With the influx of New Year’s greetings in your social media and mailboxes, vigilance is crucial, especially with messages from unknown sources. These could be from romance scammers, not long-lost friends. Here’s what to look out for.

Scammers often masquerade as heroes in distant locales. They may claim to be military personnel, diplomats, or medical professionals in regions like Afghanistan, Ukraine, or South Sudan, asserting that they can’t video call or show their faces. However, these claims are false.

These scammers profess love quickly. You may never meet these distant “friends,” but they engage in daily conversations, soon confessing love or proposing marriage. They encourage sharing of secrets and finances. It’s important to recognize these as scams.

They frequently request expensive favors. This may include accepting packages supposedly containing cash or valuables and paying for non-existent shipping fees. Requests could also involve buying new phones or sending gifts and money for non-existent children. These scammers persistently ask for more.

A common tactic is asking for money. Scammers concoct stories about lost airline tickets, visa issues, medical emergencies, or blocked accounts, claiming they need money to visit you. A request for money is a definitive sign of a scam. Similarly, anyone asking for account numbers, gift cards, wire transfers, or payments via apps or cryptocurrency is likely a scammer.

If you suspect someone is a scammer, immediately cease communication. Report the issue to the online app or social media platform and the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. Stay alert and protect yourself from these deceitful practices.

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