Ashley Orcutt

-Record $1.3 Billion lost in 2022, up an Unprecedented 138% Year over Year- Nearly 70,000 Americans lost a record $1.3 billion to romance scams in 2022 according to the Federal Trade Commission, up a staggering 138% from $547 million in 2021. The 138% jump last year is by far the largest this country has ever seen.

Americans lost a record $6.9 billion to online scams in 2021, up from $3.5 billion in 2019. The amount lost has nearly doubled since the global pandemic began in 2020 as people were forced to work, shop and date online. This alarming trend is showing no signs of slowing down as an unprecedented number of victims are losing their life savings with many tragically taking their own lives. Moreover, the vast majority of victims are too humiliated to come forward.

A record-breaking $304,000,000 was lost in the United States due to romance scams. Scammers are particularly active around Valentine’s Day to prey on singles looking for their Valentine online. To make matters even worse than usual, we are in our second Valentine’s Day during the global pandemic which has led to an unprecedented surge in scams. Scams have increased by 50% since 2019, showing that the rate of romance scams has increased significantly due to the coronavirus. What Are Romance Scams?