Consumer Fraud Task Force Warns Public about Romance Scams during COVID-19

St. Louis Consumer Fraud Task Force (CFTF) warns area consumers to be wary of romance scams during coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. With people isolated and turning to the internet to communicate because of the pandemic, scammers are working hard to take advantage of the health crisis.
Task Force members have received a steady stream of romance scam reports during the pandemic. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Consumer Sentinel Network received more than 12,000 romance scam reports during the first two quarters of 2020. Consumers reported more than $200 million in romance scam losses to the FTC in 2019.
Over 100 consumers filed romance scam reports to BBB Scam Tracker this year, with some reporting thousands of dollars in losses.
The Task Force, formed in October 2002, is a coalition of local, state and federal government agencies and nonprofit business and consumer groups in Missouri and Illinois that work together to protect consumer and donor rights and guard against fraud.
To obtain information, or to report a scam, contact members of the Task Force:
Better Business Bureau Serving Eastern and Southwest Missouri and Southern Illinois – (888) 996-3887; bbb.org

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