TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — Your brain knows something is not right, but your heart really wants to believe. Romance schemes are heating up.
Recent data shows the FTC reports nearly 70,000 Americans lost $1.3 billion to romance schemes in just one year.
FBI Special Agent Erica Nicewarner says she’s sees an uptick in romance schemes around Valentine’s Day.
“Often times we are contacted by victims who have already sent wires through their banking institutions and often times have lost their entire life savings,” she said.
Nicewarner says one of the newest schemes is oddly called pig butchering, referring to fattening up the victim before taking their money, usually through investments in cryptocurrency.
“When the victims go to cash out or withdraw those earning, the scammer vanishes on them,” Nicewarner said. “Unfortunately, it’s nearly a daily conversation we have with victims who really think that the person on the other end of the computer or phone is real and cares about them and that they are helping that person with whatever finances they are sending over.”
“There’s a lot of common and well-rehearsed stories,” she added. “I would say the most common would be individuals that claim to be in the military or work in the construction industry and they’re engaged in overseas projects and this helps the perpetrator avoid meeting up with them in person.”