The RCMP warns everyone to be aware of romance scams when searching for that special someone online.
760 people in Canada reported a total loss of 22.5 million dollars to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre last year. That's more than any other kind of fraud.
Scammers look to capitalize on the vulnerability of those looking for love or companionship. The hope is to take significant amounts of money from the victims. They usually create enticing profiles on dating websites to lure people into an online relationship. After a while of building trust, the scammer will ask for money.
The RCMP say the greater the trust gained by the fraudster, the greater the losses suffered by most victims.
The RCMP has a few tips to avoid falling for one of these scams. Be skeptical when chatting with an individual who claims to live nearby but is currently overseas for work (this can be a set-up to ask for money later), be suspicious if they refuse or continuously cancel video chats and in-person meetings, be wary when someone you've never met in person professes their love and scammers may also ask for help covering the cost of an emergency situation, such as a sick family member.
Protect yourself by never, under any circumstances, sending money for any reason. If you believe you’ve been a victim of this, contact your bank and place a stop payment on any cheque or money transfer, report it to the police, and file a report with the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre.
760 victims in Canada reported a loss of $22, 523, 278 which is about $29 635.89 per person. In Manitoba specifically, there were 31 victims that reported a total loss of $812,007.59 which is about $26, 193.79 per person.
