Online love scammers sucked $17 million from Canadians last year

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – Just in time for Valentine’s Day, the RCMP is out with a warning about online love scams, which can leave hearts broken and bank accounts drained.

Mounties say 748 victims lost over $17 million last year to highly-organized scam artists pretending to be in love.

These scammers often play the long game, using fake online dating and social media accounts to gain their victim’s trust over time before asking for money, usually under the pretext of a personal or family emergency.

The greater the trust, the more money lost.

Police say if you’re looking for companionship on the internet, be suspicious when someone you haven’t met in person professes their love. Red flags should go up if the person claims to live nearby but is working overseas.

If you think you’ve been victimized by such a scam, you’re told to file a reports with local police, and the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre.

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