The present COVID-19 pandemic and the following stay-at-home and social distancing directives may need performed a significant function in romance scams losses reaching report ranges in 2020, the US Federal Commerce Fee mentioned in a report final week. ZDNet experiences:
Whole losses had been estimated at a report $304 million, up about 50% from 2019, with the typical loss final 12 months being estimated at $2,500 per particular person.
“From 2016 to 2020, reported complete greenback losses elevated greater than fourfold, and the variety of experiences practically tripled,” the company mentioned.
The FTC believes that the 50% spike in additional losses recorded in 2020 might be attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic, which has restricted folks’s capability to fulfill in individual and has compelled extra customers in direction of utilizing on-line long-distance and impersonal communications, akin to relationship apps.
Typically, the ruse of those scams is that the targets of a romance rip-off must ship a reimbursement to the crooks.
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