{"id":2435,"date":"2019-04-30T12:04:01","date_gmt":"2019-04-30T11:04:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/globalfraudforensics.com\/fraudxpose\/?p=2435"},"modified":"2019-04-30T05:14:22","modified_gmt":"2019-04-30T04:14:22","slug":"romance-fraud-is-a-top-cybercrime-the-fbi-says-by-avast-blog-on-april-29-2019","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/globalfraudforensics.com\/fraudxpose\/romance-fraud-is-a-top-cybercrime-the-fbi-says-by-avast-blog-on-april-29-2019\/","title":{"rendered":"Romance Fraud is a Top Cybercrime, the FBI Says by Avast Blog on April 29, 2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

Crying out from near the top of the FBI\u2019s cybercrime report last week was a heartbreaking statistic. The second-costliest category of crime, behind only compromised business email, was confidence and romance fraud, with a 2018 cost of $363 million.<\/span><\/p>\n

What does romance fraud look like? The FBI cases read like the ultimate cautionary tales about not falling for smooth-talkers.<\/span><\/p>\n

A Houston woman sent $2 million to \u201cCharlie,\u201d her apparent online boyfriend, whom \u00a0she came to trust over months of correspondence. An Oregon man accepted money from his supposed online girlfriend and sent it to an account at her direction, not realizing he was laundering the money from other fraud victims.<\/span><\/p>\n

In the most unromantic terms, the FBI sums up the category of cybercrime this way: \u201cA perpetrator deceives a victim\u201d online into believing they have \u201ca trust relationship, whether family, friendly, or romantic.\u201d The victim is then persuaded to send money, personal and financial information, or to launder money on behalf of the perpetrator. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

These scams happen 50 times a day<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

If this sounds rare, it isn\u2019t. The scams happened 18,493 times last year, the FBI reports \u2013\u00a0an average of more than 50 times a day. Identity theft happened 13% less often.<\/span><\/p>\n

Victims are predominantly older widowed or divorced women, the FBI says. Their supposed princes are often\u00a0criminals who are computer literate and educated. Using social media and dating site profiles for background information, the con artists get close to their marks online through discussing hobbies and pursuits they supposedly have in common.<\/span><\/p>\n

Special Agent Christine Beining (pictured) , a veteran financial fraud investigator in the FBI\u2019s Tampa, Fla., division, has seen a substantial increase in the number of romance scam cases. Most people \u201cabsolutely do not know how large this problem is,\u201d she told us. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cGone are the days where lonely people went to bars or church to meet someone. \u00a0Now, they just hop on their computers and join dating websites. Online dating websites have opened up so many possibilities for those searching for love.\u201d But with that convenience has come risk \u2013\u00a0and shame.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cRomance scams are highly underreported,\u201d Beining said. \u201cThis is largely because victims feel extremely embarrassed and ashamed for having fallen prey to this type of scam.\u201d One victim told Beining that she tried to report romance fraud, but a male law enforcement officer told her she had \u201cno business being on a dating website at your age.\u201d That kind of judgement discourages victims from reporting this hidden crime, Beining said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What to do to stop romance fraud<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Beining urges victims to contact the FBI about romance scams and to file cybercrime complaints at www.ic3.gov<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Here are common warning signs the FBI says those looking for love online should watch for:<\/span><\/p>\n