Mounties in Richmond, B.C., are warning the public after a B次元官网网址渟ignificant riseB次元官网网址� in romance scams and investment schemes in the city, with a loss of more than $16 million last year.
Police said they received 87 reports of romance crimes in 2023, and the trend continues this year with another 12 cases being reported between January and March with nearly $500,000 lost.
RCMP say these B次元官网网址渓ong-con scamsB次元官网网址� involve grooming of the victims over weeks or months to nurture the relationship enough to convince them to invest their money in the fraud scheme.
The criminals usually find their victims through dating websites or other social media, and police say they entice them with false promises of profit, and may even show fake returns on initial investments, before their victims are financially ruined.
Richmond RCMP spokesman Dennis Hwang said in an interview Tuesday that fraudsters prey on peopleB次元官网网址檚 loneliness to build connections and gain trust.
B次元官网网址淪ometimes people are picked randomly, but other times, they will be analyzing certain profiles of people on dating sites to see if they might be susceptible,B次元官网网址� said Hwang, adding that these scammers have been B次元官网网址渄oing their homeworkB次元官网网址� on potential victims.
B次元官网网址淢oney is never mentioned at the beginning. ItB次元官网网址檚 always about building that trust and building the rapport with the victim if they have a lot of things in common,B次元官网网址� he added.
Scammers employ a variety of tactic, he said, such as B次元官网网址淚 used to go to school in that regionB次元官网网址� or B次元官网网址淚 enjoyed that restaurantB次元官网网址� to befriend potential victims.
As victims slowly let their guard down and become friendly during conversations, scammers will eventually bring up the idea of investing.
B次元官网网址淭he criminal might say, B次元官网网址榃ell, look at the money that you allow me to invest. ItB次元官网网址檚 already returned this much profit. Would you like me to give that profit back to you or do you want to reinvest it?B次元官网网址滲次元官网网址� Hwang said.
The scams usually involve cryptocurrencies, and police say they believe the actual number of victims may be higher as some might be hesitant to come forward due to embarrassment or fear.
Police say people need to stay cautious and be skeptical of unsolicited contacts, especially from B次元官网网址渙verly attractiveB次元官网网址� profiles or strangers who show romantic interests.
B次元官网网址淚f somebody truly is interested in you, I donB次元官网网址檛 think that should come up,B次元官网网址� said Hwang, referring to the romance scammers asking for money following flattering messages.
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