or chat applications and then use that knowledge to extract more cash from individuals. According to Chargebacking, fraudsters would generally seem to understand the perpetrator’s hobbies before progressively requesting cash. The con artist may also pretend that they require assistance in moving funds from their nation to the alleged victim.
Romance scams are increasing in current years because of the rise in social media. People are more likely to be scammed when they have a lot of information about the person they are talking to. The rise in social media has made it easier for scammers to find their victims. They can use social media sites like Facebook and Twitter to find people who are looking for love and then use those sites’ messaging features to start conversations with them. The scammers usually target people who are lonely or have low self-esteem. They will start by sending messages that seem caring and romantic, but they will eventually ask for money in return for their love.
Ways to Avoid Romance Scammers in 2022?
In 2022, there will be many ways to avoid romance scammers. One way is to use a dating app that has a built-in scammer detector. Another way is to use an app that can detect if the person you are talking to is using a fake profile picture. Moreover, there are many ways to avoid romance scammers in 2022. One of the best ways is to not send any money or personal information to someone you don’t know. Some other ways include:
- Meeting in person
- Talking on the phone
- Using a dating app with a chat feature
- Talking on Skype
Romance Scams Statistics in 2022
Many of the most popular kinds of cybercrime are romance frauds. Annually, the Bureau believes that all 1 million men are victims of romantic scams. The casualty figures are predicted to exceed 6 million by 2022. Romance frauds are predicted to expense $billions of dollars worldwide by 2022. The frequency of romantic frauds has surged by far more than 550 percent in the previous four years, according to data. It is anticipated that by 2022, these frauds will have cost over $100 million. According to the Government, romance fraudsters took $24 billion in 2017-18 from victims, up above $1.2 billion in 2019. By 2022, the percentage of romance fraud perpetrators is predicted to rise. These frauds, according to Chargebacking, seem to be on the rise.
Famous Romance Scammers of History?
The first recorded romance scam is from the year 1894. A woman named Anna Marie Hahn pretended to be a German princess who was looking for love. She had a lot of suitors, but she only accepted one who was willing to pay her dowry. In the 1920s, a woman named Lillian Foster created an elaborate story about her life and how she lost her money in order to scam people out of money. She would go on to marry three times and have two children before being caught by the police in 1932. In the 1940s, a woman named Helen Dutcher pretended to be an American soldier stationed overseas during World War II in order to get money from lonely soldiers. She would go on to marry five times before being caught by the police in 1948.