91Ƶ

Skip to content

B.C. police warn 91Ƶromance scams91Ƶ can trick victims into relationships and out of money

Fraudsters may send seemingly innocent and random messages as first step, say RCMP
31861241_web1_230213-NBU-Romance-Scams-2_1
Police warn of romance scams used by fraudsters in the days leading up to Valentine91Ƶs Day that can leave victims out of money and with a broken heart. (Stock photo)

Fraudsters like to break hearts, police say, even around Valentine91Ƶs Day.

According to an RCMP release, scammers push romance scams onto unsuspecting victims 91Ƶ often in the days leading up to Feb. 14 91Ƶ that can cause many to lose significant amounts of money and heartache in the process.

While social media pictures are often used to lure victims, either to portray themselves, their family or pets, the release noted that a new twist to the scam involves randomly received message by the victim that may read 91Ƶwhere have you been91Ƶ or 91Ƶwhere are you91Ƶ in order to strike up a conversation and build a relationship.

91ƵThe purpose of the scam is to foster a sense of trust so that in the near future the fraudster can ask their victim for money and they willingly oblige,91Ƶ said reserve Const. Gary O91ƵBrien, Nanaimo RCMP spokesperson, in the release.

Reasons money may be requested include a personal or family emergency, a claim to have no access to money, or unexpected business, legal or travel fees.

The release also noted red flags to be aware of include if someone professes their love before meeting in-person, if attempts to meet up in-person are routinely cancelled, or if the profile seems 91Ƶtoo perfect.91Ƶ People can protect themselves from potential scammers by not accepting friend requests from people they don91Ƶt know and by never sending money to someone they haven91Ƶt met in person.

Those that believe they may be a victim can report fraud online at , by calling local police or reaching the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at 1-888-495-8501.

READ MORE:

READ MORE:


arts@nanaimobulletin.com

Like us on and follow us on Twitter

Breaking News You Need To Know

Sign up for free account today and start receiving our exclusive newsletters.

Sign Up with google Sign Up with facebook

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google and apply.

Reset your password

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google and apply.

A link has been emailed to you - check your inbox.



Don't have an account? Click here to sign up


About the Author: Nanaimo Bulletin News Staff

Read more



(or

91Ƶ

) document.head.appendChild(flippScript); window.flippxp = window.flippxp || {run: []}; window.flippxp.run.push(function() { window.flippxp.registerSlot("#flipp-ux-slot-ssdaw212", "Black Press Media Standard", 1281409, [312035]); }); }