By Sandeep Kasalkar
Warning Signs
In addition to exercising extreme caution when using an online dating site, the following romance scam red flags should be avoided:
- The victim and the scammer never meet in person. A scammer may make excuses for why a face-to-face meeting cannot take place.
- A romance scammer is unlikely to agree to a video call, but if they do, they may make the image fuzzy, dark, or otherwise difficult to see; they may also adjust the audio to be difficult to hear or disrupt in some other way, complaining about poor technology.
If you notice any of these or other potential signs of a romance scammer, you should consider distancing yourself from the related person.
How to Protect Yourself Against Romance Scammer Techniques
Education and awareness are important tools for combating various types of romance scams. However, many victims are embarrassed because they did not recognise the warning signs of a romance scammer. They are frequently embarrassed to admit to family and friends that they “allowed” this to happen to them. Survivors of romance scams may even feel too humiliated or afraid to tell authorities about their experience. If this is you, it is entirely your fault that you have fallen victim to a romance scam. Crypto romance attacks are carried out by malicious criminals.
To counter romance scammer tactics and protect yourself from hacks and scams, you must implement basic personal security precautions. Here are some essential dos and don’ts:
Do:
- Use unique passwords for each account.
- Update your antivirus and antimalware software.
- Use two-factor authentication or multi-factor authentication (MFA) (2FA).
- People who claim to have exclusive investment opportunities with “amazing profits” or similar superlatives should be avoided, especially if they say to “act fast” or “act now.”
- Inform someone about your experience, including government officials.
Do Not:
- Download attachments from unknown sources, as well as attachments from known email addresses that appear suspicious.
- Use unknown USB drives in your computer, or leave an unattended device in public.
- Use information in your passwords like your mother’s maiden name, pet’s name, favourite vacation site, or place of birth.
- Sending money, trading, or investing based on the advice of someone you’ve only met online.
- Give out your Social Security number, copies of your passport, government-issued ID card, and other personal information to anyone you don’t know and trust.
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