WASHINGTON—Consumers reported losing $201 million to romance scams in 2019—up nearly 40% since 2018, according to new Federal Trade Commission data from the agency’s Consumer Sentinel Network.
“Romance scammers prey on consumers who are looking for love, converting what feels like a budding relationship into an ask for money to help the scammer get out of some manufactured crisis. The stories and feelings can be compelling, and the losses can be huge,” the FTC said.
In 2019, more than 25,000 consumers filed a report with the FTC about romance scams, and over the past two years total reported losses to romance scams were higher than to any other scam reported to the FTC, the agency said.