The present COVID-19 pandemic and the next stay-at-home and social distancing directives may need performed a significant position in romance scams losses reaching file ranges in 2020, the US Federal Commerce Fee mentioned in a report final week. ZDNet reviews:
Complete losses had been estimated at a file $304 million, up about 50% from 2019, with the typical loss final yr being estimated at $2,500 per particular person.
“From 2016 to 2020, reported complete greenback losses elevated greater than fourfold, and the variety of reviews practically tripled,” the company mentioned.
The FTC believes that the 50% spike in additional losses recorded in 2020 could be attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic, which has restricted folks’s means to satisfy in individual and has pressured extra customers in the direction of utilizing on-line long-distance and impersonal communications, resembling courting apps.
Most often, the ruse of those scams is that the targets of a romance rip-off need to ship a refund to the crooks.
