One individual has lost $210,000 (€290,000) to scammers

Oct 24, 2013 18:06 GMT  ·  By

Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine has issued an alert regarding so-called “sweetheart scams,” schemes in which fraudsters develop a relationship with their victims and, after they earn their trust, they trick them into sending them money.

According to the attorney general, 70 complaints regarding such scams have been received since October 2011 by the Consumer Protection Section. On average, victims have lost $14,000 (€10,000), but one individual has lost $210,000 (€290,000).

“This scam can be very costly both emotionally and financially,” Attorney General DeWine noted.

“Con artists can spend months developing relationships with their victims, but eventually they’ll make up some excuse why they need money. In these situations, if someone you’ve never met in person asks you to send money, it’s probably a scam.”

Scammers usually contact their victims through dating or social networking websites. Once contact is established, they start communicating via phone, email or instant messaging.

Once they earn their victim’s trust, the con artists come up with a story about needing money to cover various costs, such as medical expenses.

In a recent incident, a man from Canada lost C$500,000 (€359,000) to such scammers.

Experts from AVG provide some advice on how to protect yourself against such scams. First of all, only use dating sites that are reputable, or ones that require a paid subscription.

Secondly, don’t overshare. The more information you make publicly available, the better the crooks will know how to approach you.

Many dating websites offer their own communication system. Don’t rush to hand over your phone number, email address or instant messaging ID.

Always be on the lookout for shady emails. It’s possible that the scammers will try to trick you into handing over personal information or installing malware on your computer with the aid of bogus password reset or profile update emails.