(Des Moines, IA) -- Online games have apparently created a golden opportunity for scammers.
According to Sonia Sellmeyer of Iowa Insurance Division, they are believed to pray on people who may be lonely and are online playing games.
The scammers then start talking to you via a private chat option.
She says scammers also groom through test messages and will eventually ask for money.
Sallmeyer says romance scams are being reported at an alarming rate by Iowans of all ages.
Romance scams are among the top fraudulent scams reported by the Federal Trade Commission.
The FTC reports U.S. consumers lost nearly $9 billion dollars in 2022, up 30% from 2021.
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