Homeland Security Warns New Jerseyans About New Romance Scam

We're almost halfway through February already and it felt like January took way to long to get through.

Lots of you are probably getting excited for Valentine's Day in just a couple of days or hopefully finding someone special, and scammers are just waiting to prey on New Jerseyans and scam them.

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Falling in love makes you feel so good. It makes us do silly things. Also you'll give a lot to your partner to keep that feeling going. And can you believe it, scammers are counting on that, even when it comes to love.

Let's face it, no one wants to be alone on Valentine's Day. So many of my friends are single. If you're not currently in a relationship or a special friendship, it's possible to head over to a dating app or possibly social media for a special someone.

What is the "Romance Scam" Homeland Security" is warning us about?

Homeland Security calls it the "romance scam.” What the heck is the "romance scam": "A type of confidence scheme. Scammers work to gain a victim's trust and then provide false information or misrepresentation to gain a financial benefit by relying on the compassion of the victim." -from Homeland Security.

The United States Secret Service also reminds us that scammers put a lot of time learning about their victims before reaching out or approaching them. They troll social media. Meaning, they check everything out on your Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, or other social pages to find out anything and everything about you. From your family to your work and even friendships. 

Then they create a fake profile all online. They will find a way to get close to you and you will think it's a meaningful and romantic relationship all through social media. Unfortunately, so many people have fallen for these scams and what they're trying to do is manipulate you to help them in some way. Most times they will tell you that they are in some kind of trouble and will try to get money from you.

Here are the signs you need to look out for from Homeland Security:

*Claiming to be abroad for work or if they live outside of the country

*Loving you very quickly and professing their love early in the relationship

*Limited social media presence outside of dating app you met on

*Never wanting to do video calls, so you can actually see them

*No follow throughs to meet-up

*Asks for money in the form of crypto, gift cards or wire transfer**This is a big no, no.

Please be extra careful. Finding love can be hard, everyone wants to be in love and have that amazing feeling, but it's better to be safe than sorry. Please be safe. Your time for love will come.