US Government Warns of ‘The Rise of Romance Scams’ Targeting Widowed or Divorced Elderly
Romance scams have been targeting recently widowed and divorced seniors due to their vulnerabilities, according to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
The DHS interviewed one Los Angeles woman in her late 60s who fell victim to a romance scam two years after her husband died.
She went on a seniors dating site and noticed a photo of someone who reminded her of her late husband. The fraudster depicted himself as a “Spanish lumberjack” who also lost a spouse, and over time, he convinced her to send him significant amounts of money.
In 2022, nearly 70,000 people in the US reported being victims of romance scams to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), with reported losses totaling $1.3 billion.
The DHS outlines various red flags in potential romance scammers that seniors should be aware of.
“You may be the target of a romance scammer if the person you are communicating with online shows any of these indicators:
- Claims they live, work or are traveling abroad.
- Lacks proper grammar, although they claim to speak English.
- Claims to be notably younger than you.
- Quickly professes love to you.
- Has a story that is inconsistent.
- Has a minimal online presence.
- Sends general photos (mostly fake/AI generated) of themselves traveling, shopping, or dining at luxurious locations.
- Sends or requests explicit photos or videos.
- Mentions the idea of meeting and being together soon.
- Provides periodic excuses for being unable to make a video call (e.g., FaceTime).
- If a video call happens, you’re unable to see their face clearly.
- Requests to have conversations/texts be moved to a separate app (e.g., WhatsApp, Telegram).
- Asks for money, often via non-traditional methods such as cryptocurrency or gift cards.
- Asks if you’ve ever invested in cryptocurrency and/or foreign exchange market.
- Sends a business link of a cryptocurrency and/or foreign exchange trading platform.
- Is combative with you or tries to divert your attention when you question their intentions.”
Don't Miss a Beat – Subscribe to get email alerts delivered directly to your inbox
Check Price Action
Surf The Daily Hodl Mix
Generated Image: Midjourney
Disclaimer: The content of this article solely reflects the author's opinion and does not represent the platform in any capacity. This article is not intended to serve as a reference for making investment decisions.
You may also like
2025 TGE Survival Ranking: Who Will Rise to the Top and Who Will Fall? Complete Grading of 30+ New Tokens, AVICI Dominates S+
The article analyzes the TGE performance of multiple blockchain projects, evaluating project performance using three dimensions: current price versus all-time high, time span, and liquidity-to-market cap ratio. Projects are then categorized into five grades: S, A, B, C, and D. Summary generated by Mars AI This summary was generated by the Mars AI model, and the accuracy and completeness of its content are still being iteratively updated.
Mars Finance | "Machi" increases long positions, profits exceed 10 million dollars, whale shorts 1,000 BTC
Russian households have invested 3.7 billion rubles in cryptocurrency derivatives, mainly dominated by a few large players. INTERPOL has listed cryptocurrency fraud as a global threat. Malicious Chrome extensions are stealing Solana funds. The UK has proposed new tax regulations for DeFi. Bitcoin surpasses $91,000. Summary generated by Mars AI. The accuracy and completeness of this summary are still being iteratively updated by the Mars AI model.
How much is ETH really worth? Hashed provides 10 different valuation methods in one go
After taking a weighted average, the fair price of ETH exceeds $4,700.
Dragonfly partner: Crypto has fallen into financial cynicism, and those valuing public blockchains with PE ratios have already lost
People tend to overestimate what can happen in two years, but underestimate what can happen in ten years.
Trending news
MoreCrypto prices
More
