February, the season of romance. Between St. Valentine's Day and, if we're lucky, a day or two that hints of Spring like temperatures, it is easy to feel love is in the air. Unfortunately, it's also prime-time for cybercriminals and online dating scams.

Here’s how they work:

You meet someone special on a dating website. Soon they want to move off the dating site to email or phone calls. They tell you they love you, but live

far away — maybe for business, or in the military.

Then they ask for money. They might say it’s for a plane ticket to visit you. Or something urgent such as emergency surgery.

Scammers make fake dating profiles, sometimes

using photos of other people — even stolen pictures of real military personnel. They build relationships — some even fake wedding plans —

before they disappear with your money.

Here’s what you can do:

1. Stop. Don’t send money.

Never wire money, put money on a prepaid

debit card, or send cash to an online love interest. You won’t get it back.

2. Pass this information on to a friend.

You may not have gotten one of

these calls, but chances are you know someone who will get one — if they haven’t already.

Information courtesy of the Federal Trade Commision. ftc.gov/PassItOn

Please Report Scams

If you spot a scam, please report it to the Federal Trade Commission.

• Call the FTC at

1-877-FTC-HELP

(1-877-382-4357)

or TTY

1-866-653-4261.

• Go online: ftc.gov/complaint

Your report can help protect other people. By reporting fraud, you can help the FTC’s investigators

identify the scammers and stop them before they

can get someone’s hard-earned money. It really makes a difference.