AARP Virginia is alerting seniors on the rise in online dating scams.
As with anything online, online dating offers those with ill intent the opportunity to create fake profiles, build relationships and then use those relationships to their advantage.
AARP offers tips for how to recognize a potential online dating scammer:
- They might propose chatting offline
- They may profess their feelings for you before getting to know you
- They may offer to visit if you can help cover travel costs using gift cards or money transfers, then cancel those plans to visit because of a phony reason, such as their “wallet was stolen”
The best advice: be careful what you share with people you don’t know.
Visit the AARP Fraud Watch Network at www.aarp.org/