Widows targeted with ‘egregious’ romance scams for Valentine’s Day; AG office offers tips

DAYTON — Scammers are using Valentine’s Day to target potential victims, particularly mourners who have recently lost a loved one. The Ohio Attorney General’s Office offered tips to protect one’s self from “romance scams.”

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News Center 7 Reporter Xavier Hershovitz told how scammers used holidays to target potential victims.

Shockingly, some of the most vulnerable people for romance scams were mourners. Scammers used obituaries to target recently widowed people.

Ohioans lost nearly $1.8 million in romance scams in 2022, the Ohio Attorney General’s Office said.

To combat these crimes, the office released tips on how to protect and prevent people from falling victim to such scams.

The office cautions those who meet people online to try researching their potential partner. Image searches or looking on other social media sites for the love interest could save a lot of time and money.

Another red flag is “Love Bombing.” This is when a new love interest almost goes overboard with compliments and affection.

Look out for scammers claiming it was destiny or fate that brought you two together, especially after a short time of talking with one another.

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Consumer educator Ryan Lippe from the AG’s office said, “they watch those things like a hawk sometimes. They’ll go in and target specific individuals because they realize they’re newly widowed. That sounds egregious and terrible, and it absolutely is, but this is what they consider to be their job, unfortunately.”

The office says “romance scams” are often underreported and encourage people to contact them if they believe they have fallen victim to this or any other scam. The office may not be able to recover lost money, however, reporting incidents can help others from falling victim.

For more information on romance scams and how to report them, click the following link.

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