Valentine’s Days is right around the corner… and the Better Business Bureau Serving Western Michigan has a warning about “romance scams”.
The Better Business Bureau Serving Western Michigan says knowing the signs of a romance scam can save you from a broken heart and from losing thousands of dollars. Romance scams can occur on dating sites or apps, and are among the costliest scams reported to the BBB- but are rarely reported.
“Romance scams are actually a lot more common, even in Michigan than people realize and the reason is a lot of those victims are really embarrassed and those people don’t want to share their stories.”
That’s Katie Grevious with the BBB. She says the emotional impact can be heavy and costly. Such was the case for a West Michigan woman who lost more than 100-thousand dollars to a scammer. Grevious says some red flags to watch our for include, when a conversation on an app or site is rushed to go to email or text… this move avoids the monitoring done by dating sites. Accelerating the relationship quickly and not wanting to meeting in person.
So, Grevious says to avoid possible romance scams, do your research. Check the photos carefully, ask specific questions about their profile and…
“No matter how far along the relationship is, if they start asking for money and you’ve never met in person, do not give them money. That is a sure sign that it is a scam.”
The BBB says it helps when people share their stories so others can avoid the same pitfalls. Scams can be reported at BBB.org/scamtracker.
