Edmonton police say romance scams growing in lonely new coronavirus reality

Since the large adoption of the internet, the online dating industry moved to set a new standard in the way we find our soulmates. And it worked. According to a study from the University of Chicago, compared to marriages between couples who meet in real life, marriages between couples whose relationships are formed through an online dating site are more likely to last.

Unfortunately, with the rise of online dating services came the birth of romance scams. Romance scams target wealthy women, sometimes widows, who are looking for a new relationship and men who are looking for extra-marital relationships.

Romance-related scams are now the most costly form of online fraud, the Federal Trade Commission warned earlier this year. Losses from dating .

Sure, you can find love online. You could also find yourself falling for a clever con artist who will gain your trust and rob you blind. It happens all too often. For the past two years, more money has been lost to romance scams than any other type of scam reported to the FTC. Romance scammers post their fake profiles on popular dating websites and apps. They also target people through direct messaging on social media sites. Their goal is to steal your heart and then steal your money.

Victims can lose hundreds of thousands of dollars. In some cases, their life savings. He tricked her into sending him all her savings and half of her retirement money , plus the proceeds from two loans she took out for him. And now I have to find a second job to pay off those loans. As is typical with these scams, this online romance was all via text or email. And yet, the relationship felt real to Joyce.