While the internet houses a large number of dating sites that may well serve their purpose, there are many that abound with romance scams – especially in the lead-up to Valentine’s Day.
In the United States, this type of scam has caught the attention of the FBI which has a dedicated unit to address what it estimates to have cost in losses to the victims, more than $230 million in 2016.
In South Africa there has been a significant growth in this type of scam due to the proliferation of social media sites, not necessarily those set up for dating, says Manie Van Schalkwyk, head of the South African Fraud Prevention Service.
“Scammers typically seek out individuals who are older than 50, either single or in difficult relationships, who are looking for romance,” he says.