Arizona AG says to be wary of romance scams this Valentine’s Day

PHOENIX — Love is in the air, but so is the potential for scams.

“We know that according to stats and figures here in Arizona, and also nationally, that romance scams are really reporting increase in losses over the last year,” Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich told KTAR News 92.3 FM on Wednesday.

He said the Federal Trade Commission received 21,000 reports of romance scams last year, totaling $143 million in losses.

“Whats’s happening is sometimes people will create false profiles online and say maybe they want to come visit the person, and then they’re lost and stuck and need them to wire money,” Brnovich said.

“We’ve also seen instances where people create false profiles and then they lure the victim to give them money for investment purposes, or for some other reason, and they end up taking the money and run.”

Adults of all ages are looking for love online but older daters are more vulnerable to frauds and scams.
Avoid scammers by noticing these red flags while you're looking for love. 🚩
1. Bad Grammar and spelling
2. Never able to meet
3. Professes love quickly#SwipeSafe pic.twitter.com/1ZACvdeXHP

— MaricopaCounty Atty. (@marcoattorney) February 5, 2019

He said scammers often take advantage of Valentine’s Day and tie their schemes into love and romance.

“It’s always important to get a second opinion … and if someone out there is trying to isolate you or tell you not to talk to your friends and family, that’s a huge red flag,” Brnovich said.

He said to be wary of people online whose messages contain bad grammar and spelling, and he recommended reverse image searching any profile photos to see if they are being used elsewhere.

“Make sure you’re losing your heart and not losing your wallet,” he said.

KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Ashley Flood contributed to this report.