MIDLAND, Texas — It's the season of love. Valentine's Day is just a few days away, and a lot of people are gearing up for the big day.
However, it could cost you. Not in terms of chocolate, flowers or gifts, but in regard to romance scammers.
Romance scammers are people that go online and try to find vulnerable people looking for love. These scammers typically look for women in their 40s, who are recently divorced, widowed or have some type of disability.
However, it could happen to anyone. In fact, romance scams cost West Texans $1.4 million last year alone.
"In 2021, El Paso and West Texas areas lost $1.4 million for romance scams, and so far for the month of January, there’s been four reports," Jeanette Harper, a special agent for the FBI said. "So just keep in mind it’s been a month. There’s been four reports, and we’ve lost over $9,000, and that’s not a small amount."
There are several dating apps out there that people are using these days.
"A lot of individuals are trying to find that perfect person by going to online dating sites, online dating apps, certain chats and very popular social media websites," Harper said.
While people on dating apps or websites are looking for love, these scammers aren't. They're looking for your hard-earned money.
"Unfortunately, we’ve seen a lot of innocent victims being caught up in money laundering schemes, because now these individuals want you to push money that they have to you and then they want you to send it to other bank accounts," Harper said. "So you’re in essence a money launderer."
How can you tell if someone online is scamming you? There are some red flags, including professing their love quickly or refusing to meet in person.
"Think of a normal relationship," Harper said. "How that should progress. You should be meeting this individual in person. You should have your friends and family involved. If someone’s asking you not to get your friends and families involved, that’s a red flag."