PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Online catfish have stolen more than $1 billion from Americans in romance scams over the last few years.
New Jersey is among the states with the most victims.
“Beware if the individual seems too perfect,” says FBI Assistant Special Agent In Charge Michael Messenger.
A friend request online from a very attractive person out of the blue, or a dating match that’s too good to be true, is often the start of the scam.
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Once the catfish hooks the victim and gets them thinking they’re involved in a romantic relationship, that’s when the complaints about financial hardships begin and they start asking for or even demanding money.
“Also beware if the individual promises to meet in person,” Messenger said, “but they always come up with an excuse why he or she can’t.”
Don’t ignore the red flags. He says smart people fall for it because they’re desperate for love.
The FBI has arrested eight scammers from South Africa from an organized crime group known as Black Axe. But they are just a few snowflakes on a ski slope with many others out there. Anyone who feels they are being duped should contact police.
Temple University Professor and IT expert Jason Thatcher said if you’re suspicious of someone, do some investigating, starting with that too-good-to-be-true profile picture.
“You can use reverse image search on Google and upload the picture,” Thatcher said.
Google will let you know if that same image or a similar one has been used online before.
You should also search for their username and click around to see what pops up.
Thatcher said the longer someone speaks to one of these scammers, and the more emotionally invested they become, the harder is it for them to see the light.
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He urges anyone who knows a friend or family member experiencing something like this to ask some questions, and say it will make you feel better to know what’s going on.
The key is how you phrase it.
“‘I’m not questioning you. I’m asking you this so I feel okay,'" Thatcher suggested as a sentence to share.
"And if they care about you, that’s often a good tactic.”