Roses are Red, Violets are Blue–Romance Scams Happen, but the BBB Can Help You

ZANESVILLE, OH –Many people are aware of the hit MTV series Catfish, and while it may seem like it would never happen to you, romance scams are more common than you would think.

This Valentine’s Day, it’s important to know how to recognize a potential scammer because they often take advantage of the season of romance.

“They typically are looking for victims that may have had a breakup or the elderly, someone that may be extra sensitive to the timing of Valentine’s Day. They pose as someone else,” BBB of Central Ohio President Judy Dollison said. “They don’t give their real name or their real information. A lot of times, they steal photos from real social media accounts, and they start a relationship with you through social media.”

Many of these romance scammers, better known as catfishers, will make many excuses as to why they can’t meet or why they need the money.

To protect yourself this season of love be sure to do your research. Do a reverse image search to see if photos have been stolen from somewhere else, search online to see if everything that they’ve mentioned matches up or ask specific questions to see if they can remember all the details.

“Sometimes they’ll make up multiple stories when they’re talking to multiple people online trying to get money from various sources, and they won’t remember all the details. So, if it doesn’t match up what they’re telling you versus what they have on their profile, that’s obviously a big red flag,” Dollison said.

It’s important do your research and remember, never send money to someone you’ve never met because in the golden age of social media, you never know who’s on the other side of the screen.