I’ve never thought of the Federal Trade Commission as a place for dating advice, but the first sentence of a recent communication piece reads: “Online dating can be a great way to find lasting love — or even your next fling.”
Thankfully for all of us, the FTC isn’t writing a romance advice column. Instead, it’s releasing a warning about catfishing, which is apparently skyrocketing. According to the FTC, people have reported losing $1.3 billion to romance scams in the past five years. In 2021 alone, scammers ran off with $547 million with a median loss of $2,400.
