An intelligence and security service of the United States has issued a warning for its people to be wary of "confidence/romance scams," after the Bureau saw a 70% annual rise in fraud cases.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation found an exponential increase in the cases where dating sites are used to trick people into money scams, sometimes victims were asked to send money or buy expensive gift items for people met online.
In 2018 alone more than 18,000 complaints were registered and the total monetary loss was more than $362 million.
The warning issued by the FBI warns actors, "often use online dating sites to pose as U.S. citizens located in a foreign country, U.S. military members deployed overseas, or U.S. business owners seeking assistance with lucrative investments."
Crimes like these target people from all age group, but elderly women—especially those widowed—are especially vulnerable.
The U.S. Department of Defense also issued a warning about "online predators on dating sites claiming to be deployed, active-duty soldiers."
According to the U.S. military, there are now "hundreds of claims each month from people who said they've been scammed on legitimate dating apps and social media sites—scammers have asked for money for fake service-related needs such as transportation, communications fees, processing, and medical fees—even marriage."
