Romance Scams Hit Record High In 2021

Newsy's Cat Sandoval spoke with a few people who have been wrapped up in love scams and how they are bringing awareness to the issue.

It's not unusual for singles to go online or use an app to find love. Swipe here, a swipe there; You're hoping to find some sort of connection. But for some, the romance is dead — especially when they realize they've been scammed out of a whole lot of money. A new report from the federal government details just how much. 

Dorothy Harding was hoping to find love after her divorce. She signed up for a dating site in 2019. But instead, she got set up with a cyber actor who pretended to be someone else and conned her out of $35,000. 

"I hadn't dated in 20 years or so. And he said everything, 'Oh, you're beautiful,' 'You're just perfect for me,'" Harding said. "I've always trusted my own instinct. I kicked myself for a long time. I really kicked myself about, well, you know, 'You're smarter than this.' 'This should have never happened to you.' 'Why didn't you see any of the red flags?'"