The present COVID-19 pandemic and the following stay-at-home and social distancing directives may need performed a serious function in romance scams losses reaching document ranges in 2020, the US Federal Commerce Fee mentioned in a report final week. ZDNet reviews:

Whole losses have been estimated at a document $304 million, up about 50% from 2019, with the typical loss final yr being estimated at $2,500 per particular person.

“From 2016 to 2020, reported complete greenback losses elevated greater than fourfold, and the variety of reviews practically tripled,” the company mentioned.

The FTC believes that the 50% spike in additional losses recorded in 2020 will be attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic, which has restricted individuals’s capacity to fulfill in particular person and has pressured extra customers in direction of utilizing on-line long-distance and impersonal communications, corresponding to relationship apps.

Most often, the ruse of those scams is that the targets of a romance rip-off must ship a reimbursement to the crooks.