Scammers use holidays like Valentine's Day to up their efforts in defrauding people through online dating websites and apps. (Freepik)

By Alex Rawnsley

TINDER TROUBLES

Officials warn romance seekers about ‘uptick’ in online dating scams

Feb 14, 2020 | 11:49 AM

NANAIMO — Warnings of fraudsters taking advantage of Valentine’s Day are being preached by the Better Business Bureau and local RCMP.

Nanaimo RCMP Cst. Gary O’Brien told NanaimoNewsNOW the detachment receives hundreds of calls per year related to online dating-related scams, with calls increasing around Valentine’s Day.

“They’re just like the people that run the people who run the CRA scam, they take advantage of seasonal situations,” O’Brien said. “February 14th is a day for lovers, this is exactly what they’re preying on, they’re looking for people on dating websites and they will target these people.

O’Brien said it’s not uncommon for scammers to attempt to swindle several people at one time, including a Nanaimo man who had multiple scams on the go.

“He’d be suddenly he’d be out of money or he’d lose his wallet or be stuck in a different city,” O’Brien said. “He’d get several thousand dollars from upwards of 10 or 15 women and a lot of these people could not afford the money and because they cared about the individual they gave the money to him.”

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In 2017, local mounties reported an elderly Nanaimo woman lost nearly $100,000 to a man she met on Match.com.

A few months later, another elderly Nanaimo woman gave $15,000 to a man she met on Facebook.

In 2019, the Better Business Bureau of Vancouver Island responded to over 1,100 complaints related to dating services.

President and CEO Rosalind Scott said scammers will invest a lot of time and energy in building a rapport with a victim.

“It gets to a point where they’re talking about marriage and spending their lives together and then some disaster will happen and the fraudster needs money,” Scott said. “The end game is that they want the person they’re defrauding to pay them.”

Scott said there should be a huge red flag if you’re in a relationship with someone online and they’re coy about either meeting in person or introducing you to anyone who can verify who they are.

alex.rawnsley@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @alexrawnsley