While young people are more likely to fall victim to online scams overall, older people are more susceptible to romance scams. According to the Federal Trade Commission, romance scams claimed $139 million from adults age 60 and older in 2020, this is up from $84 million the year before.

Here are red flags you might be in a Romance Scam:

• Requests that you communicate by e-mail or messaging service after initial contact on a legitimate dating site.
• Avoids communicating “face-to-face”, including video calls or chats.
• Calls you their “boyfriend” or “girlfriend”, although you have never met in person.
• Claims to be from the U.S., but is living, working, or traveling abroad.
• Claims that your relationship is “destiny” or “fate”.
• Shares a picture of themselves that could be a model from a magazine.
• Asks for gift cards, reloadable cards, a wire transfer, for any reason, before you have met in person.
• Asks for financial support to pay for a plane ticket or other travel expenses, for any type of medical expenses, to pay custom fees to retrieve something, pay off a debt, or pay for traveling documents.

While none of these red flags is a sure indicator of a romance scam, any one of them should trigger the need to be cautious and a reminder to NEVER send money in any form to someone you have not met in person.

If you think you or someone close to you may be a victim of an online romance scam, it should be reported to the FBI by calling: 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324) or online at the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center.