Looking for a Valentine? It pays to beware of sweetheart scams

Valentine’s Day is two days away. If you’re looking for a sweetheart for the holiday, be sure you don’t get scammed. BBB Scam Tracker received 276 reports in 2021 on romance scams and that number more than doubled in 2022.

The internet and social media have made it easier to look for love. Sites like Tinder, eHarmony, OkCupid, etc., are among the most popular platforms. However, not everyone you meet on the internet is real. To make sure you’re not being catfished for your money and/or personal information, Better Business Bureau offers the following tips:

■ Research dating websites. Make sure everything checks out and look at the reviews from past users. Ask family and friends for recommendations about what dating app they’ve used.

■ Know how the website works. It’s not uncommon to pay a fee for individual connections to dating services, but if the payment system isn’t well documented, choose another dating service instead.

■ Understand that if you haven’t even completed your personal profile and people are lining up to meet you, it’s probably a scam. The same goes for individuals who make unrealistic claims about their love and devotion for you.

■ Always pay with a credit card for services so you can dispute charges if there’s an issue.

■ Never give money or personal information to a stranger. If someone you’ve never met starts asking for information like credit card, bank or government ID numbers, cut off contact immediately.

■ Consider it a red flag if the person appears to be in a hurry to start chatting in an unsecure app rather than the dating app you’re on. Also, beware if the person doesn’t want to talk over the phone, face-to-face or a video a call.

■ Ask questions and compare the answers to the individual’s profile. A scammer may stumble over remembering details or making a story fit.

■ Keep in mind many scammers steal photos from the web to use in profiles. Conduct a reverse image lookup using a website like tineye. com or images.google.com to see if the photo’s on a profile are stolen.

■ Beware if the communication has poor spelling or grammar, uses overly flowery language or uses phrases that don’t make sense.

■ Don’t fall for hard luck stories, like financial troubles or illness.