Romance scams are gaining ground beyond dating apps and now involve even cryptocurrencies and victims turned into money “mules”, according to the FBI, which warns that on Valentine’s Day 2021 at least 24,000 lovers fell for one of them. these modalities in the United States.
“Anyone, anywhere can become a victim of a romance scam. Even people who do not speak English well, such as immigrants, can fall into this trap that has increased in the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Christina Garza, spokeswoman for the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in Houston, Texas.
According to the FBI, 2021 was one of the most lucrative years, with more than $1 billion stolen from some 24,000 Americans’ savings.
However, “it is likely that many of the losses have not been reported” by the victims, highlights the federal agency.
These scammers, present on most dating sites and social networks, “are experts at what they do and will come across as genuine, caring and believable,” he says.
According to the profile created by the FBI, these criminals say they are involved in work or investment projects out of the state or country to avoid in-person contact with their victims and often ask for money for a medical emergency, unexpected legal fees, or an investment that will produce huge profits.
The FBI is using the testimonies of scammed lovers who have lost large sums of money to alert the public, such as that of a Houstonian who lost $2 million to an alleged boyfriend who was allegedly trying to finish a job in California and needed money to do it.
“Two and a half years have passed and I still haven’t seen his face,” the woman said in audio shared by the FBI.
The money mules
A situation of greater risk faced Glenda, 81, who allowed herself to be taken to jail by the love of her life, an alleged US citizen who was in Nigeria.
Through a dating application, the woman was used as a “money mule, a new form of fraud in which the victim is asked to open bank accounts in her name to deposit illicit money and carry out transactions.
Glenda was even warned by the bank and the federal authorities that this was a scammer and that she was committing a crime, but she didn’t want to listen.
In November 2021, the octogenarian pleaded guilty to two federal charges. “They turn the victim into an accomplice,” Garza explained.
Researchers have also seen a growing trend in cryptocurrency trading or investing.
After gaining the victim’s trust, the scammer convinces them to invest in a fraudulent website or app.
Initially, the victim obtains a small profit that he is allowed to withdraw to excite him and make him invest a larger amount that he will ultimately lose, the FBI details.
These frauds have even reached the Federal Trade Commission of the United States (FTC, in English), which warned that “more consumers than ever report being victims of romance scammers.”
80% increase in fraud
Consumers reported $547 million in losses in 2021 alone, according to cases reported to the Consumer Sentinel Network, a database of scams and crimes like identity theft.
The figure represented an increase of almost 80% compared to the US$307 million reported by consumers in 2020.
Consumers most often reported sending money to scammers using gift cards.
The total loss reported by consumers, who do not necessarily report it to the authorities, added up to US$1.3 billion in the last five years in the United States, according to the FTC.
Source: Gestion
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