Apparently the struggle is real when it comes to romance. According to SocialCatfish.com Americans lost 304 million in 2020 looking for love. The Catfish game is real and apparently really profitable. I was under the impression that the TV shows about Catfishing would alert people to such scams but the increased use of dating apps seems to be fueling the fire. Social Catfish just released the Most Catfished States in 2020 and Idaho came in as the number 15 least catfished state in 2020 with only 130 victims. The shocker is not the number of Idahoans that got scammed but the amount of money they gave up. In my opinion one million dollars is an insane amount but Idaho residents actually gave up more than 2 million. According to data from FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center and the FTC the exact figure for 2020 is $2,126,196. I know we all think that we will be the last person to get Catfished however these tips compliments of socialcatfish may come in handy.

5 Tips to Avoid Being Catfished:  

  1. Never Give Money or Personal Information: Do not give anyone you meet online money, no matter the reason. Do not even give basic information which scammers use to identity fraud, get access to your banks and steal your money.
  2. Take Things Slow: If you like someone online, do not let them rush you. Nigerian romance scammers will be pushy about falling in love right away. If that is the case, know something is not right.
  3. Meet or Video Chat: Do not form a relationship with someone who will not video chat with you or meet you in person. A common scam is to say they cannot meet because they work overseas or are in the military stationed elsewhere, these are big red flags.
  4. Reverse Search: Scammers steal photos from good looking people on social media and pretend to be them. Use reverse search platforms like SocialCatfish.com to confirm the identity of someone using a photo, email or phone number.
  5. Be Aware on All Platforms: Scammers are not just on dating apps, they are contacting people in 2021 on Twitter, Facebook and even LinkedIn.  Be careful on all platforms.

If you believe you have been contacted by a romance scammer report it to the FTC.

 

 

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