From love to extortion – beware of romance scams

Summer Stephan

San Diego County District Attorney

When you meet someone new through a dating app or other online platform, the excitement about a new prospect can lower your instinct to sense when something is amiss.

Instead of questioning what would ordinarily be suspicious, you might explain it away. But here is why you should be skeptical when communicating with someone you’ve met online.

If you are lucky, the worst of it will simply be that profile photos are not an accurate reflection of how the person you are communicating with really looks.

If you’re unlucky, though, the profile is a wo...