Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel wants Michiganders to protect their hearts and their wallets as Valentine’s Day arrives.
“Dating services – particularly online – can lead to more than romantic encounters,” said Nessel. “These services, as well as shopping for Valentine’s Day gifts, come with risks that bad actors will look to exploit. It’s important to know how to protect yourself so looking for romance doesn’t lead to financial ruin.”
To ensure consumers protect themselves, Nessel is reissuing her Romance Scams: Stay Safe and Avoid Financial Heartache Consumer Alert.
To protect oneself, Nessel recommends the following:
• Never give someone you haven’t met money. Scammers are smart and will play on your emotions to get information they need to carry out their scam or to get your money. The Federal Bureau of Investigation reports that in the United States, romance scams account for the highest financial losses of all internet-facilitated crimes.
• Be cautious with your personal information including your financial information, contact information and photographs of yourself.
• Never agree to meet for the first time in a private setting. Insist on a public place where there are sure to be other people around and tell a member of your family or a friend where you will be and when you will contact them again after the meeting. Arrange your own transportation to and from the meeting and have a working mobile phone with you, if possible, with a pre-programmed, one-touch emergency number. Make sure to leave all available information about the person you will be meeting with your contact.
• Conduct an online reverse image search to see where else the person’s image appears and whether it has been altered before you swipe right or pursue a relationship based on an online profile image. Watch this video to learn how to do that.
• Be suspicious if the other person refuses to talk on the phone or do a video call before you meet in person.
• If you’re signing up for an online dating service, read your contract (terms of agreement) carefully before signing it – including all “fine print” – so you know exactly what you’re buying. Some contracts make it easy for the dating service to avoid responsibility, but difficult for consumers to get their money back.
Additional information and important reminders can be found in Nessel’s consumer alert at https://bit.ly/3LpmaYp.
Consumer complaints can be filed online at the attorney general’s website at www.michigan.gov/ag or call 877-765-8388 with questions.
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