While there’s lots of love in the air around Valentine’s Day, romance scammers are rearing their ugly heads, too.
To avoid tarnishing your holiday and having you throw in the towel on love for good, make sure you know the signs of romance scammers and how to avoid them.
Romance scam victims in Delaware lose millions
Whether you meet on a dating platform or fell in virtual love over social media, the internet is filled with scammers preying on hopeless romantics to make a quick buck. From deepfakes to artificial intelligence to hacking, there are plenty of ways you can be duped by online love interests.
In 2022, the most recent data available, $1.3 billion was lost to romance scams in 2022, up from $547 million in 2021, according to Social Catfish, a verification site for online profiles.
Delaware recorded the fifth-highest average loss per victim in 2022 when it comes to romance scams, with each victim losing $46,065 on average. For total money lost, Delaware ranks No. 40 with 45 victims losing $2.07 million in 2022.