Valentine’s Day is a day for romance, but it can also be an opportune time for scammers to take advantage of those looking for love online. Better Business Bureau of Southern Arizona urges consumers to proceed with caution before letting their hearts – and their money – get stolen.

Perhaps you’ve seen the documentary “Catfish,” or the MTV reality show of the same name. The Urban Dictionary defines a catfish as “someone who pretends to be someone they’re not using Facebook or other social media to create false identities, particularly to pursue deceptive online romances.”

Relationship scams can happen to anyone. You meet a great person online, everything seems to be going great but you aren’t able to meet yet for some reason (distance, military deployment, work travel, etc.). Suddenly your online love interest has an emergency and asks you to wire money. If you do, he or she may continue to find more reasons to ask for money from you…or may disappear. Sometimes the catfish’s victim is asked to receive funds from the victim of another scam and rewire it to the catfish.

BBB and Western Union have partnered to offer consumers tips on how to avoid scams. Here are some ways to stay safe from relationship scams:

Be on your guard. Only send money to people you have met in person. Be especially cautious with people you meet online, even if you correspond with them via email or phone. Be especially wary of anyone who asks you to leave the dating website immediately to continue your conversation through email or IM, as this allows fraudsters to carry out their scam without the dating site having a record of your encounter.

Be cautious if someone claims to be local but is currently out of the country. Fraudsters could be operating from overseas, making it more difficult for authorities to track them down. Never give your banking information to people that you have not met in person or businesses that you don’t know.

Always verify every emergency situation before sending money. Fraudsters can trick their victims in a variety of ways. Sometimes they instantly express feelings of love and other times they lead their victims on for a while. No matter how much your relationship might seem like the real thing, you should be suspicious if someone starts asking for information like credit card, bank or government ID numbers or to send money.

For more information on scams, check out BBB Scam Stopper at www.bbb.org/scam. Like BBB on Facebook for the latest consumer tips: www.facebook.com/soazbbb.

As Valentine’s Day approaches, Better Business Bureau of Southern Arizona warns that Cupid’s arrow may be aimed directly at consumers’ wallets. Those who find themselves awash in love’s emotion should remember that con artists thrive on the fact that emotion can trump logic.

There are three categories of scams that we all should be aware of at this romantic season as well as throughout the year.

Online Dating

Their photo may be attractive and their story may sound compelling but that person you met through an online dating site may turn out to be the very opposite of your soul mate. Photos, profiles and stories can be easily faked on dating sites. One common tactic is to claim to be a successful overseas businessperson with no family.

After what seems like sincere conversation in which many questions are asked of you, the scammer can skillfully employ psychology to say precisely what you want to hear.

Once the ice is broken and a comfort level has been reached on your part, the heart of the matter is arrived at: they need financial assistance. They may want you to cash a check for them or otherwise help them out of a financial difficulty. It could be travel expenses, medical expenses or some other type of debt. At any rate it is your money less than your heart that they are after. MoneyGram, one of the major global money transfer companies, has estimated that romance scams defraud victims of over $10,000 for each occurrence. For those so victimized, whatever the amount, a website called romancescams.org can be helpful.

Online Florists

When love is in bloom many rely on the traditional symbol of thoughtfulness, the bouquet, to convey their feelings for that special person. But be aware that online florists are not always reliable. If the flowers that are actually received by your loved one are inferior arrangements from those ordered, or even not delivered at all, it can be a wilting experience. (more…)