The present COVID-19 pandemic and the next stay-at-home and social distancing directives might need performed a serious function in romance scams losses reaching file ranges in 2020, the US Federal Commerce Fee stated in a report final week. ZDNet reviews:

Whole losses have been estimated at a file $304 million, up about 50% from 2019, with the common loss final yr being estimated at $2,500 per particular person.

“From 2016 to 2020, reported whole greenback losses elevated greater than fourfold, and the variety of reviews almost tripled,” the company stated.

The FTC believes that the 50% spike in additional losses recorded in 2020 may be attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic, which has restricted individuals’s skill to fulfill in individual and has pressured extra customers in the direction of utilizing on-line long-distance and impersonal communications, akin to courting apps.

Most often, the ruse of those scams is that the targets of a romance rip-off should ship a refund to the crooks.