Valentine's Day is the time of expressing your love to your partner, family, and friends.
(Photo : Photo by ARMEND NIMANI/AFP via Getty Images)
A worker holds a freshly made chocolate at the "Amel" handcrafted chocolate factory near Pristina on February 12, 2022, ahead of Valentine's Day - with chocolate one of the most popular gifts each February 14. (Photo by Armend NIMANI / AFP)
However, other people see this special occasion as an opportunity to fool those who are looking for love. The romance scam, a fraudulent activity that relies on the trust of victims, is becoming more rampant.
This detail was shared by the U.K.'s biggest independent charity for crime victims, Victim Support. The agency explained how the romance scam worsened.
Valentine's Day: Romance Scam Victims Increase by 38%!
According to The Guardian's latest report, Victim Support announced that victims of romance scams increased by 38% in 2022.
(Photo : Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
A man carries a bunch of ballons as he walks down Union Street on Valentine's Day on February 14, 2011 in San Francisco, California. Valentine's Day is actually a Catholic church sanctioned holiday, as Pope Gelasius deemed February 14, St. Valentine's Day, near 498 A.D.
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The charity said that in 2021, it supported over 230 romance scam victims. In 2022, this number increased to 322.
Because there's a sudden jump in the number of victims, Victim Support wanted to help people to avoid getting fooled by romance scammers.
The independent organization provided red flags that you need to check before getting into a relationship with total strangers.
Among the signs you need to be aware of include the following:
- The stranger asks you to keep your relationship in secret.
- The stranger suddenly declares his/her feelings towards you.
- The stranger always makes excuses to avoid having a video call or in-person meet-up with you.
How to Approach Romance Scam Victims
ABC News reported that most of the victims of romance scams are old people.
This means that your grandmother, grandfather, auntie, and uncle could be among them.
If this is the case, it is important to understand them before telling them what to do.
Riverina Relationship Australia Canberra Operations Director Althea Brunskill explained that since victims are manipulated, they will likely become defensive if confronted.
To avoid creating a conflict between you and your old family members, here's what you can do:
- Conduct research first. Observe their behavior and try to get any information from their secret partners.
- Instead of lecturing them, try initiating a wholesome conversation so that they will open up to you.
- Never blame them. Providing facts is among the best thing you can do.
Other stories we recently wrote about cybersecurity threats:
Feds officials confirmed that a cyberattack caused the U.S. 988 mental health helpline outage.
FCA blocked misleading Facebook ads as scammy fin-fluencers increase.
For more news updates about romance scams and other malicious campaigns, always keep your tabs open here at TechTimes.
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