HASTINGS, Neb. (KSNB) – It’s been exactly one month since Valentine’s Day, and for people who are still seeking love, it’s likely they’ve signed up for dating groups and sites – primarily online.
Josh Planos, the Director of Public Relations & Communications for the BBB Serving Nebraska, South Dakota, Kansas Plains & Southwest Iowa, says scams of the heart usually involve a long-term set-up.
“Unlike a lot of scams, romance scams typically take weeks if not months to be fully executed, and because of that and because of how different they are, the damage is considerably greater,” Planos said.
Fortunately, with every scam there are some tell-tale signs to look out for, and one should jump out to potential victims right away.
”Look out for those who are in a hurry to get off the site,” Planos said. “Catfishers will try to move quickly off the platform to pick it up over e-mail, or messenger or the phone. The reason being – these platforms can’t police scammers if they don’t know they’re there at all.”
Along those same lines, Planos said scammers will still be scammers. At the end of the day, they want your money, and they’d prefer to not use up a lot of their time in the process.
”Look out for those who are moving too fast,” Planos continued. “What’s unique about romance scams is that on average, they take all this time to completely be facilitated. By then, the emotional toll is super damaging, but even with that lengthy of a process, scammers…
