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NC ranks No. 9 in costliest romance scams in the country.
Ghosted. Catfished. Gaslit. All very unfortunate dating scenarios (raise your hand if it’s happened to you). But getting scammed? That’s a next-level low—and many North Carolina singles are falling for the bait.
A recent study by Social Catfish found that NC victims lost a total of $18 million to romance scams in 2022, making it the No. 9 state in the U.S. for total money lost to romance scams (!)—up 4% from $17.3 million in 2021. Across the country in 2022, a record $1.3 billion was scammed in the name of “love,” up 138% from $547 million the year prior.
So what gives? Well, if there’s anything we’ve learned from Netflix’s viral The Tinder Swindler, these scam artists can be quite convincing (see the costly and elaborate globe-spanning dates on which “Swindler” Shimon Hayut took women before tricking them into sending him money).
According to Social Catfish, the most common lies told by scammers to solicit $$ are: They’re “sick, hurt or in jail,” or “I can teach you how to invest.” Um—yeah, right. Here, three other common scam scenarios to avoid and how to dodge them.
Celebrity Romance Scams
No, Justin Bieber is never going to DM you on Instagram to ask you for money. As a matter of fact, if any celeb asks you to cough up some cash, it’s most likely a scam. (Don’t shoot the messenger…) Beware of fake accounts with strange handles and not a lot of followers. Clearly, peeps like Biebs would have a million-some followers.
Cryptocurrency Romance Scams
Sure, crypto is all the rage—and many people have managed to make a lot of money on it, but if a stranger claims they’ve “gotten rich in crypto” and tries to convince you to invest with them, just run (and block).
Military Romance Scams
Ah, who doesn’t love a good military meet cute?! Unless—boy meets girl, boy steals a military photo from the internet and claims to be stationed overseas, boy asks for money to fly back home so they can “finally meet and be together.” Oh, wait… Always do a reverse image search whenever chatting with any stranger on the internet before meeting them or sending them money. The more you know.
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