People reported a record $547 million in losses to romance scams in 2021. That’s up about 80% from the reports the FTC got in 2020. In 2021, people reported paying romance scammers more with gift cards than with any other payment method. The 2021 reports also showed that cryptocurrency payments were the most costly.
On Valentine's Day 2024, Jeff's pop culture queen Tonya J. Powers explains how dating scams bilk lonely people out of their money.