10. Dating and romance scams
According to the Internet Crimes Complaint Center, dating scams cost Americans over $50 million each year, with the average hit being almost $9,000 per victim.
You meet somebody on an online dating site, or maybe through a chat room or other social media site. You chat more and get to know each other (or so you think), and the relationship starts feeling serious.
One of the things that makes these crooks so effective is their patience.
They’re willing to invest time in building a relationship with you. Once they’ve earned your trust, they spring the trap. They were involved in an accident and need money right away because they can’t work and have high medical bills. Or maybe it’s a family member who needs help.
Maybe they need you to deposit a check for them because they’re out of the country. Or maybe they need money to buy plane tickets so they can visit you. No matter what reason they give you, the real reason is that they want your money. There was no accident, and there is no needy family member. No plane tickets are ever bought. And that check they want you to deposit is bogus.
Be wary of any online relationship that quickly gets serious. Other red flags include asking you to take the relationship to another site, claiming to be temporarily working out of the country, and, of course, asking you for money.
There are plenty of great relationships that started online, but check the person out first. Take a look at all of their social profiles and make sure things match up. If everything looks good, just use your head and proceed with caution.