Homeland Security: Iowans, Be Warned About Valentine’s Day Scams

Valentine's Day is upon us. Whether you love the holiday or feel it's just designed to sell cards, flowers, and chocolate, it's hard to escape the fact it's everywhere.

While for many, Valentine's Day is a fun excuse to celebrate love, for others, it can be a very expensive and heartbreaking holiday thanks to scammers.

Homeland Security: DO NOT Fall for Valentine's Day Scams

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has a message about Valentine's Day: scammers are out to hurt you financially.

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While most normal adults would agree that preying on someone who's lonely or recently lost a loved one is sick, it doesn't stop scammers from doing just that to exploit and steal from their victims.

Often times these scammers will pop-up on dating apps, or social media.

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Sadly, Iowans, and Americans in general, fall for romance scams every year. A scammer will pretend to be interested romantically in their victim, gain their trust, and then ask for money, or financial gain once the victim's guard is down.

If you are concerned about yourself, or a loved one, make sure you keep an eye out for these "relationship" red flags from Homeland Security:

• They claim they live, work, or are traveling overseas
• They do not use proper grammar despite claiming they speak English
• Their photo(s) seem fake, AI-generated or appear to belong to someone else entirely
• They try to move the conversation to a separate app such as WhatsApp or Telegram
• They refuse to FaceTime you or video chat
• They seem to be moving very quickly - saying they want to be together soon or meet you

Of course, if you are asked for money for any reason, that is a major red flag.

Scammers will look for ways to collect money from victims that are difficult to trace or undo.

Homeland Security says 60% of all scam payments sent are cryptocurrency or bank wires. More often than not, these transactions can’t be reversed.

Communicate with Loved Ones

It may be a difficult conversation, but if you know someone who may be dealing with a romance scam, talk to them about it.

Share these red flags, and insist that they get absolute proof the person on the other end is who they say they are, and has pure intentions.

No one deserves to be scammed, especially in such a cruel fashion.