Catfishing is not uncommon in today's society and they seem to pull on the heart strings a little more on a day meant for romance.
The Better Business Bureau (BBB) is reminding people to be cautious of romance scams this Valentine's Day.
For those unfamiliar with catfishing, Communications Manager Ashley Casselman says it's where someone creates a fake dating profile to lure in others. She adds with the growing number of dating apps and social media accounts it's a lot easier for people to get conned.
"One of the key things that [con artists] always like to do is they always have an excuse to postpone the meeting," says Casselman. "That's a big red flag."
She adds another red flag is when photos don't match profiles, in which case people can do a reverse image search.
A trend in catfishing isn't necessarily seen based on location or income levels but Casselman says there is a trend in age groups.
"Middle-aged [people and] seniors would be the target age for catfishing," she says. "They're the ones who could either be widows or just happen to be single later on in life."
She adds the most important thing to remember is never send money to someone you have never met.
If you happen to be the target of a catfish, scams can be reported to police or to the BBB's scam tracker.
