SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, Feb. 14, 2024 (Gephardt Daily) — Noting Utahns have lost millions to romance scams, Utah’s federal law enforcement leaders chose Valentine’s Day to urge caution.
The FBI’s Salt Lake City Special Agent in Charge Shohini Sinha teamed up Tuesday with U.S. Attorney for Utah Trina Higgins to offer tips and info to keep you safe, via a public service announcement video.
In 2022, 201 Utahns lost $3.6 million to fake lovers, and just last month a romance scammer they prosecuted in Utah’s federal court was sentenced to six years in prison and ordered to repay $6.4 million to victims.
“We’re going after these criminals,” Sinha said. Higgins added “they break hearts, and bank accounts.”
Here are some common sense warning signs they offered when looking for love online: Be careful what you post publicly, go slow, ask lots of questions, and research any suspicious love interest’s photo and profile with online searches.
“Never send money to someone you’ve never met in person,” Sinha said.
Scammers will create fake accounts and search dating sites, apps and social media platforms. Report any scams to the FBI complaint site IC3.gov and for more resources, FBI.gov.
To see the video, go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FWQOPvLxRF
