Mounties in Richmond, B.C., are warning the public after a 香蕉视频直播渟ignificant rise香蕉视频直播� 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 香蕉视频直播渓ong-con scams香蕉视频直播� 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 people香蕉视频直播檚 loneliness to build connections and gain trust.
香蕉视频直播淪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,香蕉视频直播� said Hwang, adding that these scammers have been 香蕉视频直播渄oing their homework香蕉视频直播� on potential victims.
香蕉视频直播淢oney is never mentioned at the beginning. It香蕉视频直播檚 always about building that trust and building the rapport with the victim if they have a lot of things in common,香蕉视频直播� he added.
Scammers employ a variety of tactic, he said, such as 香蕉视频直播淚 used to go to school in that region香蕉视频直播� or 香蕉视频直播淚 enjoyed that restaurant香蕉视频直播� 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.
香蕉视频直播淭he criminal might say, 香蕉视频直播榃ell, look at the money that you allow me to invest. It香蕉视频直播檚 already returned this much profit. Would you like me to give that profit back to you or do you want to reinvest it?香蕉视频直播澫憬妒悠抵辈 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 香蕉视频直播渙verly attractive香蕉视频直播� profiles or strangers who show romantic interests.
香蕉视频直播淚f somebody truly is interested in you, I don香蕉视频直播檛 think that should come up,香蕉视频直播� said Hwang, referring to the romance scammers asking for money following flattering messages.
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