Beware the ‘romance scam,’ RCMP warns

On Valentine’s Day, the RCMP reminded those seeking relationships to be mindful of the “romance scam.”

The con involves an individual professing false romantic intentions toward a victim in order to gain their trust and affection for the purpose of obtaining the victim’s money, or access to their bank accounts or credit cards.

An Rcmp-issued bulletin stated that in some cases the suspect will even attempt to get the victim to commit fraud on their behalf — as a money mule (accepting, then transferring, money or goods), often unknowingly.

Most romance scams begin via social media sites or online dating sites.

In 2017, 1,066 complaints were filed across Canada.

Seventy per cent of the complaints filed were from people ranging from age 40 to 70. In 2017, 710 Canadian victims lost more than $17 million to scammers pretending to be in love.

RCMP tips

How to protect yourself or loved ones:

- Be suspicious when someone you haven’t met in person professes their love to you. Ask yourself, would someone I’ve never met really declare their love after only a few emails?

- Be wary when someone you meet on social media wants to quickly move to a private mode of communication (email, text).

- If trying to set up an in-person meeting, be suspicious if they always have an excuse to not meet.

- If you do actually set up a meeting, tell family and friends when and where you’re going and meet in a local, public place.

- Do not share personal (birthdate, address) or financial information with anyone you’ve only just met online or in person.

- Never send intimate photos or video of yourself. The scammer may try to use these to blackmail you into sending money.

- Be cautious when conversing with an individual who claims to live close to you, but is working overseas.

- Never, under any circumstance, send money for any reason. The scammer will make it seem like an emergency, they may even express distress or anger to make you feel guilty. Do not send money.