Valentine’s Day Scams Flourish

Today couples celebrate their undying love for each other while the rest of us single folk scoff and pretend it’s just another day (well at least I am). There’s still plenty of love to go around though. Just remember “love is blind.” Don’t let love—or the chance of it—cloud your judgment and fall for a scam. You’ll end up with more than a broken heart.

Social media is filled with scams every day, but seasonal scams tend to get overlooked because they get buried in all the craziness. On Valentine’s Day people send each other all sorts of eCards, posts, videos, friend requests, tweets, etc. Who’s to know what’s real and what’s a scam?

Even random friend requests from “easy on the eyes” strangers might not be what they seem. Sure they have a pretty face and a smile to brighten your day, but they could be a hacker trying to gain access to your private info. Unless you have your privacy settings set right, friending someone opens up everything to them. Don’t make an oops!

Then there’s online dating sites. Sure love at first sight is possible, but that means you have to actually see the person. In real life. Not in pictures, not in video. Those that never break the online barrier and only communicate over the web or phone are most likely not who they say they are.

Also, within hours of meeting someone online you find yourself saying “wow, it feels like I’ve known you forever. I can just tell you anything!”—you’re in trouble. You haven’t found the love of your life, you just gave away your life away to a scammer. If money and banking info comes into play, you’re doomed.

Your personal info is yours. Your birthday and address are standard identification facts which you should never give out. It’s other info like your hometown, where you went to school, places you like to go, and a whole lot of other facts you have to keep guarded too. That info might not mean much to you but can be very valuable to a cyber criminal. Keep it to yourself!

Just make sure you aren’t too busy looking for scams that you miss seeing Cupid’s arrow. Oh and FYI—you don’t need love in your life to enjoy the chocolate. Don’t eat too much though, that’s a whole different kind of oops.

Happy Valentine’s Day!