Shift Happens: Technological innovations have shaped the ways we connect. Beware of dating scams.

It’s a “tale as old as time.” But unlike Beauty and the Beast, in the online version, the transformation often goes in the opposite direction, with the entrancing lover ultimately revealed to be a monster. Of course, everyone knows at least one Romance of the Century that began online. However, people may be reticent to reveal the episodes that led to heartbreak & identity fake.

A romance scam, also known as an online?dating scam, is when a person gets tricked into believing they’re in a?romantic relationship with someone they met online. Their other half?is a cybercriminal using a fake identity to gain enough of their victim’s trust?to ask — or blackmail — them for money.

Romance scammers weave all sorts of believable stories to con people, but their old standby involves pleas for help while claiming one financial or health crisis after another. The scammers’ stories might involve a sick child or a temporary inability to get to their money for various reasons. People who lost money to a romance scammer often report sending money repeatedly: they believe they’re helping someone they care about. But it’s all a lie.

THE FTC reported that romance scams increased for every age group in 2021. The increase was most striking for people ages 18 to 29. For this age group, the number of reports increased more than tenfold from 2017 to 2021. But the reported median loss increased with age: people 70 and older reported the highest individual median losses at $9,000, compared to $750 for the 18 to 29 age group.

Total reported losses to the FTC om 2022 were $5.2 Billion. You read that correctly. $5.8Billion. And 1 out of 5 tweens knows someone who was a dating violence victim. With over 1,500 dating apps used by individuals from 12-85 years old scams have reached epidemic levels.

"As of July 2022, users 13 to 17 represented 4.4 percent?of Facebook’s total U.S. audience with more than a third age 45 or older, according to Warsaw-based NapoleonCat, a social media marketing tool. Earlier this year, more than two-thirds of 13- to 17-year-olds told Washington-based Pew Research Center pollsters that they never?use Facebook." (AARP 9/22)

Perhaps you are a parent? A grandparent? A single person looking for a romantic connection? Know a friend or tween on dating apps? Please inform them to be aware that love is in the air and romance scams are everywhere.

Here are some resources. Do you know of an organization that could benefit from a keynote, workshop, breakout, or blog on romance dating scams? [email protected]

https://jfa.tips/RomanceScamVideo

https://jfa.tips/OnLineDatingTopic

https://jfa.tips/RomanceScamWorkshop

https://jfa.tips/TweenRomanceWarnings