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They may also ask for help with medical expenses or other needs that play at the heartstrings. The usual reason is needing help to come meet you from a far-off city or even in a different country. When the criminals think the timing is right, they will ask you for money. Exchange of messages, voice calls, and going on ‘online dates’ are the norm. This is why romance scams have evolved in such a way that scammers devote a lot of time to ensures victims trust them and believe the relationship to be the real deal. Scammers are well aware that people are generally suspicious these days and will not fall in love easily, especially online. The relationship will be built over a period of weeks and months nurtured with large doses of love and affection. It’s also important to note that this is largely a scam of patience. The cybercriminal will wait for the target to show interest and then sow the seeds of “friendship” by proceeding to showcase how the profile’s likes, dislikes, thought process perfectly matches their own. The next step is left up to the victim.The fake profile has been planned to its smallest detail to ensure it catches the target’s attention, including the name and photo.
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They create a fake online profile that is crafted to meet all the target’s expectations (read: they make someone who is too good to be true), and establish contact.Your life is essentially an open book on social media platforms you frequent. These criminal enterprises pour through information users share – publicly – and create a comprehensive persona that weaving in users’ likes, dislikes, your emotional triggers.Cybercriminals are on the hunt for potential victims who are looking for love they follow users on dating sites and social media.It’s time for everyone to become more aware of the tricks that might be coming your way.
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These scams are earning top dollar, so they aren’t going away soon. $304 million – that’s how much was lost by individuals to romance scams in 2020. And they’re using “romantic” tricks to access user data.