KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Love hurts — especially if you fall for a romance scam.
The Federal Trade Commission found that the number of romance scams reported from 2016 to 2020 tripled, costing victims hundreds of millions of dollars in total. And ahead of Valentine's Day, the Better Business Bureau is warning people to stay wary of new matches that seem too good to be true.
"All they're looking for is your money," said Tony Binkley, President and CEO of the Better Business Bureau. "A lot of times, these scammers will want to move fast. They'll fall in love fast. They'll say, 'I've never felt this way before with anybody.'"
He said that as Valentine's Day approaches, so do scams. So he urged people to be careful on dating apps — where most romance scammers find victims.
A common scam is when a person promises a lot of money just for love and attention. Most of the time 'Sugar Daddy' and 'Sugar Momma' matches are just scams.
"The best way to avoid things like this is not to give out personal information to somebody you don't know — if you've never seen them in person, or on a Facetime call," said Binkley.
The BBB reported three major romance scams in Knoxville last year, and one victim lost more than $10,000 as a result of one. That scam started with a flirtatious conversation on LinkedIn.
Retail scams are also common around Valentine's Day, officials said. They said people shopping for gifts online should make sure websites have contact information and seem reliable before giving them any money.