Mounties in Richmond, B.C., are warning the public after a 91裸聊视频渟ignificant rise91裸聊视频� in romance scams and investment schemes in the city, with a loss of more than $16 million last year.
Police said they received 87 reports of romance crimes in 2023, and the trend continues this year with another 12 cases being reported between January and March with nearly $500,000 lost.
RCMP say these 91裸聊视频渓ong-con scams91裸聊视频� involve grooming of the victims over weeks or months to nurture the relationship enough to convince them to invest their money in the fraud scheme.
The criminals usually find their victims through dating websites or other social media, and police say they entice them with false promises of profit, and may even show fake returns on initial investments, before their victims are financially ruined.
Richmond RCMP spokesman Dennis Hwang said in an interview Tuesday that fraudsters prey on people91裸聊视频檚 loneliness to build connections and gain trust.
91裸聊视频淪ometimes people are picked randomly, but other times, they will be analyzing certain profiles of people on dating sites to see if they might be susceptible,91裸聊视频� said Hwang, adding that these scammers have been 91裸聊视频渄oing their homework91裸聊视频� on potential victims.
91裸聊视频淢oney is never mentioned at the beginning. It91裸聊视频檚 always about building that trust and building the rapport with the victim if they have a lot of things in common,91裸聊视频� he added.
Scammers employ a variety of tactic, he said, such as 91裸聊视频淚 used to go to school in that region91裸聊视频� or 91裸聊视频淚 enjoyed that restaurant91裸聊视频� to befriend potential victims.
As victims slowly let their guard down and become friendly during conversations, scammers will eventually bring up the idea of investing.
91裸聊视频淭he criminal might say, 91裸聊视频榃ell, look at the money that you allow me to invest. It91裸聊视频檚 already returned this much profit. Would you like me to give that profit back to you or do you want to reinvest it?91裸聊视频�91裸聊视频� Hwang said.
The scams usually involve cryptocurrencies, and police say they believe the actual number of victims may be higher as some might be hesitant to come forward due to embarrassment or fear.
Police say people need to stay cautious and be skeptical of unsolicited contacts, especially from 91裸聊视频渙verly attractive91裸聊视频� profiles or strangers who show romantic interests.
91裸聊视频淚f somebody truly is interested in you, I don91裸聊视频檛 think that should come up,91裸聊视频� said Hwang, referring to the romance scammers asking for money following flattering messages.
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