If you are looking for love, we have your back with a few tips on avoiding Valentines Day romance scams in Florida, most catfished state in the country. The statistics actually put the Sunshine State at number two on the catfish list. That's nothing to brag about. We are going to attempt to save you some heartache.
Most "catfished" state and what it means
"Catfished" is a term coined to describe deception at its worst. It is when a person creates a fake identity, usually on social media, with the intent of deceiving and scamming people he or she meets. It's especially prevalent in the dating world. That leads us to Valentine's Day. This is the season where scammers really turn up the charm a notch, tugging at your heart strings and taking advantage of your vulnerability.
According to Social Catfish, Florida ranks number two in the amount of people scammed. California is number 1 and Texas is number three. Next, there is the amount of money these victims have lost. Analyzing FBI and FTC data from 2022, they say more than 1,700 people in Florida were scammed out of money by catfishers. The average loss per person was $40,554. The worst part, these numbers only reflect the people who contacted the authorities. It is believed that more than 1/2 billion dollars in the United States was lost to romance scams in 2021. The FTC puts that number at 1.3 billion over the past five years. That's a lot of money.
Are you suspicious of someone you've been chatting with online? You can try this site for searches and help. Here are some warning signs and what to do if you are catfish suspicious. Let us help you avoid Valentines Day romance scams in Florida, most catfished state, with these tips.
Too Good To Be True
Scammers still photos of extremely good looking people and create amazing stories in their profiles. The stories involve wealth, and all kinds of fairy tales.
How to Avoid: Perform a reverse image search to see if their picture matches their name. If the photo is used on many dating apps using different names, it is a scam.
Fall in love without having met
You might have a GREAT online connection. However, to genuinely fall in love with someone, you really have to spend some time with them at some point. If your online person keeps coming up with excuses for not meeting in person, beware.
How to Avoid: Stop communicating with anyone who will not meet or video chat in a reasonable amount of time.
Ask for money or gifts
This is the biggest red flag. Someone who you've never met should not ask for money, regardless of the reason; medical, family, tickets to come see you.
How to Avoid: This one is simple and foolproof. Never give money, gift cards or bitcoin to anyone you meet online.
