During the month of February, our thoughts turn to Valentine’s Day and feeling connected. So in this month when the focus is on Valentine’s Day, our hearts, relationships, and the feeling of being in love- let us take a moment to explore how to protect ourselves and loved ones from something known as the Sweetheart Scam.
The Sweetheart Scam is one of the most widely utilized modes of financial exploitation. It’s a scheme that can be perpetrated online or in-person. The person perpetrating the scam convinces someone that they are in love, using compelling emotions to bilk money from the unsuspecting person—oftentimes an isolated older person. Report in-person scams to local law enforcement and report online scams to the Federal Trade Commission: https://reportfraud.ftc.gov/#/
Learn more and share these resources widely to help prevent elder abuse this Valentine’s Day:
- Looking for Love: Sweetheart Scam Factsheet
- Looking for Love: Tips on How LGBT Older People Can Avoid the Sweetheart Scam
- Online Romance Scams Q&A with a Deputy District Attorney
- NCEA Blog- Dear Readers: Online Romance Scams
- NCEA Blog- Looking for Love
- NCEA Publication List: Financial Abuse/Exploitation
Best, NCEA Team