Social Catfish, an online investigation service that monitors scams, said in Louisiana last year 4,428 people lost $43 million to con artists, that’s up from $27 million in 2020.
“In Louisiana, if you do look at the numbers on average victims lost around $9,000, which if you really think about that, that’s a staggering number, “ said Social Catfish CEO David McClellan.
During the pandemic, there was an increase in identity theft due to stimulus checks and enhanced unemployment. McClellan said there are immediate scams also, that steal your personal information when you check on a link and others that play out for months.
“Romance scams, like people, were groomed over a six-to-nine-month period, which is really staggering,” said McClellan.
McClellan said three out of four victims of Romance Scams are college educated and online cryptocurrency scams have skyrocketed seven-fold to $1.6 million in the US.
To avoid falling victim, McClennan said never give money to someone you’ve never met, do not give out personal information, use different passwords for different accounts, and when it comes to Romance Scams utilize a reverse image search to see if the person you are communicating with is who they say they are. And most of all, he said to trust your gut.
“Most people that we found that fall victim to scams have some sort of inkling that something’s not right, whether it’s right when they are doing something, or whether somebody is pressuring them into doing something. So always trust your gut,” said McClennan.
For more information visit SocialCatfish.com.
Comments