Romance Scams Cost Montana Residents Thousands

Michael Teeple | NonStop Local

As Valentine’s Day approaches, the risk of falling victim to romance scams increases, with many in Gallatin Valley losing thousands of dollars.

Romance scams have become a common method for scammers to defraud unsuspecting individuals seeking companionship.

According to the State Auditor’s Office, scammers create fake online profiles, often on dating apps, to steal money from their victims.

James Brown, the Commissioner for the State of Montana Auditor’s Office, explained how these scams operate.

“Somebody will reach out using a dating app or social media, using a fake picture, and then what they do is they concoct a story that sort of tugs at the heartstrings of the intended victim. Maybe sounds just a little too perfect, and then come up with excuses or emergencies as to why they need money and they need it urgently,” Brown said.

Brown noted that these scams have evolved over time.

“Or, what we’re seeing is, is many times that they’ll ask their intended victims to go down to something like a bitcoin ATM machine and wire them money through a digital wallet or through some other form of digital transaction, say on the internet,” he said.

The FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center reports that Montana ranks seventh highest per capita in internet crime losses nationwide since 2023.

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