Valentine’s Day is less than a week away. While many people plan dates with significant others, look to get into the dating scene or simply want to let friends and family know that they care, scammers may unfortunately try to take advantage of the heightened communication around this special day. BBB wants you to be aware of 3 common scams that typically make an appearance during this time of year:

1)   Fake Online Dating Profiles - Scam artists often create fake profiles designed to gain the trust of their victims, but ultimately intended to steal identity information, financial details, or money in general. After a few “perfect” chat sessions, the scammer may even attempt to set up a meeting, and ask the victim to wire money for a plane ticket. This might sound like a small price to pay for Mr. or Ms. Right, but is an easy way to lose the money sent.

2)   Package Delivery Email Scams – Many companies allow you to order Valentine’s Day gifts or flowers online and have them shipped to loved ones. However, cyber-crooks are well aware of this and may try to trick consumers into giving personal and financial information by creating phony delivery emails.  If you receive an email about a package or delivery that you don’t expect or didn’t send, don’t open it. You should be able to successfully send and receive Valentine’s Day gifts without being forced to correspond with the company through an email. If you suspect someone sent you a package and you are receiving an email delivery confirmation, be sure to verify with the shipping company on the phone before opening the email. Be especially careful with any unexpected emails that ask you to download items or click to separate websites – these are the signs of a scam.

3)   Valentine’s Day eCard Viruses - eCards have become a popular way to send funny or thoughtful greetings to loved ones, but some scammers have set up fake emails directing the receiver to a fake website that looks a lot like Hallmark or American Greetings. For example, a scam eCard may prompt the receiver of the card to download the latest version of a software in order to view the card. Once they install the program, their computer may be taken over with a Trojan, which is a program that can give the scammer full access to their computer and all of the files. Pay close attention when you click on links and be sure the web address you are directed to is where you intend to visit. Overall, be sure to only open eCards from people that you know and trust.