The FTC reports $143 million lost every year to
romance scams. Fraudsters
set up fake accounts and woo you, moving quickly to gain your trust and
then suddenly experience a financial setback and need your help. These
scammers profess strong feelings rapidly, they often want to move the
conversation “off-platform,” so they don’t get shut down or caught. They
also use an unlimited number of excuses for never meeting in person.
Often these scammers will pretend to be in the military to explain
absences and an emergency that requires quick cash.