(File Photo of a Scam Alert Logo)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County radio News

(Harrisburg, PA) As Valentine’s Day approaches on Saturday, Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday is reminding Pennsylvanians to protect both their hearts and their wallets from scammers who try to seek companionship through online romance scams. Scammers look through social media which leads to interests and trust between them and the victims even though the scammers drain items like the bank accounts of the victims. Scammers also ask for payments through cryptocurrency transactions, wire transfers, and gift cards while insisting that the relationship be kept a secret. Those who feel they may have been victimized by this or any other scam may call 1-800-441-2555, may submit a complaint to the Office of Attorney General’s Bureau of Consumer Protection by visiting the website by clicking here, or by emailing scams@attorneygeneral.gov. According to a release in Harrisburg today from Sunday’s office, Pennsylvanians are encouraged to keep the following tips in mind before pursuing relationships online and common scammer behavior includes:

• Wanting to leave the dating site immediately in favor of emailing, texting or more direct messaging.
• Making excuses to not video chat or meet in person. When plans are made, they will cancel at the last minute.
• Contacting you from inconsistent phone numbers, email addresses or multiple online profiles.
• Attempting to isolate you from your family and friends. This can include the scammer telling you not to tell others about the situation and asking you to lie about an aspect of your interaction with them.
• Seeking personal or financial information or asking for compromising photos early in the conversation.

Other red flags to watch out for:

• Scammers often create fake profiles on dating apps.
• Scammers sometimes send engaging messages to potential victims, such as “hey we haven’t talked in a while, hope you’re ok,” which implies you have an existing relationship.
• Scammers may use Facebook to send a friend request. The request may appear to be from someone you may know or someone new to you.

Victims may also report scammers to the online dating website where you met them, the Federal Trade Commission website by clicking here, or on the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center website be clicking here.