Military Romance Scams: Are You A Target?
Online dating can be a great way to find lasting love – or even your next fling. But reports to the FTC suggest it also creates opportunities for scammers. In the past five years, people have reported losing a staggering $1.3 billion to romance scams, more than any other FTC fraud category. The numbers have skyrocketed in recent years, and 2021 was no exception – reported losses hit a record $547 million for the year. That’s more than six times the reported losses in 2017 and a nearly 80% increase compared to 2020.
Telling you they’re on a covert mission
Also, perpetrators ask for personal and sensitive photos or videos. Once they have these pictures, the victim receives public exposure threats if they do not pay the scammer. Also, don’t use a wire transfer service or send money orders for a loan.
Best Dating Sites & Apps Worth Trying In 2022
Opportunistic thieves, located oceans away, saw his service, patriotism and chiseled looks… and saw a perfect piece of man candy to dangle in front of eager female suitors. Denny suddenly saw how the deference, perks, and unadulterated praise soldiers receive in America could be exploited in terrible ways when love is on the table. Your supposedly deployed love interest will tell you that a loved one needs financial assistance for an operation or money for prescriptions. Their mother has cancer, they need money for a caregiver—both are common requests from romance scammers.
What are common examples of romance scams?
419 Nigerian scams have been around for quite a while, wherein he promises you that he has a large amount of money but can’t access them because he is currently in prison. He will ask for your financial assistance so he can bribe the prison guards and let him be free. This is also similar to other types of scams, including the Spanish Prisoner and Nigerian money offer. The money that they will be talking about is millions of dollars, diamonds, and even gold bullion. Once you send them the needed amount, they will ask for more and come up with some excuses that something came up and more money will be required.
With army relationship fraudsters you need to understand that they can extract photos from Twitter to really make it appear like they can be on implementation. They may be able generate users of fictitious commanding officers who can corroborate their own tales. Be very careful about how much personal information you share on social network sites. Scammers can use your information https://loveconnectionreviews.com/meetme-review/ and pictures to create a fake identity or to target you with a scam. At Lafayette Federal Credit Union, we know that the rise of online scams puts more and more people at risk of financial fraud every day. We care about our members’ online and financial safety, and our team members are trained to help you spot potential scams or abuse that could harm your financial wellbeing.
From 2017 to June 30, 2021, the FTC received over 800,000 consumer reports from service members, including veterans, active duty, reservists and their families. Total losses tally up to $822.1M, with 420,697 of these reports related to fraud. According to the FBI’s 2020 iC3 report, 12,827 government-specific impersonations alone were reported – an increase of nearly 40 percent since 2017. When it comes to military romance scams, in particular, a threat actor often poses as a service member in online dating forums looking to build a trusted relationship. Once a victim is hooked, soliciting money for various service-related needs begins, ranging from transportation, communication, and medical expenses to marriage processing fees.
Essential Tools For Every Scam Victim From SCARS
Nowadays, you have to be cautious of everything you do online. Scammers are always trying to get money, goods or services out of unsuspecting people — and military members are often targets. ⁴ Child members on the family plan will only have access to online account monitoring and social security number monitoring features.
Sexual extortion — known as « sextortion » — is when a service member is seduced into sexual activities online that are unknowingly recorded and used against them for money or goods. Often, if a victim caves on a demand, the scammer will just likely demand more. If you’re worried about being scammed, know what red flags to look for. If you think you’ve been a victim, contact the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center and the Federal Trade Commission.
The SCARS Slate Book should be purchased by family and friends to better understand what happened to the victim and the traumatic impact on them. But it can also be shared by the victim so that they do not have to explain to family and friends about the scam. This publication is to help others to help Scam Victims to make it through this traumatic experience and recover. A fraud might ask you to send something via someone or request you to receive a package from someone, stop right there. Do not send money or ship anything to a third party company. Often the company might exist in reality but is not a part of the scam and has no idea about its name being used for such a dishonest practice.
First, beware of online interactions that seem “too perfect” or promise far-fetched rewards for little effort. Look out for inconsistencies in the information provided by the person you are talking to online. If their story changes from one conversation to another, it may be a sign that they are not being truthful. Noting the excuses above will help you identify a scammer.
A worthwhile military dating platform will have at least 100,000 members. As you probably know, Match.com is not a military dating website, but rather a general, matchmaking platform. Since this is such a reputable and established website, it is a top option for anyone who is looking for love, military or not. U.S. Military Singles is a website for any serviceman or woman looking for friendship, dates, serious relationships, and marriage.
