On February 14, 2023, the Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) launched an awareness campaign to educate the public on dangers associated with online romance scams and how individuals can protect themselves and loved ones.

According to Acting Executive Assistant Director of HSI, Steve K. Francis, many romance scams originate in west Africa often targeting recently widowed or divorced seniors and that criminal organizations use legitimate dating apps to defraud people. The HSI provided tips to avoid losing money to a romance scam, including the following:

Protect yourself and older loved ones by raising awareness.
Check in on older loved ones.
Limit what you share online.
Do your research.
Go slowly and ask a lot of questions.
Listen to your gut.
Do not overshare personal information.
Be suspicious if you have not met in person.
Do not send money.

Read the HSI’s news release here.

Adam Witmer

Adam Witmer is a speaker, author, and founder of the Compliance Cohort. Adam has taught hundreds of seminars and training sessions to thousands of bankers throughout the United States and teaches on all areas of regulatory compliance. Adam has written five e-books that he never published, hit a grizzly bear while driving in a National Park, and is an award winning photographer and musician (though he no longer takes photos nor plays any instruments). In his spare time, Adam can be found kayaking on the lake, doing taekwondo with his kids, working on his (project) house, or spending time with his family.

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