Scams are unfortunately ubiquitous in the digital age — and a new survey suggests that a growing number of bad actors are pretending to be your loved ones.
Phone number verification tool ClarityCheck just conducted a survey of around 1,900 adults in the U.S., UK, and European Union, and found that 64 percent of respondents have encountered a suspicious message or call that seemed to come from someone they knew.
Of those, nearly half involved impersonating a former romantic partner or close friend. Thirty-eight percent initially believed the scammer was genuine for several days or longer — even when the scammer asked for money or sensitive information.
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The survey results highlight how scammers prey on people’s vulnerability. Romance scammers and pig butchering schemes attempt to build trust with their targets before requesting money or data. ClarityCheck found that respondents who recently went through a breakup, relocation, or period of prolonged isolation were 52 percent more likely to engage with someone suspicious for an extended period.
“When someone appears to know your emotional history, the usual warning signs are displaced by recognition and trust,” Ihor Herasymov, managing director of ClarityCheck, stated in a press release. “The damage is not only financial. It often reshapes how people perceive their past relationships and their own judgment.”
“This type of fraud works because it does not feel like fraud,” said Herasymov.
In recent months, lawmakers have attempted to curb romance scams. Back in September, two senators urged the CEO of Match Group to act on these types of cons, but no update has been made public. In the meantime, Tinder has implemented required facial scans for new users, and Hinge plans to test them as well.
