Don’t be scammed by ‘love’ this Valentine’s Day

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — For Valentine’s Day, don’t let someone take advantage of your love.

The Tennessee Attorney General’s Office says new data from the FTC shows what the top lies are told by scammers.

They say the most common is that a relative or friend is sick or in need of help. After that is investment advice.

However, according those between 18 and 29 are six times more likely to fall victim to a sextortion romance scame.to the news release,

Through this romance scam, the FTC says that a scammer tries to get the victim to share explicit photos, and then threatens to share the photos with others.

The best thing to prevent being a victim on Valentine’s Day, and on any other day of the year, is to never send money or gifts to a sweetheart you haven’t met in person, the release says.

The release says that if you think you have fallen into a romance scam, you should:

• Stop communications with the scammer.
• Talk with someone you trust. Do your friends or family say they’re concerned about your
  new love interest?
• Search online for the type of job the person has plus the word “scammer.” Have other
  people posted similar stories? For example, search for “oil rig scammer” or “US Army
  scammer.”
• Do a reverse image search of the person’s profile picture. Is it associated with another
  name or with details that don’t match up? Those are signs of a scam.

Here is how to report a scam:

• If you paid a romance scammer with a gift card, wire transfer, credit or debit card, or
  cryptocurrency, contact the company or your bank right away. Tell them you paid a
  scammer and ask them to refund your money.
• If you think it’s a scam, report it to the FTC. Notify the social networking site or app
  where you met the scammer, too.

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