Better Business Bureau Northwest <\/a>is warning of slick deals that could steal one\u2019s identity, cost them money and even break their heart.<\/p>\n<\/p>\nThe BBB Scam Tracker has reports of online dating sites that have tricked customers out of substantial amounts of money, according to a BBB media release. In 2014 the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) received numerous complaints regarding online romance scams. The IC3 reports that women over the age of 40 are more susceptible to online dating scams.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Before making plans for Valentine\u2019s Day, BBB suggests consumers consider these important tips:<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\u2022 Research florists: When shopping for flowers and gifts online take time to research the company. When placing an order online look for the \u201cs\u201d in \u201chttps:\/\/\u201d to guarantee privacy measures are in place. Be wary of websites offering cheap flower arrangements. The finished product might not be as grand as advertised. To help combat scammers, consider shopping from a BBB Accredited Retail Florist.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\u2022 Trip for two: Keep an eye out for deceptive vacation packages that may harbor hidden fees. Be sure to read the fine print before booking a trip and read up on cancellation policies. Also, it\u2019s best to avoid travel deals pitched over the phone or from company\u2019s who do not disclose their name, location and contacts. When looking for assistance planning a trip, consider booking with a BBB Accredited Travel Agency.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\u2022 Avoid being \u2018catfished\u2019: Take a close look at your online love\u2019s profile photo. Does it look too professional? Are there any candid photographs of them? Scammers often use stolen photos to trick love seekers. To make sure someone is who they say they are ask for candid photographs or to meet via webcam. Play it safe when looking for love by checking out BBB Accredited Matchmaking Sites.<\/p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Scammers are looking to break hearts this Valentine\u2019s Day. With an uptick in online dating, flower sales and weekend getaway deals – there\u2019s a number of ways to get cheated.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":106,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"yst_prominent_words":[],"class_list":["post-19115","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kentreporter.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19115"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kentreporter.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kentreporter.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kentreporter.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/106"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kentreporter.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19115"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.kentreporter.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19115\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kentreporter.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19115"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kentreporter.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19115"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kentreporter.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19115"},{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kentreporter.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=19115"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}