Harrisburg, PA

Change City

---

• Back to News Feed

For Scammers, It’s Not About Love, It’s About Your Money

Posted on 02/03/25

Romance is in the air as Valentine’s Day approaches. But for scammers, it’s not about love. It’s about gaining access to your money.

Romance fraud exploits intimate relationships for personal gain. Some common types of romance fraud include love bombing, catfishing, and inheritance.

• In “love bombing,” the scammer will take their time earning a person’s trust before expressing messages of love and asking for money. One such scammer, “Tony” cost AARP Pennsylvania Volunteer Kate tens of thousands of dollars. “Tony” reached out to her on Facebook with a friend request.

“We got friendly very quickly and moved off Facebook onto an app so we could talk to one another. And we spoke for a few months before he ever asked for any money, so there was a layer of trust,” said Kate who now warns others about the devastation of romance scams through AARP’s Fraud Watch Network.

• On dating sites, a “catfishing” scammer will create a fake online profile using an attractive fake photo. Once a person matches with this phony profile, the scammer moves the relationship forward quickly. He or she will express their love and ask to take the conversation off the dating app and use Snapchat or WhatsApp. Then this “perfect match” will begin asking for personal information or money.
  
• After developing a romantic relationship with someone, a scammer will convince them that they are going to receive a large inheritance, but they need to pay unexpected expenses that they can’t afford. By holding out the idea of future wealth, the scammer begins to ask for money to pay for the expenses regarding this non-existent inheritance. Once the money is in the scammer’s hands, he or she disappears.

“Romance scams can happen to any gender and are devastating financially and emotionally,” said Mary Bach, AARP Pennsylvania Volunteer and Chair of the Consumer Issues Task Force. “These scammers are very skilled at creating personas and exploiting a person’s vulnerabilities. Remember, if someone never attends a video call or other means of live interaction, it should raise concerns about their true identity.”

Report scams to local law enforcement. For help from AARP, call 1-877-908-3360 or visit the AARP Pennsylvania Fraud Resource Page at aarp.org/pafraud.

This story is provided by AARP Pennsylvania. Visit the AARP Pennsylvania page for more news, events, and programs affecting retirement, health care, and more.

AARP Events for Harrisburg

AARP Events for Harrisburg

• AARP Smart Driver™: Cascades Senior Center

  Wednesday, Mar 26, 2025 at 9:00 a.m. ET

  Cascades Senior Center

  Sterling, VA

• Strategies to Help Enhance Your Job Search

  Thursday, Mar 27, 2025 at 11:30 a.m. ET

  THEARC: Town Hall Education Arts Recreation Campus (Community Room)

  Washington, DC

• AARP CAREversations: Caring for A Loved One

  Thursday, Mar 27, 2025 at 6:00 p.m. ET

  Busboys and Poets-Brookland (Pearl Bailey Room)

  Washington, DC

View All AARP Events

Last Chance to Save!
New Pricing Coming in 2025.

This is AARP's first rate increase in 15 years.
Don't miss out, join today and save!

Join AARP

Already a member? Renew or Print Card

Contact AARP
Pennsylvania

• Email iconPAAARP@aarp.org
• Globe iconAARP Pennsylvania
• Map Marker iconContact Us

  

Return to top

Warning (2): include(/var/www/vhosts/vcc_staging/app/Resource/aarp2_master.footer.html) [<a href='http://php.net/function.include'>function.include</a>]: failed to open stream: No such file or directory [APP/View/Layouts/aarp_2023.ctp, line 242]
Code Context
            <?php // if (!$nowrapper) (Globals::$language == 'es') ? include(APP . "/Resource/aarpe_footer_es.html") : include(APP . "/Resource/aarpe_footer.html"); ?>
            <?php if (!$nowrapper):  // MLW - Spanish wrappers TBD
                    include (APP . "Resource/aarp2_master.footer.html");
$viewFile = '/var/www/vhosts/vcc_staging/app/View/Layouts/aarp_2023.ctp'
$dataForView = array(
	'content_for_layout' => '<div class="row twoColumnLayout">
	<div class="col-md-8 left-rail"><div class="module clearfix"><div class="ar-basic-box">

	<div>    
		<div class="module-spacer">
			<header><h1 class="article-headline">For Scammers, It’s Not About Love, It’s About Your Money</h1></header>	
						<div class="posted-on">
				Posted on 02/03/25 
							</div>
		</div>
		<div class="module-spacer">
			<span class="blog-content"><p><div class="RichTextArticleBody">
    
        <div class="RichTextArticleBody-body"><p>Romance is in the air as Valentine’s Day approaches. But for scammers, it’s not about love. It’s about gaining access to your money.<br><br>Romance fraud exploits intimate relationships for personal gain. Some common types of romance fraud include love bombing, catfishing, and inheritance.<br></p><ul><li>In “love bombing,” the scammer will take their time earning a person’s trust before expressing messages of love and asking for money. One such scammer, “Tony” cost AARP Pennsylvania Volunteer Kate tens of thousands of dollars. “Tony” reached out to her on Facebook with a friend request.</li></ul><p>“We got friendly very quickly and moved off Facebook onto an app so we could talk to one another. And we spoke for a few months before he ever asked for any money, so there was a layer of trust,” said Kate who now warns others about the devastation of romance scams through <span class="Enhancement" ><span class="Enhancement-item"><a class="Link" href="https://www.aarp.org/money/scams-fraud/about-fraud-watch-network/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">AARP’s Fraud Watch Network</a></span></span>.<br></p><ul><li>On dating sites, a “catfishing” scammer will create a fake online profile using an attractive fake photo. Once a person matches with this phony profile, the scammer moves the relationship forward quickly. He or she will express their love and ask to take the conversation off the dating app and use Snapchat or WhatsApp. Then this “perfect match” will begin asking for personal information or money.<br></li><li>After developing a romantic relationship with someone, a scammer will convince them that they are going to receive a large inheritance, but they need to pay unexpected expenses that they can’t afford. By holding out the idea of future wealth, the scammer begins to ask for money to pay for the expenses regarding this non-existent inheritance. Once the money is in the scammer’s hands, he or she disappears.</li></ul><p>“Romance scams can happen to any gender and are devastating financially and emotionally,” said Mary Bach, AARP Pennsylvania Volunteer and Chair of the Consumer Issues Task Force. “These scammers are very skilled at creating personas and exploiting a person’s vulnerabilities. Remember, if someone never attends a video call or other means of live interaction, it should raise concerns about their true identity.”<br><br><b>Report scams to local law enforcement. For help from AARP, call 1-877-908-3360 or visit the AARP Pennsylvania Fraud Resource Page at </b><span class="Enhancement" ><span class="Enhancement-item"><a class="Link" href="http://www.aarp.org/pafraud" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><b>aarp.org/pafraud</b></a></span></span>.<br><br></p></div>
    
</div>
</p></span>
		</div>
	</div>

		<p><i>This story is provided by AARP Pennsylvania. Visit the <a href="https://states.aarp.org/region/pennsylvania/" target="_blank">AARP Pennsylvania</a> page for more news, events, and programs affecting retirement, health care, and more.</i></p>
	
</div>
</div><div class="module clearfix"><script src="https://npmcdn.com/flickity@2/dist/flickity.pkgd.min.js"></script>

<script src="https://aarp-states.brightspotcdn.com/resource/00000168-dd17-d487-a96e-df5fe3ee0000/styleguide/All.min.d703996ba6a992470f9f7fa2170736df.gz.js"></script>

<link class="Webpack-css" rel="stylesheet" href="https://aarp-states.brightspotcdn.com/resource/00000168-dd17-d487-a96e-df5fe3ee0000/styleguide/All.min.2cef3303b65f09149a6db29044f033cb.gz.css">

<!--
<script src="https://aarp-states.brightspotcdn.com/resource/00000168-dd17-d487-a96e-df5fe3ee0000/styleguide/All.min.c85a242a55150cd195e494cd6e5b9c77.gz.js" async=""></script>
<link rel="stylesheet" media="all" href="https://aarp-states.brightspotcdn.com/resource/00000168-dd17-d487-a96e-df5fe3ee0000/styleguide/All.min.bfe6eb5a8301841feef3af4e9bd1e26d.gz.css">
-->

<!-- bypass -->
<style>
a:focus, a:hover {
    text-decoration: underline;
}
h1.article-headline {
margin: 0 0 1rem;
}
</style>

<!--
<style>
.Enhancement-item .Figure {
margin-bottom: 24px;
}
.RichTextArticleBody-body ul {
    margin-bottom: 24px;
}
.RichTextArticleBody-body p{
    margin: 12px 0;
}
.RichTextModule-items {
   clear: both;
    display: table;
    width: 100%;
    margin-bottom: 12px;
}
.VideoEnhancement>* {
    color: var(--primaryTextColor);
    font-size: 13px;
    font-weight: 400;
    line-height: 1.4;
    font-style: italic;
    background: #f0efed
}

@media only screen and (min-width: 768px) {
    .VideoEnhancement>* {
        font-size:14px;
        font-weight: 400;
        line-height: 1.47
    }
}

.VideoEnhancement-title {
    padding: 20px
}

@media only screen and (min-width: 768px) {
    .VideoEnhancement-title {
        padding:30px
    }
}

.VideoEnhancement-player>* {
    position: relative;
    width: 100%;
    height: 0;
    padding-bottom: 56.25%
}

.VideoEnhancement iframe {
    border: 0;
    position: absolute;
    top: 0;
    left: 0;
    width: 100%;
    height: 100%
}
[data-video-player] {
    display: block;
    padding-bottom: 56.25%;
    height: 0;
    margin: 0 auto;
}

[data-video-player][data-aspect-ratio="4x3"] {
    padding-bottom: 56.25%;
}

[data-video-player][data-aspect-ratio="16x9"] {
    padding-bottom: 56.25%
}
</style>
--></div><div class="module clearfix"><div class="module-spacer tout-homefit-750">
<a data-formelementid="CSN-LOCAL-HC-NEWSSK-02272024" 
	href="/harrisburg-pa/home-and-community/?intcmp=CSN-LOCAL-HC-NEWSSK-02272024"><img class="img-responsive"  
	alt="Explore the free AARP HomeFit Guide" title="Explore the free AARP HomeFit Guide" 
	src="https://cdn-aarp.americantowns.com/img/touts/HomeFit_750x150.png"></a>
</div></div></div>
	<div class="col-md-4 right-rail thin-rhs"><div class="module clearfix"><!--default-->
<!-- module_RHS - AARP Events -->

<div class="ar-basic-box module-spacer">
	<header>
		<div class="pull-right">
			<a href="/harrisburg-pa/aarp-events/" data-formelementid="LOCAL-BTN-CLK-SEEALL-EVENTS">
				<img style="width:30px;" src="https://cdn-aarp.americantowns.com/img/template/icons/aarp_event_icon.png" alt="Upcoming AARP Events" />
			</a>
		</div>
		<h2 class="visible-lg">AARP Events for Harrisburg</h2>
		<h2 class="hidden-lg">AARP Events for Harrisburg</h2>
	</header>
	<div class="wrap">
		<div class="ar-listing snippet">
			<ul class="list">
				<li class="item" data-pageindex="1">

					
					<h2 class="title"><a href="/driver-safety/aarp-smart-driver-dulles-va-c35488.html" data-formelementid="LOCAL-BTN-CLK-EVENTS-AARP-SMART-DRIVERTM-CASCADES-SENIOR-CENTER">AARP Smart Driver™: Cascades Senior Center</a></h2>
					<p class="time">Wednesday, Mar 26, 2025 at 9:00&nbsp;a.m. ET</p>
					<p class="venue">Cascades Senior Center</p>
					<p class="loc">Sterling, VA</p>
					
				</li><li class="item" data-pageindex="1">

					
					<h2 class="title"><a href="/aarp-event/strategies-to-help-enhance-your-job-search-washington-dc-32725-1130-am-et-lynhsltrh96.html" data-formelementid="LOCAL-BTN-CLK-EVENTS-STRATEGIES-TO-HELP-ENHANCE-YOUR-JOB-SEARCH">Strategies to Help Enhance Your Job Search</a></h2>
					<p class="time">Thursday, Mar 27, 2025 at 11:30&nbsp;a.m. ET</p>
					<p class="venue">THEARC: Town Hall Education Arts Recreation Campus (Community Room)</p>
					<p class="loc">Washington, DC</p>
					
				</li><li class="item" data-pageindex="1">

					
					<h2 class="title"><a href="/aarp-event/aarp-careversations-washington-dc-32725-600-pm-et-jmnzf5hydcg.html" data-formelementid="LOCAL-BTN-CLK-EVENTS-AARP-CAREVERSATIONS-CARING-FOR-A-LOVED-ONE">AARP CAREversations: Caring for A Loved One</a></h2>
					<p class="time">Thursday, Mar 27, 2025 at 6:00&nbsp;p.m. ET</p>
					<p class="venue">Busboys and Poets-Brookland (Pearl Bailey Room)</p>
					<p class="loc">Washington, DC</p>
					
				</li>			</ul>

			<p><a class="link-red" href="/harrisburg-pa/aarp-events/" data-formelementid="LOCAL-BTN-CLK-SEEALL-EVENTS">View All AARP Events<i class="ml-1 fas fa-chevron-right"></i></a></p>
	
		</div>
	</div>
</div>


<div aria-hidden="true" class="aarpe-ad-wrapper">
                    
                    <div class="aarpe-ad en clearfix" id="300x250_53475" data-adsize="300x250">
                        
                         
                            <script type="text/javascript">
                                if(typeof AARP.ads !== 'undefined'){
                                  AARP.ads.slots({ id:'300x250_53475', size:'300x250'});
                                }
                            </script>
                         
                    </div>
                </div>
<div class="card-tout card-dark membership-tout" style="margin:0 0 30px 0;height:360px;">
	<img class="img-responsive image" 
		title="image of two AARP membership cards"
		alt="image of two AARP membership cards" 
		src="https://cdn-aarp.americantowns.com/img/tout-two-cards.png">
	<div class="title">Last Chance to Save!<br />New Pricing Coming in 2025.</div>
<br />
	<p>
This is AARP's first rate increase in 15 years.<br />Don't miss out, join today and save!<br /><br />
</p>
	<div class="action">
		<a class="btn" href="https://appsec.aarp.org/mem/join?campaignid=UAJFT3&intcmp=LNK-CSN-AARPLOCAL-JRTOUT-RR-A-HARRISBURG-PA">Join AARP</a>
		<div class="body">Already a member? <a href="https://appsec.aarp.org/mem/renew?campaignid= UARFT3&intcmp=LNK-CSN-AARPLOCAL-JRTOUT-RR-A-HARRISBURG-PA">Renew</a> or 
			<a href="https://www.aarp.org/benefits-discounts/my-membership/print-your-card/">Print Card</a></div>
	</div>
</div>
<style>
.membership-tout {padding:16px 20px;}
.membership-tout .list li { margin: 0; }
</style> 
<div aria-hidden="true" class="aarpe-ad-wrapper">
                    
                    <div class="aarpe-ad en clearfix" id="300x250_93505" data-adsize="300x250">
                        
                         
                            <script type="text/javascript">
                                if(typeof AARP.ads !== 'undefined'){
                                  AARP.ads.slots({ id:'300x250_93505', size:'300x250'});
                                }
                            </script>
                         
                    </div>
                </div>
<div class="module-spacer text-center">
<div class="fb-page" alt="Image of AARP Pennsylvania Facebook Page" title="Image of AARP Pennsylvania Facebook Page" data-href="https://www.facebook.com/AARPPA" data-tabs="timeline" width="" height="" data-small-header="false" data-adapt-container-width="true" data-hide-cover="false" data-show-facepile="true">
	<blockquote cite="https://www.facebook.com/AARPPA" class="fb-xfbml-parse-ignore"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/AARPPA">Facebook</a></blockquote>
</div>
</div>

 


<div class="ar-basic-box module-spacer">
<header>
<h2>Contact AARP<br />Pennsylvania</h2>
</header>
<div class="wrap">

<div class="ar-quick-list module-spacer">
<ul class="list-unstyled">
<li><i class="list-icon fa fa-envelope" alt="Email icon" title="Email icon" aria-hidden="true"></i><a href="mailto:PAAARP@aarp.org" target="_blank" rel="noopener">PAAARP@aarp.org</a></li>
<li><i class="list-icon fa fa-globe" alt="Globe icon" title="Globe icon" aria-hidden="true"></i><a href="https://states.aarp.org/region/pennsylvania/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">AARP Pennsylvania</a></li>
<li><i class="list-icon fa fa-map-marker" alt="Map Marker icon" title="Map Marker icon" aria-hidden="true"></i><a href="https://states.aarp.org/your-local-aarp-office/?intcmp=SNG-LNK-AARPLOCAL-CONTACT-20140101-HARRISBURG-PA" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Contact Us</a></li>


</ul>
</div>
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/AARPPA" target="_blank" rel="noopener" aria-label="Open Facebook"><img style="max-width: 48px;" alt="Facebook icon" title="Facebook icon" src="https://cdn-aarp.americantowns.com/img/page/icons/facebook.png"></a>&nbsp;&nbsp;
<a href="https://twitter.com/AARPPA" target="_blank" rel="noopener" aria-label="Open Twitter"><img style="max-width: 48px;" alt="Twitter icon" title="Twitter icon" src="https://cdn-aarp.americantowns.com/img/page/icons/twitter.png"></a>



</div>
</div>


</div></div>
	<div class="col-md-8 left-rail left-bot"></div>
	<div class="col-md-4 right-rail right-bot thin-rhs"></div>
</div>
<div class="row oneColumnLayout">
	</div>
<div class="row oneColumnLayout">
	<div class="col-md-12"><!-- script to activate navbar -->
	<script type="text/javascript">
		jQuery(".channelBarMain ul.left li a").click(function() {
			window.location = jQuery(this).attr('href');
		});
	</script>
</div>
</div>
',
	'scripts_for_layout' => '<title>For Scammers, It’s Not About Love, It’s About Your Money</title>
<meta name="page_title" content="For Scammers, It’s Not About Love, It’s About Your Money"/>
<meta name="robots" content="noindex, nofollow"/>
<meta content="Romance is in the air as Valentine’s Day approaches. But for scammers, it’s not about love. It’s about gaining access to your money.Romance fraud" name="description"/>
<meta content="Scammers, It, s, Not, About, Love, Your, Money" name="keywords"/>
<link rel="canonical" href="https://states.aarp.org/pennsylvania/for-scammers-its-not-about-love-its-about-your-money" />
<meta property="og:url" content="https://vccstaging.local.aarp.org/news/for-scammers-its-not-about-love-its-about-your-money-pa-2025-02-03.html"/>
<meta name="twitter:card" content="summary_large_image"/>
<meta name="twitter:title" content="For Scammers, It’s Not About Love, It’s About Your Money"/>
<meta name="twitter:description" content="Romance is in the air as Valentine’s Day approaches. But for scammers, it’s not about love. It’s about gaining access to your money."/>
<meta name="twitter:image" content="https://aarp-states.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/c94e22e/2147483647/strip/true/crop/480x309+0+26/resize/420x270!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.ytimg.com%2Fvi%2FDyRG7nNrtMw%2Fhqdefault.jpg"/>
<meta property="og:type" content="article"/>
<meta property="og:title" content="For Scammers, It’s Not About Love, It’s About Your Money"/>
<meta property="og:description" content="Romance is in the air as Valentine’s Day approaches. But for scammers, it’s not about love. It’s about gaining access to your money."/>
<meta property="og:image" content="https://aarp-states.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/c94e22e/2147483647/strip/true/crop/480x309+0+26/resize/420x270!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.ytimg.com%2Fvi%2FDyRG7nNrtMw%2Fhqdefault.jpg"/>
/* temporary */
.RichTextArticleBody ul {
	padding-left: 20px;
}
.RichTextArticleBody .Enhancement {
	margin: 40px 0;
}
.RichTextArticleBody .Enhancement .Enhancement-item img {
	width: auto;
    max-width: 100% !important;
	height: auto;
}

@media (min-width: 768px) {
	.RichTextArticleBody .Enhancement .Enhancement-item .Figure[data-alignment=left],
	.RichTextArticleBody .Enhancement[data-align-left] .Enhancement-item > * {
		float: left;
		max-width: 340px !important;
		margin: 0 20px 20px 0;
	}
	.RichTextArticleBody .Enhancement .Enhancement-item .Figure[data-alignment=right],
	.RichTextArticleBody .Enhancement[data-align-right] .Enhancement-item > * {
		float: right;
		max-width: 340px !important;
		margin: 0 0 20px 20px;
	}
}        :root {
        --primaryColor: #ff1e3c;
        --primaryTextColor: #2a2a2a;
        --linkTextColor: #1f66bd;
        --linkHoverColor: #1f66bd;
        --secondaryTextColor: #000000;
        --secondaryColor2: #000000;
        --secondaryColor3: #000000;
        --secondaryColor4: #000000;
        --secondaryColor5: #000000;
        --black: #000000;
        --white: #ffffff;
        --grey: #f0efed;
        --gridGutters: 30px;
        --modulePadding: 60px;
        --pageWidth: 86.11%;
        --maxPageWidth: 1240px;
        --horizontalAlignment: center;
        --fontFamily: 'Roboto', sans-serif;
        --headerBackgroundColor:#000000;
        --headerTextColor:#FFFFFF;
        --headerHeight:50px;
        --footerbackgroundColor:#000000;
        --footerTextColor:#918883;
        }',
	'title_for_layout' => '{local_city_c}, {local_state} Happenings - AARP'
)
$content_for_layout = '<div class="row twoColumnLayout">
	<div class="col-md-8 left-rail"><div class="module clearfix"><div class="ar-basic-box">

	<div>    
		<div class="module-spacer">
			<header><h1 class="article-headline">For Scammers, It’s Not About Love, It’s About Your Money</h1></header>	
						<div class="posted-on">
				Posted on 02/03/25 
							</div>
		</div>
		<div class="module-spacer">
			<span class="blog-content"><p><div class="RichTextArticleBody">
    
        <div class="RichTextArticleBody-body"><p>Romance is in the air as Valentine’s Day approaches. But for scammers, it’s not about love. It’s about gaining access to your money.<br><br>Romance fraud exploits intimate relationships for personal gain. Some common types of romance fraud include love bombing, catfishing, and inheritance.<br></p><ul><li>In “love bombing,” the scammer will take their time earning a person’s trust before expressing messages of love and asking for money. One such scammer, “Tony” cost AARP Pennsylvania Volunteer Kate tens of thousands of dollars. “Tony” reached out to her on Facebook with a friend request.</li></ul><p>“We got friendly very quickly and moved off Facebook onto an app so we could talk to one another. And we spoke for a few months before he ever asked for any money, so there was a layer of trust,” said Kate who now warns others about the devastation of romance scams through <span class="Enhancement" ><span class="Enhancement-item"><a class="Link" href="https://www.aarp.org/money/scams-fraud/about-fraud-watch-network/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">AARP’s Fraud Watch Network</a></span></span>.<br></p><ul><li>On dating sites, a “catfishing” scammer will create a fake online profile using an attractive fake photo. Once a person matches with this phony profile, the scammer moves the relationship forward quickly. He or she will express their love and ask to take the conversation off the dating app and use Snapchat or WhatsApp. Then this “perfect match” will begin asking for personal information or money.<br></li><li>After developing a romantic relationship with someone, a scammer will convince them that they are going to receive a large inheritance, but they need to pay unexpected expenses that they can’t afford. By holding out the idea of future wealth, the scammer begins to ask for money to pay for the expenses regarding this non-existent inheritance. Once the money is in the scammer’s hands, he or she disappears.</li></ul><p>“Romance scams can happen to any gender and are devastating financially and emotionally,” said Mary Bach, AARP Pennsylvania Volunteer and Chair of the Consumer Issues Task Force. “These scammers are very skilled at creating personas and exploiting a person’s vulnerabilities. Remember, if someone never attends a video call or other means of live interaction, it should raise concerns about their true identity.”<br><br><b>Report scams to local law enforcement. For help from AARP, call 1-877-908-3360 or visit the AARP Pennsylvania Fraud Resource Page at </b><span class="Enhancement" ><span class="Enhancement-item"><a class="Link" href="http://www.aarp.org/pafraud" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><b>aarp.org/pafraud</b></a></span></span>.<br><br></p></div>
    
</div>
</p></span>
		</div>
	</div>

		<p><i>This story is provided by AARP Pennsylvania. Visit the <a href="https://states.aarp.org/region/pennsylvania/" target="_blank">AARP Pennsylvania</a> page for more news, events, and programs affecting retirement, health care, and more.</i></p>
	
</div>
</div><div class="module clearfix"><script src="https://npmcdn.com/flickity@2/dist/flickity.pkgd.min.js"></script>

<script src="https://aarp-states.brightspotcdn.com/resource/00000168-dd17-d487-a96e-df5fe3ee0000/styleguide/All.min.d703996ba6a992470f9f7fa2170736df.gz.js"></script>

<link class="Webpack-css" rel="stylesheet" href="https://aarp-states.brightspotcdn.com/resource/00000168-dd17-d487-a96e-df5fe3ee0000/styleguide/All.min.2cef3303b65f09149a6db29044f033cb.gz.css">

<!--
<script src="https://aarp-states.brightspotcdn.com/resource/00000168-dd17-d487-a96e-df5fe3ee0000/styleguide/All.min.c85a242a55150cd195e494cd6e5b9c77.gz.js" async=""></script>
<link rel="stylesheet" media="all" href="https://aarp-states.brightspotcdn.com/resource/00000168-dd17-d487-a96e-df5fe3ee0000/styleguide/All.min.bfe6eb5a8301841feef3af4e9bd1e26d.gz.css">
-->

<!-- bypass -->
<style>
a:focus, a:hover {
    text-decoration: underline;
}
h1.article-headline {
margin: 0 0 1rem;
}
</style>

<!--
<style>
.Enhancement-item .Figure {
margin-bottom: 24px;
}
.RichTextArticleBody-body ul {
    margin-bottom: 24px;
}
.RichTextArticleBody-body p{
    margin: 12px 0;
}
.RichTextModule-items {
   clear: both;
    display: table;
    width: 100%;
    margin-bottom: 12px;
}
.VideoEnhancement>* {
    color: var(--primaryTextColor);
    font-size: 13px;
    font-weight: 400;
    line-height: 1.4;
    font-style: italic;
    background: #f0efed
}

@media only screen and (min-width: 768px) {
    .VideoEnhancement>* {
        font-size:14px;
        font-weight: 400;
        line-height: 1.47
    }
}

.VideoEnhancement-title {
    padding: 20px
}

@media only screen and (min-width: 768px) {
    .VideoEnhancement-title {
        padding:30px
    }
}

.VideoEnhancement-player>* {
    position: relative;
    width: 100%;
    height: 0;
    padding-bottom: 56.25%
}

.VideoEnhancement iframe {
    border: 0;
    position: absolute;
    top: 0;
    left: 0;
    width: 100%;
    height: 100%
}
[data-video-player] {
    display: block;
    padding-bottom: 56.25%;
    height: 0;
    margin: 0 auto;
}

[data-video-player][data-aspect-ratio="4x3"] {
    padding-bottom: 56.25%;
}

[data-video-player][data-aspect-ratio="16x9"] {
    padding-bottom: 56.25%
}
</style>
--></div><div class="module clearfix"><div class="module-spacer tout-homefit-750">
<a data-formelementid="CSN-LOCAL-HC-NEWSSK-02272024" 
	href="/harrisburg-pa/home-and-community/?intcmp=CSN-LOCAL-HC-NEWSSK-02272024"><img class="img-responsive"  
	alt="Explore the free AARP HomeFit Guide" title="Explore the free AARP HomeFit Guide" 
	src="https://cdn-aarp.americantowns.com/img/touts/HomeFit_750x150.png"></a>
</div></div></div>
	<div class="col-md-4 right-rail thin-rhs"><div class="module clearfix"><!--default-->
<!-- module_RHS - AARP Events -->

<div class="ar-basic-box module-spacer">
	<header>
		<div class="pull-right">
			<a href="/harrisburg-pa/aarp-events/" data-formelementid="LOCAL-BTN-CLK-SEEALL-EVENTS">
				<img style="width:30px;" src="https://cdn-aarp.americantowns.com/img/template/icons/aarp_event_icon.png" alt="Upcoming AARP Events" />
			</a>
		</div>
		<h2 class="visible-lg">AARP Events for Harrisburg</h2>
		<h2 class="hidden-lg">AARP Events for Harrisburg</h2>
	</header>
	<div class="wrap">
		<div class="ar-listing snippet">
			<ul class="list">
				<li class="item" data-pageindex="1">

					
					<h2 class="title"><a href="/driver-safety/aarp-smart-driver-dulles-va-c35488.html" data-formelementid="LOCAL-BTN-CLK-EVENTS-AARP-SMART-DRIVERTM-CASCADES-SENIOR-CENTER">AARP Smart Driver™: Cascades Senior Center</a></h2>
					<p class="time">Wednesday, Mar 26, 2025 at 9:00&nbsp;a.m. ET</p>
					<p class="venue">Cascades Senior Center</p>
					<p class="loc">Sterling, VA</p>
					
				</li><li class="item" data-pageindex="1">

					
					<h2 class="title"><a href="/aarp-event/strategies-to-help-enhance-your-job-search-washington-dc-32725-1130-am-et-lynhsltrh96.html" data-formelementid="LOCAL-BTN-CLK-EVENTS-STRATEGIES-TO-HELP-ENHANCE-YOUR-JOB-SEARCH">Strategies to Help Enhance Your Job Search</a></h2>
					<p class="time">Thursday, Mar 27, 2025 at 11:30&nbsp;a.m. ET</p>
					<p class="venue">THEARC: Town Hall Education Arts Recreation Campus (Community Room)</p>
					<p class="loc">Washington, DC</p>
					
				</li><li class="item" data-pageindex="1">

					
					<h2 class="title"><a href="/aarp-event/aarp-careversations-washington-dc-32725-600-pm-et-jmnzf5hydcg.html" data-formelementid="LOCAL-BTN-CLK-EVENTS-AARP-CAREVERSATIONS-CARING-FOR-A-LOVED-ONE">AARP CAREversations: Caring for A Loved One</a></h2>
					<p class="time">Thursday, Mar 27, 2025 at 6:00&nbsp;p.m. ET</p>
					<p class="venue">Busboys and Poets-Brookland (Pearl Bailey Room)</p>
					<p class="loc">Washington, DC</p>
					
				</li>			</ul>

			<p><a class="link-red" href="/harrisburg-pa/aarp-events/" data-formelementid="LOCAL-BTN-CLK-SEEALL-EVENTS">View All AARP Events<i class="ml-1 fas fa-chevron-right"></i></a></p>
	
		</div>
	</div>
</div>


<div aria-hidden="true" class="aarpe-ad-wrapper">
                    
                    <div class="aarpe-ad en clearfix" id="300x250_53475" data-adsize="300x250">
                        
                         
                            <script type="text/javascript">
                                if(typeof AARP.ads !== 'undefined'){
                                  AARP.ads.slots({ id:'300x250_53475', size:'300x250'});
                                }
                            </script>
                         
                    </div>
                </div>
<div class="card-tout card-dark membership-tout" style="margin:0 0 30px 0;height:360px;">
	<img class="img-responsive image" 
		title="image of two AARP membership cards"
		alt="image of two AARP membership cards" 
		src="https://cdn-aarp.americantowns.com/img/tout-two-cards.png">
	<div class="title">Last Chance to Save!<br />New Pricing Coming in 2025.</div>
<br />
	<p>
This is AARP's first rate increase in 15 years.<br />Don't miss out, join today and save!<br /><br />
</p>
	<div class="action">
		<a class="btn" href="https://appsec.aarp.org/mem/join?campaignid=UAJFT3&intcmp=LNK-CSN-AARPLOCAL-JRTOUT-RR-A-HARRISBURG-PA">Join AARP</a>
		<div class="body">Already a member? <a href="https://appsec.aarp.org/mem/renew?campaignid= UARFT3&intcmp=LNK-CSN-AARPLOCAL-JRTOUT-RR-A-HARRISBURG-PA">Renew</a> or 
			<a href="https://www.aarp.org/benefits-discounts/my-membership/print-your-card/">Print Card</a></div>
	</div>
</div>
<style>
.membership-tout {padding:16px 20px;}
.membership-tout .list li { margin: 0; }
</style> 
<div aria-hidden="true" class="aarpe-ad-wrapper">
                    
                    <div class="aarpe-ad en clearfix" id="300x250_93505" data-adsize="300x250">
                        
                         
                            <script type="text/javascript">
                                if(typeof AARP.ads !== 'undefined'){
                                  AARP.ads.slots({ id:'300x250_93505', size:'300x250'});
                                }
                            </script>
                         
                    </div>
                </div>
<div class="module-spacer text-center">
<div class="fb-page" alt="Image of AARP Pennsylvania Facebook Page" title="Image of AARP Pennsylvania Facebook Page" data-href="https://www.facebook.com/AARPPA" data-tabs="timeline" width="" height="" data-small-header="false" data-adapt-container-width="true" data-hide-cover="false" data-show-facepile="true">
	<blockquote cite="https://www.facebook.com/AARPPA" class="fb-xfbml-parse-ignore"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/AARPPA">Facebook</a></blockquote>
</div>
</div>

 


<div class="ar-basic-box module-spacer">
<header>
<h2>Contact AARP<br />Pennsylvania</h2>
</header>
<div class="wrap">

<div class="ar-quick-list module-spacer">
<ul class="list-unstyled">
<li><i class="list-icon fa fa-envelope" alt="Email icon" title="Email icon" aria-hidden="true"></i><a href="mailto:PAAARP@aarp.org" target="_blank" rel="noopener">PAAARP@aarp.org</a></li>
<li><i class="list-icon fa fa-globe" alt="Globe icon" title="Globe icon" aria-hidden="true"></i><a href="https://states.aarp.org/region/pennsylvania/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">AARP Pennsylvania</a></li>
<li><i class="list-icon fa fa-map-marker" alt="Map Marker icon" title="Map Marker icon" aria-hidden="true"></i><a href="https://states.aarp.org/your-local-aarp-office/?intcmp=SNG-LNK-AARPLOCAL-CONTACT-20140101-HARRISBURG-PA" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Contact Us</a></li>


</ul>
</div>
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/AARPPA" target="_blank" rel="noopener" aria-label="Open Facebook"><img style="max-width: 48px;" alt="Facebook icon" title="Facebook icon" src="https://cdn-aarp.americantowns.com/img/page/icons/facebook.png"></a>&nbsp;&nbsp;
<a href="https://twitter.com/AARPPA" target="_blank" rel="noopener" aria-label="Open Twitter"><img style="max-width: 48px;" alt="Twitter icon" title="Twitter icon" src="https://cdn-aarp.americantowns.com/img/page/icons/twitter.png"></a>



</div>
</div>


</div></div>
	<div class="col-md-8 left-rail left-bot"></div>
	<div class="col-md-4 right-rail right-bot thin-rhs"></div>
</div>
<div class="row oneColumnLayout">
	</div>
<div class="row oneColumnLayout">
	<div class="col-md-12"><!-- script to activate navbar -->
	<script type="text/javascript">
		jQuery(".channelBarMain ul.left li a").click(function() {
			window.location = jQuery(this).attr('href');
		});
	</script>
</div>
</div>
'
$scripts_for_layout = '<title>For Scammers, It’s Not About Love, It’s About Your Money</title>
<meta name="page_title" content="For Scammers, It’s Not About Love, It’s About Your Money"/>
<meta name="robots" content="noindex, nofollow"/>
<meta content="Romance is in the air as Valentine’s Day approaches. But for scammers, it’s not about love. It’s about gaining access to your money.Romance fraud" name="description"/>
<meta content="Scammers, It, s, Not, About, Love, Your, Money" name="keywords"/>
<link rel="canonical" href="https://states.aarp.org/pennsylvania/for-scammers-its-not-about-love-its-about-your-money" />
<meta property="og:url" content="https://vccstaging.local.aarp.org/news/for-scammers-its-not-about-love-its-about-your-money-pa-2025-02-03.html"/>
<meta name="twitter:card" content="summary_large_image"/>
<meta name="twitter:title" content="For Scammers, It’s Not About Love, It’s About Your Money"/>
<meta name="twitter:description" content="Romance is in the air as Valentine’s Day approaches. But for scammers, it’s not about love. It’s about gaining access to your money."/>
<meta name="twitter:image" content="https://aarp-states.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/c94e22e/2147483647/strip/true/crop/480x309+0+26/resize/420x270!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.ytimg.com%2Fvi%2FDyRG7nNrtMw%2Fhqdefault.jpg"/>
<meta property="og:type" content="article"/>
<meta property="og:title" content="For Scammers, It’s Not About Love, It’s About Your Money"/>
<meta property="og:description" content="Romance is in the air as Valentine’s Day approaches. But for scammers, it’s not about love. It’s about gaining access to your money."/>
<meta property="og:image" content="https://aarp-states.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/c94e22e/2147483647/strip/true/crop/480x309+0+26/resize/420x270!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.ytimg.com%2Fvi%2FDyRG7nNrtMw%2Fhqdefault.jpg"/>
/* temporary */
.RichTextArticleBody ul {
	padding-left: 20px;
}
.RichTextArticleBody .Enhancement {
	margin: 40px 0;
}
.RichTextArticleBody .Enhancement .Enhancement-item img {
	width: auto;
    max-width: 100% !important;
	height: auto;
}

@media (min-width: 768px) {
	.RichTextArticleBody .Enhancement .Enhancement-item .Figure[data-alignment=left],
	.RichTextArticleBody .Enhancement[data-align-left] .Enhancement-item > * {
		float: left;
		max-width: 340px !important;
		margin: 0 20px 20px 0;
	}
	.RichTextArticleBody .Enhancement .Enhancement-item .Figure[data-alignment=right],
	.RichTextArticleBody .Enhancement[data-align-right] .Enhancement-item > * {
		float: right;
		max-width: 340px !important;
		margin: 0 0 20px 20px;
	}
}        :root {
        --primaryColor: #ff1e3c;
        --primaryTextColor: #2a2a2a;
        --linkTextColor: #1f66bd;
        --linkHoverColor: #1f66bd;
        --secondaryTextColor: #000000;
        --secondaryColor2: #000000;
        --secondaryColor3: #000000;
        --secondaryColor4: #000000;
        --secondaryColor5: #000000;
        --black: #000000;
        --white: #ffffff;
        --grey: #f0efed;
        --gridGutters: 30px;
        --modulePadding: 60px;
        --pageWidth: 86.11%;
        --maxPageWidth: 1240px;
        --horizontalAlignment: center;
        --fontFamily: 'Roboto', sans-serif;
        --headerBackgroundColor:#000000;
        --headerTextColor:#FFFFFF;
        --headerHeight:50px;
        --footerbackgroundColor:#000000;
        --footerTextColor:#918883;
        }'
$title_for_layout = '{local_city_c}, {local_state} Happenings - AARP'
$asset_version = '240925'
$min = true
$nowrapper = false
$css = '/* temporary */
.RichTextArticleBody ul {
	padding-left: 20px;
}
.RichTextArticleBody .Enhancement {
	margin: 40px 0;
}
.RichTextArticleBody .Enhancement .Enhancement-item img {
	width: auto;
    max-width: 100% !important;
	height: auto;
}

@media (min-width: 768px) {
	.RichTextArticleBody .Enhancement .Enhancement-item .Figure[data-alignment=left],
	.RichTextArticleBody .Enhancement[data-align-left] .Enhancement-item > * {
		float: left;
		max-width: 340px !important;
		margin: 0 20px 20px 0;
	}
	.RichTextArticleBody .Enhancement .Enhancement-item .Figure[data-alignment=right],
	.RichTextArticleBody .Enhancement[data-align-right] .Enhancement-item > * {
		float: right;
		max-width: 340px !important;
		margin: 0 0 20px 20px;
	}
}        :root {
        --primaryColor: #ff1e3c;
        --primaryTextColor: #2a2a2a;
        --linkTextColor: #1f66bd;
        --linkHoverColor: #1f66bd;
        --secondaryTextColor: #000000;
        --secondaryColor2: #000000;
        --secondaryColor3: #000000;
        --secondaryColor4: #000000;
        --secondaryColor5: #000000;
        --black: #000000;
        --white: #ffffff;
        --grey: #f0efed;
        --gridGutters: 30px;
        --modulePadding: 60px;
        --pageWidth: 86.11%;
        --maxPageWidth: 1240px;
        --horizontalAlignment: center;
        --fontFamily: 'Roboto', sans-serif;
        --headerBackgroundColor:#000000;
        --headerTextColor:#FFFFFF;
        --headerHeight:50px;
        --footerbackgroundColor:#000000;
        --footerTextColor:#918883;
        }'
$highlighting = ''
$location = '<a href="/harrisburg-pa/?intcmp=CSN-LOCAL-NAV-HOME">Harrisburg, PA</a>'
$no_header = false
$header_title = '<a href="/harrisburg-pa/happenings/">News Feed</a>'
$header_subtitle = ''
$isPR = false
$navbar = '<nav class="section" role="button" aria-expanded="false" aria-controls="collapse">
	<div class="section-toggle">Sections <i class="fas fa-chevron-down"></i></div>
	<ul class="secondary-menu" id="secondary-menu" role="menu" aria-busy="true">
		<li role="presentation" class=""><a role="menuitem" class="menuitem" href="/harrisburg-pa/aarp-events/?intcmp=CSN-LOCAL-NAV-OLE" data-formelementid="LOCAL-LNK-CLK-EVENTS">Online & Local Events</a> </li>
		<li role="presentation" class=""><a role="menuitem" class="menuitem" href="/harrisburg-pa/things-to-do/?intcmp=CSN-LOCAL-NAV-TTD" data-formelementid="LOCAL-LNK-CLK-THINGSTODO">Things to Do</a></li>
		<li role="presentation" class="active"><a role="menuitem" class="menuitem" href="/harrisburg-pa/happenings/?intcmp=CSN-LOCAL-NAV-NF" data-formelementid="LOCAL-LNK-CLK-HAPPENINGS">News Feed</a> </li>
		<li role="presentation" class=""><a role="menuitem" class="menuitem" href="/harrisburg-pa/volunteering/?intcmp=CSN-LOCAL-NAV-VOL" data-formelementid="LOCAL-LNK-CLK-VOLUNTEERING">Volunteering</a> </li>
		<li role="presentation" class=""><a role="menuitem" class="menuitem" href="/harrisburg-pa/home-and-community/?intcmp=CSN-LOCAL-NAV-HC" data-formelementid="LOCAL-LNK-CLK-HC">Home & Community</a> </li>
		<li role="presentation" class=""><a role="menuitem" class="menuitem" href="/harrisburg-pa/movies/?intcmp=CSN-LOCAL-NAV-MFG" data-formelementid="LOCAL-LNK-CLK-MOVIESFORGROWNUPS">Movies for Grownups</a> </li>
		<li role="presentation" class="more nosep " id="submenu-more">
			<span role="menuitem" class="menuitem" data-formelementid="LOCAL-LNK-CLK-MORE">More<i class="fas fa-chevron-down"></i></span>
			<ul class="secondary-submenu animate slide-in" id="secondary-submenu">
				<li role="presentation"><a role="menuitem" class="menuitem " href="/harrisburg-pa/discounts/?intcmp=CSN-LOCAL-NAV-LO" data-formelementid="LOCAL-LNK-CLK-OFFERS">Local Offers</a></li>
				<li role="presentation"><a role="menuitem" class="menuitem " href="/harrisburg-pa/local-resources/?intcmp=CSN-LOCAL-NAV-LR" data-formelementid="LOCAL-LNK-CLK-LOCALRESOURCES">Local Resources</a> </li>
				<li role="presentation"><a role="menuitem" class="menuitem " href="/harrisburg-pa/jobs/?intcmp=CSN-LOCAL-NAV-WJ" data-formelementid="LOCAL-LNK-CLK-WORK&JOBS">Work & Jobs</a></li>
				<li role="presentation"><a role="menuitem" class="menuitem " href="/harrisburg-pa/events/?intcmp=CSN-LOCAL-NAV-CC" data-formelementid="LOCAL-LNK-CLK-EVENTS">Community Calendar</a></li>
				<!--
				<li role="presentation"><a role="menuitem" class="menuitem " href="/harrisburg-pa/healthy-living/?intcmp=CSN-LOCAL-NAV-HEALTHY_LIVING" data-formelementid="LOCAL-LNK-CLK-HEALTHY_LIVING">Healthy Living</a></li>
				<li role="presentation"><a role="menuitem" class="menuitem " href="/harrisburg-pa/arts-entertainment/?intcmp=CSN-LOCAL-NAV-ARTS_ENT" data-formelementid="LOCAL-LNK-CLK-ARTS_ENT">Arts & Entertainment</a></li>
				<li role="presentation"><a role="menuitem" class="menuitem " href="/harrisburg-pa/museums/?intcmp=CSN-LOCAL-NAV-MUSEUMS" data-formelementid="LOCAL-LNK-CLK-MUSEUMS">Museums</a></li>
				-->
			</ul>
		</li>
		
	</ul>
</nav>'
$header_custom = ''
$breadcrumbs = array(
	(int) 0 => array(
		'title' => 'News Feed',
		'slug' => 'happenings'
	)
)
$row = array(
	'title' => 'Back to News Feed',
	'slug' => 'happenings'
)
$i = (int) 0
include - APP/View/Layouts/aarp_2023.ctp, line 242
include - APP/View/Layouts/aarp_2023.ctp, line 242
View::_evaluate() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 971
View::_render() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 933
View::renderLayout() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 546
View::render() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 481
Controller::render() - CORE/Cake/Controller/Controller.php, line 963
AppController::renderPage() - APP/Controller/AppController.php, line 136
BlogsController::display() - APP/Controller/BlogsController.php, line 81
ReflectionMethod::invokeArgs() - [internal], line ??
Controller::invokeAction() - CORE/Cake/Controller/Controller.php, line 491
Dispatcher::_invoke() - CORE/Cake/Routing/Dispatcher.php, line 193
Dispatcher::dispatch() - CORE/Cake/Routing/Dispatcher.php, line 167
[main] - APP/webroot/index.php, line 118

Warning (2): include() [<a href='http://php.net/function.include'>function.include</a>]: Failed opening '/var/www/vhosts/vcc_staging/app/Resource/aarp2_master.footer.html' for inclusion (include_path='/var/www/vhosts/vcc_staging/lib:.:/usr/share/pear:/usr/share/php') [APP/View/Layouts/aarp_2023.ctp, line 242]
Code Context
            <?php // if (!$nowrapper) (Globals::$language == 'es') ? include(APP . "/Resource/aarpe_footer_es.html") : include(APP . "/Resource/aarpe_footer.html"); ?>
            <?php if (!$nowrapper):  // MLW - Spanish wrappers TBD
                    include (APP . "Resource/aarp2_master.footer.html");
$viewFile = '/var/www/vhosts/vcc_staging/app/View/Layouts/aarp_2023.ctp'
$dataForView = array(
	'content_for_layout' => '<div class="row twoColumnLayout">
	<div class="col-md-8 left-rail"><div class="module clearfix"><div class="ar-basic-box">

	<div>    
		<div class="module-spacer">
			<header><h1 class="article-headline">For Scammers, It’s Not About Love, It’s About Your Money</h1></header>	
						<div class="posted-on">
				Posted on 02/03/25 
							</div>
		</div>
		<div class="module-spacer">
			<span class="blog-content"><p><div class="RichTextArticleBody">
    
        <div class="RichTextArticleBody-body"><p>Romance is in the air as Valentine’s Day approaches. But for scammers, it’s not about love. It’s about gaining access to your money.<br><br>Romance fraud exploits intimate relationships for personal gain. Some common types of romance fraud include love bombing, catfishing, and inheritance.<br></p><ul><li>In “love bombing,” the scammer will take their time earning a person’s trust before expressing messages of love and asking for money. One such scammer, “Tony” cost AARP Pennsylvania Volunteer Kate tens of thousands of dollars. “Tony” reached out to her on Facebook with a friend request.</li></ul><p>“We got friendly very quickly and moved off Facebook onto an app so we could talk to one another. And we spoke for a few months before he ever asked for any money, so there was a layer of trust,” said Kate who now warns others about the devastation of romance scams through <span class="Enhancement" ><span class="Enhancement-item"><a class="Link" href="https://www.aarp.org/money/scams-fraud/about-fraud-watch-network/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">AARP’s Fraud Watch Network</a></span></span>.<br></p><ul><li>On dating sites, a “catfishing” scammer will create a fake online profile using an attractive fake photo. Once a person matches with this phony profile, the scammer moves the relationship forward quickly. He or she will express their love and ask to take the conversation off the dating app and use Snapchat or WhatsApp. Then this “perfect match” will begin asking for personal information or money.<br></li><li>After developing a romantic relationship with someone, a scammer will convince them that they are going to receive a large inheritance, but they need to pay unexpected expenses that they can’t afford. By holding out the idea of future wealth, the scammer begins to ask for money to pay for the expenses regarding this non-existent inheritance. Once the money is in the scammer’s hands, he or she disappears.</li></ul><p>“Romance scams can happen to any gender and are devastating financially and emotionally,” said Mary Bach, AARP Pennsylvania Volunteer and Chair of the Consumer Issues Task Force. “These scammers are very skilled at creating personas and exploiting a person’s vulnerabilities. Remember, if someone never attends a video call or other means of live interaction, it should raise concerns about their true identity.”<br><br><b>Report scams to local law enforcement. For help from AARP, call 1-877-908-3360 or visit the AARP Pennsylvania Fraud Resource Page at </b><span class="Enhancement" ><span class="Enhancement-item"><a class="Link" href="http://www.aarp.org/pafraud" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><b>aarp.org/pafraud</b></a></span></span>.<br><br></p></div>
    
</div>
</p></span>
		</div>
	</div>

		<p><i>This story is provided by AARP Pennsylvania. Visit the <a href="https://states.aarp.org/region/pennsylvania/" target="_blank">AARP Pennsylvania</a> page for more news, events, and programs affecting retirement, health care, and more.</i></p>
	
</div>
</div><div class="module clearfix"><script src="https://npmcdn.com/flickity@2/dist/flickity.pkgd.min.js"></script>

<script src="https://aarp-states.brightspotcdn.com/resource/00000168-dd17-d487-a96e-df5fe3ee0000/styleguide/All.min.d703996ba6a992470f9f7fa2170736df.gz.js"></script>

<link class="Webpack-css" rel="stylesheet" href="https://aarp-states.brightspotcdn.com/resource/00000168-dd17-d487-a96e-df5fe3ee0000/styleguide/All.min.2cef3303b65f09149a6db29044f033cb.gz.css">

<!--
<script src="https://aarp-states.brightspotcdn.com/resource/00000168-dd17-d487-a96e-df5fe3ee0000/styleguide/All.min.c85a242a55150cd195e494cd6e5b9c77.gz.js" async=""></script>
<link rel="stylesheet" media="all" href="https://aarp-states.brightspotcdn.com/resource/00000168-dd17-d487-a96e-df5fe3ee0000/styleguide/All.min.bfe6eb5a8301841feef3af4e9bd1e26d.gz.css">
-->

<!-- bypass -->
<style>
a:focus, a:hover {
    text-decoration: underline;
}
h1.article-headline {
margin: 0 0 1rem;
}
</style>

<!--
<style>
.Enhancement-item .Figure {
margin-bottom: 24px;
}
.RichTextArticleBody-body ul {
    margin-bottom: 24px;
}
.RichTextArticleBody-body p{
    margin: 12px 0;
}
.RichTextModule-items {
   clear: both;
    display: table;
    width: 100%;
    margin-bottom: 12px;
}
.VideoEnhancement>* {
    color: var(--primaryTextColor);
    font-size: 13px;
    font-weight: 400;
    line-height: 1.4;
    font-style: italic;
    background: #f0efed
}

@media only screen and (min-width: 768px) {
    .VideoEnhancement>* {
        font-size:14px;
        font-weight: 400;
        line-height: 1.47
    }
}

.VideoEnhancement-title {
    padding: 20px
}

@media only screen and (min-width: 768px) {
    .VideoEnhancement-title {
        padding:30px
    }
}

.VideoEnhancement-player>* {
    position: relative;
    width: 100%;
    height: 0;
    padding-bottom: 56.25%
}

.VideoEnhancement iframe {
    border: 0;
    position: absolute;
    top: 0;
    left: 0;
    width: 100%;
    height: 100%
}
[data-video-player] {
    display: block;
    padding-bottom: 56.25%;
    height: 0;
    margin: 0 auto;
}

[data-video-player][data-aspect-ratio="4x3"] {
    padding-bottom: 56.25%;
}

[data-video-player][data-aspect-ratio="16x9"] {
    padding-bottom: 56.25%
}
</style>
--></div><div class="module clearfix"><div class="module-spacer tout-homefit-750">
<a data-formelementid="CSN-LOCAL-HC-NEWSSK-02272024" 
	href="/harrisburg-pa/home-and-community/?intcmp=CSN-LOCAL-HC-NEWSSK-02272024"><img class="img-responsive"  
	alt="Explore the free AARP HomeFit Guide" title="Explore the free AARP HomeFit Guide" 
	src="https://cdn-aarp.americantowns.com/img/touts/HomeFit_750x150.png"></a>
</div></div></div>
	<div class="col-md-4 right-rail thin-rhs"><div class="module clearfix"><!--default-->
<!-- module_RHS - AARP Events -->

<div class="ar-basic-box module-spacer">
	<header>
		<div class="pull-right">
			<a href="/harrisburg-pa/aarp-events/" data-formelementid="LOCAL-BTN-CLK-SEEALL-EVENTS">
				<img style="width:30px;" src="https://cdn-aarp.americantowns.com/img/template/icons/aarp_event_icon.png" alt="Upcoming AARP Events" />
			</a>
		</div>
		<h2 class="visible-lg">AARP Events for Harrisburg</h2>
		<h2 class="hidden-lg">AARP Events for Harrisburg</h2>
	</header>
	<div class="wrap">
		<div class="ar-listing snippet">
			<ul class="list">
				<li class="item" data-pageindex="1">

					
					<h2 class="title"><a href="/driver-safety/aarp-smart-driver-dulles-va-c35488.html" data-formelementid="LOCAL-BTN-CLK-EVENTS-AARP-SMART-DRIVERTM-CASCADES-SENIOR-CENTER">AARP Smart Driver™: Cascades Senior Center</a></h2>
					<p class="time">Wednesday, Mar 26, 2025 at 9:00&nbsp;a.m. ET</p>
					<p class="venue">Cascades Senior Center</p>
					<p class="loc">Sterling, VA</p>
					
				</li><li class="item" data-pageindex="1">

					
					<h2 class="title"><a href="/aarp-event/strategies-to-help-enhance-your-job-search-washington-dc-32725-1130-am-et-lynhsltrh96.html" data-formelementid="LOCAL-BTN-CLK-EVENTS-STRATEGIES-TO-HELP-ENHANCE-YOUR-JOB-SEARCH">Strategies to Help Enhance Your Job Search</a></h2>
					<p class="time">Thursday, Mar 27, 2025 at 11:30&nbsp;a.m. ET</p>
					<p class="venue">THEARC: Town Hall Education Arts Recreation Campus (Community Room)</p>
					<p class="loc">Washington, DC</p>
					
				</li><li class="item" data-pageindex="1">

					
					<h2 class="title"><a href="/aarp-event/aarp-careversations-washington-dc-32725-600-pm-et-jmnzf5hydcg.html" data-formelementid="LOCAL-BTN-CLK-EVENTS-AARP-CAREVERSATIONS-CARING-FOR-A-LOVED-ONE">AARP CAREversations: Caring for A Loved One</a></h2>
					<p class="time">Thursday, Mar 27, 2025 at 6:00&nbsp;p.m. ET</p>
					<p class="venue">Busboys and Poets-Brookland (Pearl Bailey Room)</p>
					<p class="loc">Washington, DC</p>
					
				</li>			</ul>

			<p><a class="link-red" href="/harrisburg-pa/aarp-events/" data-formelementid="LOCAL-BTN-CLK-SEEALL-EVENTS">View All AARP Events<i class="ml-1 fas fa-chevron-right"></i></a></p>
	
		</div>
	</div>
</div>


<div aria-hidden="true" class="aarpe-ad-wrapper">
                    
                    <div class="aarpe-ad en clearfix" id="300x250_53475" data-adsize="300x250">
                        
                         
                            <script type="text/javascript">
                                if(typeof AARP.ads !== 'undefined'){
                                  AARP.ads.slots({ id:'300x250_53475', size:'300x250'});
                                }
                            </script>
                         
                    </div>
                </div>
<div class="card-tout card-dark membership-tout" style="margin:0 0 30px 0;height:360px;">
	<img class="img-responsive image" 
		title="image of two AARP membership cards"
		alt="image of two AARP membership cards" 
		src="https://cdn-aarp.americantowns.com/img/tout-two-cards.png">
	<div class="title">Last Chance to Save!<br />New Pricing Coming in 2025.</div>
<br />
	<p>
This is AARP's first rate increase in 15 years.<br />Don't miss out, join today and save!<br /><br />
</p>
	<div class="action">
		<a class="btn" href="https://appsec.aarp.org/mem/join?campaignid=UAJFT3&intcmp=LNK-CSN-AARPLOCAL-JRTOUT-RR-A-HARRISBURG-PA">Join AARP</a>
		<div class="body">Already a member? <a href="https://appsec.aarp.org/mem/renew?campaignid= UARFT3&intcmp=LNK-CSN-AARPLOCAL-JRTOUT-RR-A-HARRISBURG-PA">Renew</a> or 
			<a href="https://www.aarp.org/benefits-discounts/my-membership/print-your-card/">Print Card</a></div>
	</div>
</div>
<style>
.membership-tout {padding:16px 20px;}
.membership-tout .list li { margin: 0; }
</style> 
<div aria-hidden="true" class="aarpe-ad-wrapper">
                    
                    <div class="aarpe-ad en clearfix" id="300x250_93505" data-adsize="300x250">
                        
                         
                            <script type="text/javascript">
                                if(typeof AARP.ads !== 'undefined'){
                                  AARP.ads.slots({ id:'300x250_93505', size:'300x250'});
                                }
                            </script>
                         
                    </div>
                </div>
<div class="module-spacer text-center">
<div class="fb-page" alt="Image of AARP Pennsylvania Facebook Page" title="Image of AARP Pennsylvania Facebook Page" data-href="https://www.facebook.com/AARPPA" data-tabs="timeline" width="" height="" data-small-header="false" data-adapt-container-width="true" data-hide-cover="false" data-show-facepile="true">
	<blockquote cite="https://www.facebook.com/AARPPA" class="fb-xfbml-parse-ignore"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/AARPPA">Facebook</a></blockquote>
</div>
</div>

 


<div class="ar-basic-box module-spacer">
<header>
<h2>Contact AARP<br />Pennsylvania</h2>
</header>
<div class="wrap">

<div class="ar-quick-list module-spacer">
<ul class="list-unstyled">
<li><i class="list-icon fa fa-envelope" alt="Email icon" title="Email icon" aria-hidden="true"></i><a href="mailto:PAAARP@aarp.org" target="_blank" rel="noopener">PAAARP@aarp.org</a></li>
<li><i class="list-icon fa fa-globe" alt="Globe icon" title="Globe icon" aria-hidden="true"></i><a href="https://states.aarp.org/region/pennsylvania/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">AARP Pennsylvania</a></li>
<li><i class="list-icon fa fa-map-marker" alt="Map Marker icon" title="Map Marker icon" aria-hidden="true"></i><a href="https://states.aarp.org/your-local-aarp-office/?intcmp=SNG-LNK-AARPLOCAL-CONTACT-20140101-HARRISBURG-PA" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Contact Us</a></li>


</ul>
</div>
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/AARPPA" target="_blank" rel="noopener" aria-label="Open Facebook"><img style="max-width: 48px;" alt="Facebook icon" title="Facebook icon" src="https://cdn-aarp.americantowns.com/img/page/icons/facebook.png"></a>&nbsp;&nbsp;
<a href="https://twitter.com/AARPPA" target="_blank" rel="noopener" aria-label="Open Twitter"><img style="max-width: 48px;" alt="Twitter icon" title="Twitter icon" src="https://cdn-aarp.americantowns.com/img/page/icons/twitter.png"></a>



</div>
</div>


</div></div>
	<div class="col-md-8 left-rail left-bot"></div>
	<div class="col-md-4 right-rail right-bot thin-rhs"></div>
</div>
<div class="row oneColumnLayout">
	</div>
<div class="row oneColumnLayout">
	<div class="col-md-12"><!-- script to activate navbar -->
	<script type="text/javascript">
		jQuery(".channelBarMain ul.left li a").click(function() {
			window.location = jQuery(this).attr('href');
		});
	</script>
</div>
</div>
',
	'scripts_for_layout' => '<title>For Scammers, It’s Not About Love, It’s About Your Money</title>
<meta name="page_title" content="For Scammers, It’s Not About Love, It’s About Your Money"/>
<meta name="robots" content="noindex, nofollow"/>
<meta content="Romance is in the air as Valentine’s Day approaches. But for scammers, it’s not about love. It’s about gaining access to your money.Romance fraud" name="description"/>
<meta content="Scammers, It, s, Not, About, Love, Your, Money" name="keywords"/>
<link rel="canonical" href="https://states.aarp.org/pennsylvania/for-scammers-its-not-about-love-its-about-your-money" />
<meta property="og:url" content="https://vccstaging.local.aarp.org/news/for-scammers-its-not-about-love-its-about-your-money-pa-2025-02-03.html"/>
<meta name="twitter:card" content="summary_large_image"/>
<meta name="twitter:title" content="For Scammers, It’s Not About Love, It’s About Your Money"/>
<meta name="twitter:description" content="Romance is in the air as Valentine’s Day approaches. But for scammers, it’s not about love. It’s about gaining access to your money."/>
<meta name="twitter:image" content="https://aarp-states.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/c94e22e/2147483647/strip/true/crop/480x309+0+26/resize/420x270!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.ytimg.com%2Fvi%2FDyRG7nNrtMw%2Fhqdefault.jpg"/>
<meta property="og:type" content="article"/>
<meta property="og:title" content="For Scammers, It’s Not About Love, It’s About Your Money"/>
<meta property="og:description" content="Romance is in the air as Valentine’s Day approaches. But for scammers, it’s not about love. It’s about gaining access to your money."/>
<meta property="og:image" content="https://aarp-states.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/c94e22e/2147483647/strip/true/crop/480x309+0+26/resize/420x270!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.ytimg.com%2Fvi%2FDyRG7nNrtMw%2Fhqdefault.jpg"/>
/* temporary */
.RichTextArticleBody ul {
	padding-left: 20px;
}
.RichTextArticleBody .Enhancement {
	margin: 40px 0;
}
.RichTextArticleBody .Enhancement .Enhancement-item img {
	width: auto;
    max-width: 100% !important;
	height: auto;
}

@media (min-width: 768px) {
	.RichTextArticleBody .Enhancement .Enhancement-item .Figure[data-alignment=left],
	.RichTextArticleBody .Enhancement[data-align-left] .Enhancement-item > * {
		float: left;
		max-width: 340px !important;
		margin: 0 20px 20px 0;
	}
	.RichTextArticleBody .Enhancement .Enhancement-item .Figure[data-alignment=right],
	.RichTextArticleBody .Enhancement[data-align-right] .Enhancement-item > * {
		float: right;
		max-width: 340px !important;
		margin: 0 0 20px 20px;
	}
}        :root {
        --primaryColor: #ff1e3c;
        --primaryTextColor: #2a2a2a;
        --linkTextColor: #1f66bd;
        --linkHoverColor: #1f66bd;
        --secondaryTextColor: #000000;
        --secondaryColor2: #000000;
        --secondaryColor3: #000000;
        --secondaryColor4: #000000;
        --secondaryColor5: #000000;
        --black: #000000;
        --white: #ffffff;
        --grey: #f0efed;
        --gridGutters: 30px;
        --modulePadding: 60px;
        --pageWidth: 86.11%;
        --maxPageWidth: 1240px;
        --horizontalAlignment: center;
        --fontFamily: 'Roboto', sans-serif;
        --headerBackgroundColor:#000000;
        --headerTextColor:#FFFFFF;
        --headerHeight:50px;
        --footerbackgroundColor:#000000;
        --footerTextColor:#918883;
        }',
	'title_for_layout' => '{local_city_c}, {local_state} Happenings - AARP'
)
$content_for_layout = '<div class="row twoColumnLayout">
	<div class="col-md-8 left-rail"><div class="module clearfix"><div class="ar-basic-box">

	<div>    
		<div class="module-spacer">
			<header><h1 class="article-headline">For Scammers, It’s Not About Love, It’s About Your Money</h1></header>	
						<div class="posted-on">
				Posted on 02/03/25 
							</div>
		</div>
		<div class="module-spacer">
			<span class="blog-content"><p><div class="RichTextArticleBody">
    
        <div class="RichTextArticleBody-body"><p>Romance is in the air as Valentine’s Day approaches. But for scammers, it’s not about love. It’s about gaining access to your money.<br><br>Romance fraud exploits intimate relationships for personal gain. Some common types of romance fraud include love bombing, catfishing, and inheritance.<br></p><ul><li>In “love bombing,” the scammer will take their time earning a person’s trust before expressing messages of love and asking for money. One such scammer, “Tony” cost AARP Pennsylvania Volunteer Kate tens of thousands of dollars. “Tony” reached out to her on Facebook with a friend request.</li></ul><p>“We got friendly very quickly and moved off Facebook onto an app so we could talk to one another. And we spoke for a few months before he ever asked for any money, so there was a layer of trust,” said Kate who now warns others about the devastation of romance scams through <span class="Enhancement" ><span class="Enhancement-item"><a class="Link" href="https://www.aarp.org/money/scams-fraud/about-fraud-watch-network/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">AARP’s Fraud Watch Network</a></span></span>.<br></p><ul><li>On dating sites, a “catfishing” scammer will create a fake online profile using an attractive fake photo. Once a person matches with this phony profile, the scammer moves the relationship forward quickly. He or she will express their love and ask to take the conversation off the dating app and use Snapchat or WhatsApp. Then this “perfect match” will begin asking for personal information or money.<br></li><li>After developing a romantic relationship with someone, a scammer will convince them that they are going to receive a large inheritance, but they need to pay unexpected expenses that they can’t afford. By holding out the idea of future wealth, the scammer begins to ask for money to pay for the expenses regarding this non-existent inheritance. Once the money is in the scammer’s hands, he or she disappears.</li></ul><p>“Romance scams can happen to any gender and are devastating financially and emotionally,” said Mary Bach, AARP Pennsylvania Volunteer and Chair of the Consumer Issues Task Force. “These scammers are very skilled at creating personas and exploiting a person’s vulnerabilities. Remember, if someone never attends a video call or other means of live interaction, it should raise concerns about their true identity.”<br><br><b>Report scams to local law enforcement. For help from AARP, call 1-877-908-3360 or visit the AARP Pennsylvania Fraud Resource Page at </b><span class="Enhancement" ><span class="Enhancement-item"><a class="Link" href="http://www.aarp.org/pafraud" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><b>aarp.org/pafraud</b></a></span></span>.<br><br></p></div>
    
</div>
</p></span>
		</div>
	</div>

		<p><i>This story is provided by AARP Pennsylvania. Visit the <a href="https://states.aarp.org/region/pennsylvania/" target="_blank">AARP Pennsylvania</a> page for more news, events, and programs affecting retirement, health care, and more.</i></p>
	
</div>
</div><div class="module clearfix"><script src="https://npmcdn.com/flickity@2/dist/flickity.pkgd.min.js"></script>

<script src="https://aarp-states.brightspotcdn.com/resource/00000168-dd17-d487-a96e-df5fe3ee0000/styleguide/All.min.d703996ba6a992470f9f7fa2170736df.gz.js"></script>

<link class="Webpack-css" rel="stylesheet" href="https://aarp-states.brightspotcdn.com/resource/00000168-dd17-d487-a96e-df5fe3ee0000/styleguide/All.min.2cef3303b65f09149a6db29044f033cb.gz.css">

<!--
<script src="https://aarp-states.brightspotcdn.com/resource/00000168-dd17-d487-a96e-df5fe3ee0000/styleguide/All.min.c85a242a55150cd195e494cd6e5b9c77.gz.js" async=""></script>
<link rel="stylesheet" media="all" href="https://aarp-states.brightspotcdn.com/resource/00000168-dd17-d487-a96e-df5fe3ee0000/styleguide/All.min.bfe6eb5a8301841feef3af4e9bd1e26d.gz.css">
-->

<!-- bypass -->
<style>
a:focus, a:hover {
    text-decoration: underline;
}
h1.article-headline {
margin: 0 0 1rem;
}
</style>

<!--
<style>
.Enhancement-item .Figure {
margin-bottom: 24px;
}
.RichTextArticleBody-body ul {
    margin-bottom: 24px;
}
.RichTextArticleBody-body p{
    margin: 12px 0;
}
.RichTextModule-items {
   clear: both;
    display: table;
    width: 100%;
    margin-bottom: 12px;
}
.VideoEnhancement>* {
    color: var(--primaryTextColor);
    font-size: 13px;
    font-weight: 400;
    line-height: 1.4;
    font-style: italic;
    background: #f0efed
}

@media only screen and (min-width: 768px) {
    .VideoEnhancement>* {
        font-size:14px;
        font-weight: 400;
        line-height: 1.47
    }
}

.VideoEnhancement-title {
    padding: 20px
}

@media only screen and (min-width: 768px) {
    .VideoEnhancement-title {
        padding:30px
    }
}

.VideoEnhancement-player>* {
    position: relative;
    width: 100%;
    height: 0;
    padding-bottom: 56.25%
}

.VideoEnhancement iframe {
    border: 0;
    position: absolute;
    top: 0;
    left: 0;
    width: 100%;
    height: 100%
}
[data-video-player] {
    display: block;
    padding-bottom: 56.25%;
    height: 0;
    margin: 0 auto;
}

[data-video-player][data-aspect-ratio="4x3"] {
    padding-bottom: 56.25%;
}

[data-video-player][data-aspect-ratio="16x9"] {
    padding-bottom: 56.25%
}
</style>
--></div><div class="module clearfix"><div class="module-spacer tout-homefit-750">
<a data-formelementid="CSN-LOCAL-HC-NEWSSK-02272024" 
	href="/harrisburg-pa/home-and-community/?intcmp=CSN-LOCAL-HC-NEWSSK-02272024"><img class="img-responsive"  
	alt="Explore the free AARP HomeFit Guide" title="Explore the free AARP HomeFit Guide" 
	src="https://cdn-aarp.americantowns.com/img/touts/HomeFit_750x150.png"></a>
</div></div></div>
	<div class="col-md-4 right-rail thin-rhs"><div class="module clearfix"><!--default-->
<!-- module_RHS - AARP Events -->

<div class="ar-basic-box module-spacer">
	<header>
		<div class="pull-right">
			<a href="/harrisburg-pa/aarp-events/" data-formelementid="LOCAL-BTN-CLK-SEEALL-EVENTS">
				<img style="width:30px;" src="https://cdn-aarp.americantowns.com/img/template/icons/aarp_event_icon.png" alt="Upcoming AARP Events" />
			</a>
		</div>
		<h2 class="visible-lg">AARP Events for Harrisburg</h2>
		<h2 class="hidden-lg">AARP Events for Harrisburg</h2>
	</header>
	<div class="wrap">
		<div class="ar-listing snippet">
			<ul class="list">
				<li class="item" data-pageindex="1">

					
					<h2 class="title"><a href="/driver-safety/aarp-smart-driver-dulles-va-c35488.html" data-formelementid="LOCAL-BTN-CLK-EVENTS-AARP-SMART-DRIVERTM-CASCADES-SENIOR-CENTER">AARP Smart Driver™: Cascades Senior Center</a></h2>
					<p class="time">Wednesday, Mar 26, 2025 at 9:00&nbsp;a.m. ET</p>
					<p class="venue">Cascades Senior Center</p>
					<p class="loc">Sterling, VA</p>
					
				</li><li class="item" data-pageindex="1">

					
					<h2 class="title"><a href="/aarp-event/strategies-to-help-enhance-your-job-search-washington-dc-32725-1130-am-et-lynhsltrh96.html" data-formelementid="LOCAL-BTN-CLK-EVENTS-STRATEGIES-TO-HELP-ENHANCE-YOUR-JOB-SEARCH">Strategies to Help Enhance Your Job Search</a></h2>
					<p class="time">Thursday, Mar 27, 2025 at 11:30&nbsp;a.m. ET</p>
					<p class="venue">THEARC: Town Hall Education Arts Recreation Campus (Community Room)</p>
					<p class="loc">Washington, DC</p>
					
				</li><li class="item" data-pageindex="1">

					
					<h2 class="title"><a href="/aarp-event/aarp-careversations-washington-dc-32725-600-pm-et-jmnzf5hydcg.html" data-formelementid="LOCAL-BTN-CLK-EVENTS-AARP-CAREVERSATIONS-CARING-FOR-A-LOVED-ONE">AARP CAREversations: Caring for A Loved One</a></h2>
					<p class="time">Thursday, Mar 27, 2025 at 6:00&nbsp;p.m. ET</p>
					<p class="venue">Busboys and Poets-Brookland (Pearl Bailey Room)</p>
					<p class="loc">Washington, DC</p>
					
				</li>			</ul>

			<p><a class="link-red" href="/harrisburg-pa/aarp-events/" data-formelementid="LOCAL-BTN-CLK-SEEALL-EVENTS">View All AARP Events<i class="ml-1 fas fa-chevron-right"></i></a></p>
	
		</div>
	</div>
</div>


<div aria-hidden="true" class="aarpe-ad-wrapper">
                    
                    <div class="aarpe-ad en clearfix" id="300x250_53475" data-adsize="300x250">
                        
                         
                            <script type="text/javascript">
                                if(typeof AARP.ads !== 'undefined'){
                                  AARP.ads.slots({ id:'300x250_53475', size:'300x250'});
                                }
                            </script>
                         
                    </div>
                </div>
<div class="card-tout card-dark membership-tout" style="margin:0 0 30px 0;height:360px;">
	<img class="img-responsive image" 
		title="image of two AARP membership cards"
		alt="image of two AARP membership cards" 
		src="https://cdn-aarp.americantowns.com/img/tout-two-cards.png">
	<div class="title">Last Chance to Save!<br />New Pricing Coming in 2025.</div>
<br />
	<p>
This is AARP's first rate increase in 15 years.<br />Don't miss out, join today and save!<br /><br />
</p>
	<div class="action">
		<a class="btn" href="https://appsec.aarp.org/mem/join?campaignid=UAJFT3&intcmp=LNK-CSN-AARPLOCAL-JRTOUT-RR-A-HARRISBURG-PA">Join AARP</a>
		<div class="body">Already a member? <a href="https://appsec.aarp.org/mem/renew?campaignid= UARFT3&intcmp=LNK-CSN-AARPLOCAL-JRTOUT-RR-A-HARRISBURG-PA">Renew</a> or 
			<a href="https://www.aarp.org/benefits-discounts/my-membership/print-your-card/">Print Card</a></div>
	</div>
</div>
<style>
.membership-tout {padding:16px 20px;}
.membership-tout .list li { margin: 0; }
</style> 
<div aria-hidden="true" class="aarpe-ad-wrapper">
                    
                    <div class="aarpe-ad en clearfix" id="300x250_93505" data-adsize="300x250">
                        
                         
                            <script type="text/javascript">
                                if(typeof AARP.ads !== 'undefined'){
                                  AARP.ads.slots({ id:'300x250_93505', size:'300x250'});
                                }
                            </script>
                         
                    </div>
                </div>
<div class="module-spacer text-center">
<div class="fb-page" alt="Image of AARP Pennsylvania Facebook Page" title="Image of AARP Pennsylvania Facebook Page" data-href="https://www.facebook.com/AARPPA" data-tabs="timeline" width="" height="" data-small-header="false" data-adapt-container-width="true" data-hide-cover="false" data-show-facepile="true">
	<blockquote cite="https://www.facebook.com/AARPPA" class="fb-xfbml-parse-ignore"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/AARPPA">Facebook</a></blockquote>
</div>
</div>

 


<div class="ar-basic-box module-spacer">
<header>
<h2>Contact AARP<br />Pennsylvania</h2>
</header>
<div class="wrap">

<div class="ar-quick-list module-spacer">
<ul class="list-unstyled">
<li><i class="list-icon fa fa-envelope" alt="Email icon" title="Email icon" aria-hidden="true"></i><a href="mailto:PAAARP@aarp.org" target="_blank" rel="noopener">PAAARP@aarp.org</a></li>
<li><i class="list-icon fa fa-globe" alt="Globe icon" title="Globe icon" aria-hidden="true"></i><a href="https://states.aarp.org/region/pennsylvania/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">AARP Pennsylvania</a></li>
<li><i class="list-icon fa fa-map-marker" alt="Map Marker icon" title="Map Marker icon" aria-hidden="true"></i><a href="https://states.aarp.org/your-local-aarp-office/?intcmp=SNG-LNK-AARPLOCAL-CONTACT-20140101-HARRISBURG-PA" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Contact Us</a></li>


</ul>
</div>
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/AARPPA" target="_blank" rel="noopener" aria-label="Open Facebook"><img style="max-width: 48px;" alt="Facebook icon" title="Facebook icon" src="https://cdn-aarp.americantowns.com/img/page/icons/facebook.png"></a>&nbsp;&nbsp;
<a href="https://twitter.com/AARPPA" target="_blank" rel="noopener" aria-label="Open Twitter"><img style="max-width: 48px;" alt="Twitter icon" title="Twitter icon" src="https://cdn-aarp.americantowns.com/img/page/icons/twitter.png"></a>



</div>
</div>


</div></div>
	<div class="col-md-8 left-rail left-bot"></div>
	<div class="col-md-4 right-rail right-bot thin-rhs"></div>
</div>
<div class="row oneColumnLayout">
	</div>
<div class="row oneColumnLayout">
	<div class="col-md-12"><!-- script to activate navbar -->
	<script type="text/javascript">
		jQuery(".channelBarMain ul.left li a").click(function() {
			window.location = jQuery(this).attr('href');
		});
	</script>
</div>
</div>
'
$scripts_for_layout = '<title>For Scammers, It’s Not About Love, It’s About Your Money</title>
<meta name="page_title" content="For Scammers, It’s Not About Love, It’s About Your Money"/>
<meta name="robots" content="noindex, nofollow"/>
<meta content="Romance is in the air as Valentine’s Day approaches. But for scammers, it’s not about love. It’s about gaining access to your money.Romance fraud" name="description"/>
<meta content="Scammers, It, s, Not, About, Love, Your, Money" name="keywords"/>
<link rel="canonical" href="https://states.aarp.org/pennsylvania/for-scammers-its-not-about-love-its-about-your-money" />
<meta property="og:url" content="https://vccstaging.local.aarp.org/news/for-scammers-its-not-about-love-its-about-your-money-pa-2025-02-03.html"/>
<meta name="twitter:card" content="summary_large_image"/>
<meta name="twitter:title" content="For Scammers, It’s Not About Love, It’s About Your Money"/>
<meta name="twitter:description" content="Romance is in the air as Valentine’s Day approaches. But for scammers, it’s not about love. It’s about gaining access to your money."/>
<meta name="twitter:image" content="https://aarp-states.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/c94e22e/2147483647/strip/true/crop/480x309+0+26/resize/420x270!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.ytimg.com%2Fvi%2FDyRG7nNrtMw%2Fhqdefault.jpg"/>
<meta property="og:type" content="article"/>
<meta property="og:title" content="For Scammers, It’s Not About Love, It’s About Your Money"/>
<meta property="og:description" content="Romance is in the air as Valentine’s Day approaches. But for scammers, it’s not about love. It’s about gaining access to your money."/>
<meta property="og:image" content="https://aarp-states.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/c94e22e/2147483647/strip/true/crop/480x309+0+26/resize/420x270!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.ytimg.com%2Fvi%2FDyRG7nNrtMw%2Fhqdefault.jpg"/>
/* temporary */
.RichTextArticleBody ul {
	padding-left: 20px;
}
.RichTextArticleBody .Enhancement {
	margin: 40px 0;
}
.RichTextArticleBody .Enhancement .Enhancement-item img {
	width: auto;
    max-width: 100% !important;
	height: auto;
}

@media (min-width: 768px) {
	.RichTextArticleBody .Enhancement .Enhancement-item .Figure[data-alignment=left],
	.RichTextArticleBody .Enhancement[data-align-left] .Enhancement-item > * {
		float: left;
		max-width: 340px !important;
		margin: 0 20px 20px 0;
	}
	.RichTextArticleBody .Enhancement .Enhancement-item .Figure[data-alignment=right],
	.RichTextArticleBody .Enhancement[data-align-right] .Enhancement-item > * {
		float: right;
		max-width: 340px !important;
		margin: 0 0 20px 20px;
	}
}        :root {
        --primaryColor: #ff1e3c;
        --primaryTextColor: #2a2a2a;
        --linkTextColor: #1f66bd;
        --linkHoverColor: #1f66bd;
        --secondaryTextColor: #000000;
        --secondaryColor2: #000000;
        --secondaryColor3: #000000;
        --secondaryColor4: #000000;
        --secondaryColor5: #000000;
        --black: #000000;
        --white: #ffffff;
        --grey: #f0efed;
        --gridGutters: 30px;
        --modulePadding: 60px;
        --pageWidth: 86.11%;
        --maxPageWidth: 1240px;
        --horizontalAlignment: center;
        --fontFamily: 'Roboto', sans-serif;
        --headerBackgroundColor:#000000;
        --headerTextColor:#FFFFFF;
        --headerHeight:50px;
        --footerbackgroundColor:#000000;
        --footerTextColor:#918883;
        }'
$title_for_layout = '{local_city_c}, {local_state} Happenings - AARP'
$asset_version = '240925'
$min = true
$nowrapper = false
$css = '/* temporary */
.RichTextArticleBody ul {
	padding-left: 20px;
}
.RichTextArticleBody .Enhancement {
	margin: 40px 0;
}
.RichTextArticleBody .Enhancement .Enhancement-item img {
	width: auto;
    max-width: 100% !important;
	height: auto;
}

@media (min-width: 768px) {
	.RichTextArticleBody .Enhancement .Enhancement-item .Figure[data-alignment=left],
	.RichTextArticleBody .Enhancement[data-align-left] .Enhancement-item > * {
		float: left;
		max-width: 340px !important;
		margin: 0 20px 20px 0;
	}
	.RichTextArticleBody .Enhancement .Enhancement-item .Figure[data-alignment=right],
	.RichTextArticleBody .Enhancement[data-align-right] .Enhancement-item > * {
		float: right;
		max-width: 340px !important;
		margin: 0 0 20px 20px;
	}
}        :root {
        --primaryColor: #ff1e3c;
        --primaryTextColor: #2a2a2a;
        --linkTextColor: #1f66bd;
        --linkHoverColor: #1f66bd;
        --secondaryTextColor: #000000;
        --secondaryColor2: #000000;
        --secondaryColor3: #000000;
        --secondaryColor4: #000000;
        --secondaryColor5: #000000;
        --black: #000000;
        --white: #ffffff;
        --grey: #f0efed;
        --gridGutters: 30px;
        --modulePadding: 60px;
        --pageWidth: 86.11%;
        --maxPageWidth: 1240px;
        --horizontalAlignment: center;
        --fontFamily: 'Roboto', sans-serif;
        --headerBackgroundColor:#000000;
        --headerTextColor:#FFFFFF;
        --headerHeight:50px;
        --footerbackgroundColor:#000000;
        --footerTextColor:#918883;
        }'
$highlighting = ''
$location = '<a href="/harrisburg-pa/?intcmp=CSN-LOCAL-NAV-HOME">Harrisburg, PA</a>'
$no_header = false
$header_title = '<a href="/harrisburg-pa/happenings/">News Feed</a>'
$header_subtitle = ''
$isPR = false
$navbar = '<nav class="section" role="button" aria-expanded="false" aria-controls="collapse">
	<div class="section-toggle">Sections <i class="fas fa-chevron-down"></i></div>
	<ul class="secondary-menu" id="secondary-menu" role="menu" aria-busy="true">
		<li role="presentation" class=""><a role="menuitem" class="menuitem" href="/harrisburg-pa/aarp-events/?intcmp=CSN-LOCAL-NAV-OLE" data-formelementid="LOCAL-LNK-CLK-EVENTS">Online & Local Events</a> </li>
		<li role="presentation" class=""><a role="menuitem" class="menuitem" href="/harrisburg-pa/things-to-do/?intcmp=CSN-LOCAL-NAV-TTD" data-formelementid="LOCAL-LNK-CLK-THINGSTODO">Things to Do</a></li>
		<li role="presentation" class="active"><a role="menuitem" class="menuitem" href="/harrisburg-pa/happenings/?intcmp=CSN-LOCAL-NAV-NF" data-formelementid="LOCAL-LNK-CLK-HAPPENINGS">News Feed</a> </li>
		<li role="presentation" class=""><a role="menuitem" class="menuitem" href="/harrisburg-pa/volunteering/?intcmp=CSN-LOCAL-NAV-VOL" data-formelementid="LOCAL-LNK-CLK-VOLUNTEERING">Volunteering</a> </li>
		<li role="presentation" class=""><a role="menuitem" class="menuitem" href="/harrisburg-pa/home-and-community/?intcmp=CSN-LOCAL-NAV-HC" data-formelementid="LOCAL-LNK-CLK-HC">Home & Community</a> </li>
		<li role="presentation" class=""><a role="menuitem" class="menuitem" href="/harrisburg-pa/movies/?intcmp=CSN-LOCAL-NAV-MFG" data-formelementid="LOCAL-LNK-CLK-MOVIESFORGROWNUPS">Movies for Grownups</a> </li>
		<li role="presentation" class="more nosep " id="submenu-more">
			<span role="menuitem" class="menuitem" data-formelementid="LOCAL-LNK-CLK-MORE">More<i class="fas fa-chevron-down"></i></span>
			<ul class="secondary-submenu animate slide-in" id="secondary-submenu">
				<li role="presentation"><a role="menuitem" class="menuitem " href="/harrisburg-pa/discounts/?intcmp=CSN-LOCAL-NAV-LO" data-formelementid="LOCAL-LNK-CLK-OFFERS">Local Offers</a></li>
				<li role="presentation"><a role="menuitem" class="menuitem " href="/harrisburg-pa/local-resources/?intcmp=CSN-LOCAL-NAV-LR" data-formelementid="LOCAL-LNK-CLK-LOCALRESOURCES">Local Resources</a> </li>
				<li role="presentation"><a role="menuitem" class="menuitem " href="/harrisburg-pa/jobs/?intcmp=CSN-LOCAL-NAV-WJ" data-formelementid="LOCAL-LNK-CLK-WORK&JOBS">Work & Jobs</a></li>
				<li role="presentation"><a role="menuitem" class="menuitem " href="/harrisburg-pa/events/?intcmp=CSN-LOCAL-NAV-CC" data-formelementid="LOCAL-LNK-CLK-EVENTS">Community Calendar</a></li>
				<!--
				<li role="presentation"><a role="menuitem" class="menuitem " href="/harrisburg-pa/healthy-living/?intcmp=CSN-LOCAL-NAV-HEALTHY_LIVING" data-formelementid="LOCAL-LNK-CLK-HEALTHY_LIVING">Healthy Living</a></li>
				<li role="presentation"><a role="menuitem" class="menuitem " href="/harrisburg-pa/arts-entertainment/?intcmp=CSN-LOCAL-NAV-ARTS_ENT" data-formelementid="LOCAL-LNK-CLK-ARTS_ENT">Arts & Entertainment</a></li>
				<li role="presentation"><a role="menuitem" class="menuitem " href="/harrisburg-pa/museums/?intcmp=CSN-LOCAL-NAV-MUSEUMS" data-formelementid="LOCAL-LNK-CLK-MUSEUMS">Museums</a></li>
				-->
			</ul>
		</li>
		
	</ul>
</nav>'
$header_custom = ''
$breadcrumbs = array(
	(int) 0 => array(
		'title' => 'News Feed',
		'slug' => 'happenings'
	)
)
$row = array(
	'title' => 'Back to News Feed',
	'slug' => 'happenings'
)
$i = (int) 0
include - APP/View/Layouts/aarp_2023.ctp, line 242
include - APP/View/Layouts/aarp_2023.ctp, line 242
View::_evaluate() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 971
View::_render() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 933
View::renderLayout() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 546
View::render() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 481
Controller::render() - CORE/Cake/Controller/Controller.php, line 963
AppController::renderPage() - APP/Controller/AppController.php, line 136
BlogsController::display() - APP/Controller/BlogsController.php, line 81
ReflectionMethod::invokeArgs() - [internal], line ??
Controller::invokeAction() - CORE/Cake/Controller/Controller.php, line 491
Dispatcher::_invoke() - CORE/Cake/Routing/Dispatcher.php, line 193
Dispatcher::dispatch() - CORE/Cake/Routing/Dispatcher.php, line 167
[main] - APP/webroot/index.php, line 118

Warning (2): include(/var/www/vhosts/vcc_staging/app/Resource/aarp2_master.bodyTargeting.html) [<a href='http://php.net/function.include'>function.include</a>]: failed to open stream: No such file or directory [APP/View/Layouts/aarp_2023.ctp, line 243]
Code Context
            <?php if (!$nowrapper):  // MLW - Spanish wrappers TBD
                    include (APP . "Resource/aarp2_master.footer.html");
                    include (APP . "Resource/aarp2_master.bodyTargeting.html");
$viewFile = '/var/www/vhosts/vcc_staging/app/View/Layouts/aarp_2023.ctp'
$dataForView = array(
	'content_for_layout' => '<div class="row twoColumnLayout">
	<div class="col-md-8 left-rail"><div class="module clearfix"><div class="ar-basic-box">

	<div>    
		<div class="module-spacer">
			<header><h1 class="article-headline">For Scammers, It’s Not About Love, It’s About Your Money</h1></header>	
						<div class="posted-on">
				Posted on 02/03/25 
							</div>
		</div>
		<div class="module-spacer">
			<span class="blog-content"><p><div class="RichTextArticleBody">
    
        <div class="RichTextArticleBody-body"><p>Romance is in the air as Valentine’s Day approaches. But for scammers, it’s not about love. It’s about gaining access to your money.<br><br>Romance fraud exploits intimate relationships for personal gain. Some common types of romance fraud include love bombing, catfishing, and inheritance.<br></p><ul><li>In “love bombing,” the scammer will take their time earning a person’s trust before expressing messages of love and asking for money. One such scammer, “Tony” cost AARP Pennsylvania Volunteer Kate tens of thousands of dollars. “Tony” reached out to her on Facebook with a friend request.</li></ul><p>“We got friendly very quickly and moved off Facebook onto an app so we could talk to one another. And we spoke for a few months before he ever asked for any money, so there was a layer of trust,” said Kate who now warns others about the devastation of romance scams through <span class="Enhancement" ><span class="Enhancement-item"><a class="Link" href="https://www.aarp.org/money/scams-fraud/about-fraud-watch-network/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">AARP’s Fraud Watch Network</a></span></span>.<br></p><ul><li>On dating sites, a “catfishing” scammer will create a fake online profile using an attractive fake photo. Once a person matches with this phony profile, the scammer moves the relationship forward quickly. He or she will express their love and ask to take the conversation off the dating app and use Snapchat or WhatsApp. Then this “perfect match” will begin asking for personal information or money.<br></li><li>After developing a romantic relationship with someone, a scammer will convince them that they are going to receive a large inheritance, but they need to pay unexpected expenses that they can’t afford. By holding out the idea of future wealth, the scammer begins to ask for money to pay for the expenses regarding this non-existent inheritance. Once the money is in the scammer’s hands, he or she disappears.</li></ul><p>“Romance scams can happen to any gender and are devastating financially and emotionally,” said Mary Bach, AARP Pennsylvania Volunteer and Chair of the Consumer Issues Task Force. “These scammers are very skilled at creating personas and exploiting a person’s vulnerabilities. Remember, if someone never attends a video call or other means of live interaction, it should raise concerns about their true identity.”<br><br><b>Report scams to local law enforcement. For help from AARP, call 1-877-908-3360 or visit the AARP Pennsylvania Fraud Resource Page at </b><span class="Enhancement" ><span class="Enhancement-item"><a class="Link" href="http://www.aarp.org/pafraud" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><b>aarp.org/pafraud</b></a></span></span>.<br><br></p></div>
    
</div>
</p></span>
		</div>
	</div>

		<p><i>This story is provided by AARP Pennsylvania. Visit the <a href="https://states.aarp.org/region/pennsylvania/" target="_blank">AARP Pennsylvania</a> page for more news, events, and programs affecting retirement, health care, and more.</i></p>
	
</div>
</div><div class="module clearfix"><script src="https://npmcdn.com/flickity@2/dist/flickity.pkgd.min.js"></script>

<script src="https://aarp-states.brightspotcdn.com/resource/00000168-dd17-d487-a96e-df5fe3ee0000/styleguide/All.min.d703996ba6a992470f9f7fa2170736df.gz.js"></script>

<link class="Webpack-css" rel="stylesheet" href="https://aarp-states.brightspotcdn.com/resource/00000168-dd17-d487-a96e-df5fe3ee0000/styleguide/All.min.2cef3303b65f09149a6db29044f033cb.gz.css">

<!--
<script src="https://aarp-states.brightspotcdn.com/resource/00000168-dd17-d487-a96e-df5fe3ee0000/styleguide/All.min.c85a242a55150cd195e494cd6e5b9c77.gz.js" async=""></script>
<link rel="stylesheet" media="all" href="https://aarp-states.brightspotcdn.com/resource/00000168-dd17-d487-a96e-df5fe3ee0000/styleguide/All.min.bfe6eb5a8301841feef3af4e9bd1e26d.gz.css">
-->

<!-- bypass -->
<style>
a:focus, a:hover {
    text-decoration: underline;
}
h1.article-headline {
margin: 0 0 1rem;
}
</style>

<!--
<style>
.Enhancement-item .Figure {
margin-bottom: 24px;
}
.RichTextArticleBody-body ul {
    margin-bottom: 24px;
}
.RichTextArticleBody-body p{
    margin: 12px 0;
}
.RichTextModule-items {
   clear: both;
    display: table;
    width: 100%;
    margin-bottom: 12px;
}
.VideoEnhancement>* {
    color: var(--primaryTextColor);
    font-size: 13px;
    font-weight: 400;
    line-height: 1.4;
    font-style: italic;
    background: #f0efed
}

@media only screen and (min-width: 768px) {
    .VideoEnhancement>* {
        font-size:14px;
        font-weight: 400;
        line-height: 1.47
    }
}

.VideoEnhancement-title {
    padding: 20px
}

@media only screen and (min-width: 768px) {
    .VideoEnhancement-title {
        padding:30px
    }
}

.VideoEnhancement-player>* {
    position: relative;
    width: 100%;
    height: 0;
    padding-bottom: 56.25%
}

.VideoEnhancement iframe {
    border: 0;
    position: absolute;
    top: 0;
    left: 0;
    width: 100%;
    height: 100%
}
[data-video-player] {
    display: block;
    padding-bottom: 56.25%;
    height: 0;
    margin: 0 auto;
}

[data-video-player][data-aspect-ratio="4x3"] {
    padding-bottom: 56.25%;
}

[data-video-player][data-aspect-ratio="16x9"] {
    padding-bottom: 56.25%
}
</style>
--></div><div class="module clearfix"><div class="module-spacer tout-homefit-750">
<a data-formelementid="CSN-LOCAL-HC-NEWSSK-02272024" 
	href="/harrisburg-pa/home-and-community/?intcmp=CSN-LOCAL-HC-NEWSSK-02272024"><img class="img-responsive"  
	alt="Explore the free AARP HomeFit Guide" title="Explore the free AARP HomeFit Guide" 
	src="https://cdn-aarp.americantowns.com/img/touts/HomeFit_750x150.png"></a>
</div></div></div>
	<div class="col-md-4 right-rail thin-rhs"><div class="module clearfix"><!--default-->
<!-- module_RHS - AARP Events -->

<div class="ar-basic-box module-spacer">
	<header>
		<div class="pull-right">
			<a href="/harrisburg-pa/aarp-events/" data-formelementid="LOCAL-BTN-CLK-SEEALL-EVENTS">
				<img style="width:30px;" src="https://cdn-aarp.americantowns.com/img/template/icons/aarp_event_icon.png" alt="Upcoming AARP Events" />
			</a>
		</div>
		<h2 class="visible-lg">AARP Events for Harrisburg</h2>
		<h2 class="hidden-lg">AARP Events for Harrisburg</h2>
	</header>
	<div class="wrap">
		<div class="ar-listing snippet">
			<ul class="list">
				<li class="item" data-pageindex="1">

					
					<h2 class="title"><a href="/driver-safety/aarp-smart-driver-dulles-va-c35488.html" data-formelementid="LOCAL-BTN-CLK-EVENTS-AARP-SMART-DRIVERTM-CASCADES-SENIOR-CENTER">AARP Smart Driver™: Cascades Senior Center</a></h2>
					<p class="time">Wednesday, Mar 26, 2025 at 9:00&nbsp;a.m. ET</p>
					<p class="venue">Cascades Senior Center</p>
					<p class="loc">Sterling, VA</p>
					
				</li><li class="item" data-pageindex="1">

					
					<h2 class="title"><a href="/aarp-event/strategies-to-help-enhance-your-job-search-washington-dc-32725-1130-am-et-lynhsltrh96.html" data-formelementid="LOCAL-BTN-CLK-EVENTS-STRATEGIES-TO-HELP-ENHANCE-YOUR-JOB-SEARCH">Strategies to Help Enhance Your Job Search</a></h2>
					<p class="time">Thursday, Mar 27, 2025 at 11:30&nbsp;a.m. ET</p>
					<p class="venue">THEARC: Town Hall Education Arts Recreation Campus (Community Room)</p>
					<p class="loc">Washington, DC</p>
					
				</li><li class="item" data-pageindex="1">

					
					<h2 class="title"><a href="/aarp-event/aarp-careversations-washington-dc-32725-600-pm-et-jmnzf5hydcg.html" data-formelementid="LOCAL-BTN-CLK-EVENTS-AARP-CAREVERSATIONS-CARING-FOR-A-LOVED-ONE">AARP CAREversations: Caring for A Loved One</a></h2>
					<p class="time">Thursday, Mar 27, 2025 at 6:00&nbsp;p.m. ET</p>
					<p class="venue">Busboys and Poets-Brookland (Pearl Bailey Room)</p>
					<p class="loc">Washington, DC</p>
					
				</li>			</ul>

			<p><a class="link-red" href="/harrisburg-pa/aarp-events/" data-formelementid="LOCAL-BTN-CLK-SEEALL-EVENTS">View All AARP Events<i class="ml-1 fas fa-chevron-right"></i></a></p>
	
		</div>
	</div>
</div>


<div aria-hidden="true" class="aarpe-ad-wrapper">
                    
                    <div class="aarpe-ad en clearfix" id="300x250_53475" data-adsize="300x250">
                        
                         
                            <script type="text/javascript">
                                if(typeof AARP.ads !== 'undefined'){
                                  AARP.ads.slots({ id:'300x250_53475', size:'300x250'});
                                }
                            </script>
                         
                    </div>
                </div>
<div class="card-tout card-dark membership-tout" style="margin:0 0 30px 0;height:360px;">
	<img class="img-responsive image" 
		title="image of two AARP membership cards"
		alt="image of two AARP membership cards" 
		src="https://cdn-aarp.americantowns.com/img/tout-two-cards.png">
	<div class="title">Last Chance to Save!<br />New Pricing Coming in 2025.</div>
<br />
	<p>
This is AARP's first rate increase in 15 years.<br />Don't miss out, join today and save!<br /><br />
</p>
	<div class="action">
		<a class="btn" href="https://appsec.aarp.org/mem/join?campaignid=UAJFT3&intcmp=LNK-CSN-AARPLOCAL-JRTOUT-RR-A-HARRISBURG-PA">Join AARP</a>
		<div class="body">Already a member? <a href="https://appsec.aarp.org/mem/renew?campaignid= UARFT3&intcmp=LNK-CSN-AARPLOCAL-JRTOUT-RR-A-HARRISBURG-PA">Renew</a> or 
			<a href="https://www.aarp.org/benefits-discounts/my-membership/print-your-card/">Print Card</a></div>
	</div>
</div>
<style>
.membership-tout {padding:16px 20px;}
.membership-tout .list li { margin: 0; }
</style> 
<div aria-hidden="true" class="aarpe-ad-wrapper">
                    
                    <div class="aarpe-ad en clearfix" id="300x250_93505" data-adsize="300x250">
                        
                         
                            <script type="text/javascript">
                                if(typeof AARP.ads !== 'undefined'){
                                  AARP.ads.slots({ id:'300x250_93505', size:'300x250'});
                                }
                            </script>
                         
                    </div>
                </div>
<div class="module-spacer text-center">
<div class="fb-page" alt="Image of AARP Pennsylvania Facebook Page" title="Image of AARP Pennsylvania Facebook Page" data-href="https://www.facebook.com/AARPPA" data-tabs="timeline" width="" height="" data-small-header="false" data-adapt-container-width="true" data-hide-cover="false" data-show-facepile="true">
	<blockquote cite="https://www.facebook.com/AARPPA" class="fb-xfbml-parse-ignore"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/AARPPA">Facebook</a></blockquote>
</div>
</div>

 


<div class="ar-basic-box module-spacer">
<header>
<h2>Contact AARP<br />Pennsylvania</h2>
</header>
<div class="wrap">

<div class="ar-quick-list module-spacer">
<ul class="list-unstyled">
<li><i class="list-icon fa fa-envelope" alt="Email icon" title="Email icon" aria-hidden="true"></i><a href="mailto:PAAARP@aarp.org" target="_blank" rel="noopener">PAAARP@aarp.org</a></li>
<li><i class="list-icon fa fa-globe" alt="Globe icon" title="Globe icon" aria-hidden="true"></i><a href="https://states.aarp.org/region/pennsylvania/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">AARP Pennsylvania</a></li>
<li><i class="list-icon fa fa-map-marker" alt="Map Marker icon" title="Map Marker icon" aria-hidden="true"></i><a href="https://states.aarp.org/your-local-aarp-office/?intcmp=SNG-LNK-AARPLOCAL-CONTACT-20140101-HARRISBURG-PA" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Contact Us</a></li>


</ul>
</div>
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/AARPPA" target="_blank" rel="noopener" aria-label="Open Facebook"><img style="max-width: 48px;" alt="Facebook icon" title="Facebook icon" src="https://cdn-aarp.americantowns.com/img/page/icons/facebook.png"></a>&nbsp;&nbsp;
<a href="https://twitter.com/AARPPA" target="_blank" rel="noopener" aria-label="Open Twitter"><img style="max-width: 48px;" alt="Twitter icon" title="Twitter icon" src="https://cdn-aarp.americantowns.com/img/page/icons/twitter.png"></a>



</div>
</div>


</div></div>
	<div class="col-md-8 left-rail left-bot"></div>
	<div class="col-md-4 right-rail right-bot thin-rhs"></div>
</div>
<div class="row oneColumnLayout">
	</div>
<div class="row oneColumnLayout">
	<div class="col-md-12"><!-- script to activate navbar -->
	<script type="text/javascript">
		jQuery(".channelBarMain ul.left li a").click(function() {
			window.location = jQuery(this).attr('href');
		});
	</script>
</div>
</div>
',
	'scripts_for_layout' => '<title>For Scammers, It’s Not About Love, It’s About Your Money</title>
<meta name="page_title" content="For Scammers, It’s Not About Love, It’s About Your Money"/>
<meta name="robots" content="noindex, nofollow"/>
<meta content="Romance is in the air as Valentine’s Day approaches. But for scammers, it’s not about love. It’s about gaining access to your money.Romance fraud" name="description"/>
<meta content="Scammers, It, s, Not, About, Love, Your, Money" name="keywords"/>
<link rel="canonical" href="https://states.aarp.org/pennsylvania/for-scammers-its-not-about-love-its-about-your-money" />
<meta property="og:url" content="https://vccstaging.local.aarp.org/news/for-scammers-its-not-about-love-its-about-your-money-pa-2025-02-03.html"/>
<meta name="twitter:card" content="summary_large_image"/>
<meta name="twitter:title" content="For Scammers, It’s Not About Love, It’s About Your Money"/>
<meta name="twitter:description" content="Romance is in the air as Valentine’s Day approaches. But for scammers, it’s not about love. It’s about gaining access to your money."/>
<meta name="twitter:image" content="https://aarp-states.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/c94e22e/2147483647/strip/true/crop/480x309+0+26/resize/420x270!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.ytimg.com%2Fvi%2FDyRG7nNrtMw%2Fhqdefault.jpg"/>
<meta property="og:type" content="article"/>
<meta property="og:title" content="For Scammers, It’s Not About Love, It’s About Your Money"/>
<meta property="og:description" content="Romance is in the air as Valentine’s Day approaches. But for scammers, it’s not about love. It’s about gaining access to your money."/>
<meta property="og:image" content="https://aarp-states.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/c94e22e/2147483647/strip/true/crop/480x309+0+26/resize/420x270!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.ytimg.com%2Fvi%2FDyRG7nNrtMw%2Fhqdefault.jpg"/>
/* temporary */
.RichTextArticleBody ul {
	padding-left: 20px;
}
.RichTextArticleBody .Enhancement {
	margin: 40px 0;
}
.RichTextArticleBody .Enhancement .Enhancement-item img {
	width: auto;
    max-width: 100% !important;
	height: auto;
}

@media (min-width: 768px) {
	.RichTextArticleBody .Enhancement .Enhancement-item .Figure[data-alignment=left],
	.RichTextArticleBody .Enhancement[data-align-left] .Enhancement-item > * {
		float: left;
		max-width: 340px !important;
		margin: 0 20px 20px 0;
	}
	.RichTextArticleBody .Enhancement .Enhancement-item .Figure[data-alignment=right],
	.RichTextArticleBody .Enhancement[data-align-right] .Enhancement-item > * {
		float: right;
		max-width: 340px !important;
		margin: 0 0 20px 20px;
	}
}        :root {
        --primaryColor: #ff1e3c;
        --primaryTextColor: #2a2a2a;
        --linkTextColor: #1f66bd;
        --linkHoverColor: #1f66bd;
        --secondaryTextColor: #000000;
        --secondaryColor2: #000000;
        --secondaryColor3: #000000;
        --secondaryColor4: #000000;
        --secondaryColor5: #000000;
        --black: #000000;
        --white: #ffffff;
        --grey: #f0efed;
        --gridGutters: 30px;
        --modulePadding: 60px;
        --pageWidth: 86.11%;
        --maxPageWidth: 1240px;
        --horizontalAlignment: center;
        --fontFamily: 'Roboto', sans-serif;
        --headerBackgroundColor:#000000;
        --headerTextColor:#FFFFFF;
        --headerHeight:50px;
        --footerbackgroundColor:#000000;
        --footerTextColor:#918883;
        }',
	'title_for_layout' => '{local_city_c}, {local_state} Happenings - AARP'
)
$content_for_layout = '<div class="row twoColumnLayout">
	<div class="col-md-8 left-rail"><div class="module clearfix"><div class="ar-basic-box">

	<div>    
		<div class="module-spacer">
			<header><h1 class="article-headline">For Scammers, It’s Not About Love, It’s About Your Money</h1></header>	
						<div class="posted-on">
				Posted on 02/03/25 
							</div>
		</div>
		<div class="module-spacer">
			<span class="blog-content"><p><div class="RichTextArticleBody">
    
        <div class="RichTextArticleBody-body"><p>Romance is in the air as Valentine’s Day approaches. But for scammers, it’s not about love. It’s about gaining access to your money.<br><br>Romance fraud exploits intimate relationships for personal gain. Some common types of romance fraud include love bombing, catfishing, and inheritance.<br></p><ul><li>In “love bombing,” the scammer will take their time earning a person’s trust before expressing messages of love and asking for money. One such scammer, “Tony” cost AARP Pennsylvania Volunteer Kate tens of thousands of dollars. “Tony” reached out to her on Facebook with a friend request.</li></ul><p>“We got friendly very quickly and moved off Facebook onto an app so we could talk to one another. And we spoke for a few months before he ever asked for any money, so there was a layer of trust,” said Kate who now warns others about the devastation of romance scams through <span class="Enhancement" ><span class="Enhancement-item"><a class="Link" href="https://www.aarp.org/money/scams-fraud/about-fraud-watch-network/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">AARP’s Fraud Watch Network</a></span></span>.<br></p><ul><li>On dating sites, a “catfishing” scammer will create a fake online profile using an attractive fake photo. Once a person matches with this phony profile, the scammer moves the relationship forward quickly. He or she will express their love and ask to take the conversation off the dating app and use Snapchat or WhatsApp. Then this “perfect match” will begin asking for personal information or money.<br></li><li>After developing a romantic relationship with someone, a scammer will convince them that they are going to receive a large inheritance, but they need to pay unexpected expenses that they can’t afford. By holding out the idea of future wealth, the scammer begins to ask for money to pay for the expenses regarding this non-existent inheritance. Once the money is in the scammer’s hands, he or she disappears.</li></ul><p>“Romance scams can happen to any gender and are devastating financially and emotionally,” said Mary Bach, AARP Pennsylvania Volunteer and Chair of the Consumer Issues Task Force. “These scammers are very skilled at creating personas and exploiting a person’s vulnerabilities. Remember, if someone never attends a video call or other means of live interaction, it should raise concerns about their true identity.”<br><br><b>Report scams to local law enforcement. For help from AARP, call 1-877-908-3360 or visit the AARP Pennsylvania Fraud Resource Page at </b><span class="Enhancement" ><span class="Enhancement-item"><a class="Link" href="http://www.aarp.org/pafraud" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><b>aarp.org/pafraud</b></a></span></span>.<br><br></p></div>
    
</div>
</p></span>
		</div>
	</div>

		<p><i>This story is provided by AARP Pennsylvania. Visit the <a href="https://states.aarp.org/region/pennsylvania/" target="_blank">AARP Pennsylvania</a> page for more news, events, and programs affecting retirement, health care, and more.</i></p>
	
</div>
</div><div class="module clearfix"><script src="https://npmcdn.com/flickity@2/dist/flickity.pkgd.min.js"></script>

<script src="https://aarp-states.brightspotcdn.com/resource/00000168-dd17-d487-a96e-df5fe3ee0000/styleguide/All.min.d703996ba6a992470f9f7fa2170736df.gz.js"></script>

<link class="Webpack-css" rel="stylesheet" href="https://aarp-states.brightspotcdn.com/resource/00000168-dd17-d487-a96e-df5fe3ee0000/styleguide/All.min.2cef3303b65f09149a6db29044f033cb.gz.css">

<!--
<script src="https://aarp-states.brightspotcdn.com/resource/00000168-dd17-d487-a96e-df5fe3ee0000/styleguide/All.min.c85a242a55150cd195e494cd6e5b9c77.gz.js" async=""></script>
<link rel="stylesheet" media="all" href="https://aarp-states.brightspotcdn.com/resource/00000168-dd17-d487-a96e-df5fe3ee0000/styleguide/All.min.bfe6eb5a8301841feef3af4e9bd1e26d.gz.css">
-->

<!-- bypass -->
<style>
a:focus, a:hover {
    text-decoration: underline;
}
h1.article-headline {
margin: 0 0 1rem;
}
</style>

<!--
<style>
.Enhancement-item .Figure {
margin-bottom: 24px;
}
.RichTextArticleBody-body ul {
    margin-bottom: 24px;
}
.RichTextArticleBody-body p{
    margin: 12px 0;
}
.RichTextModule-items {
   clear: both;
    display: table;
    width: 100%;
    margin-bottom: 12px;
}
.VideoEnhancement>* {
    color: var(--primaryTextColor);
    font-size: 13px;
    font-weight: 400;
    line-height: 1.4;
    font-style: italic;
    background: #f0efed
}

@media only screen and (min-width: 768px) {
    .VideoEnhancement>* {
        font-size:14px;
        font-weight: 400;
        line-height: 1.47
    }
}

.VideoEnhancement-title {
    padding: 20px
}

@media only screen and (min-width: 768px) {
    .VideoEnhancement-title {
        padding:30px
    }
}

.VideoEnhancement-player>* {
    position: relative;
    width: 100%;
    height: 0;
    padding-bottom: 56.25%
}

.VideoEnhancement iframe {
    border: 0;
    position: absolute;
    top: 0;
    left: 0;
    width: 100%;
    height: 100%
}
[data-video-player] {
    display: block;
    padding-bottom: 56.25%;
    height: 0;
    margin: 0 auto;
}

[data-video-player][data-aspect-ratio="4x3"] {
    padding-bottom: 56.25%;
}

[data-video-player][data-aspect-ratio="16x9"] {
    padding-bottom: 56.25%
}
</style>
--></div><div class="module clearfix"><div class="module-spacer tout-homefit-750">
<a data-formelementid="CSN-LOCAL-HC-NEWSSK-02272024" 
	href="/harrisburg-pa/home-and-community/?intcmp=CSN-LOCAL-HC-NEWSSK-02272024"><img class="img-responsive"  
	alt="Explore the free AARP HomeFit Guide" title="Explore the free AARP HomeFit Guide" 
	src="https://cdn-aarp.americantowns.com/img/touts/HomeFit_750x150.png"></a>
</div></div></div>
	<div class="col-md-4 right-rail thin-rhs"><div class="module clearfix"><!--default-->
<!-- module_RHS - AARP Events -->

<div class="ar-basic-box module-spacer">
	<header>
		<div class="pull-right">
			<a href="/harrisburg-pa/aarp-events/" data-formelementid="LOCAL-BTN-CLK-SEEALL-EVENTS">
				<img style="width:30px;" src="https://cdn-aarp.americantowns.com/img/template/icons/aarp_event_icon.png" alt="Upcoming AARP Events" />
			</a>
		</div>
		<h2 class="visible-lg">AARP Events for Harrisburg</h2>
		<h2 class="hidden-lg">AARP Events for Harrisburg</h2>
	</header>
	<div class="wrap">
		<div class="ar-listing snippet">
			<ul class="list">
				<li class="item" data-pageindex="1">

					
					<h2 class="title"><a href="/driver-safety/aarp-smart-driver-dulles-va-c35488.html" data-formelementid="LOCAL-BTN-CLK-EVENTS-AARP-SMART-DRIVERTM-CASCADES-SENIOR-CENTER">AARP Smart Driver™: Cascades Senior Center</a></h2>
					<p class="time">Wednesday, Mar 26, 2025 at 9:00&nbsp;a.m. ET</p>
					<p class="venue">Cascades Senior Center</p>
					<p class="loc">Sterling, VA</p>
					
				</li><li class="item" data-pageindex="1">

					
					<h2 class="title"><a href="/aarp-event/strategies-to-help-enhance-your-job-search-washington-dc-32725-1130-am-et-lynhsltrh96.html" data-formelementid="LOCAL-BTN-CLK-EVENTS-STRATEGIES-TO-HELP-ENHANCE-YOUR-JOB-SEARCH">Strategies to Help Enhance Your Job Search</a></h2>
					<p class="time">Thursday, Mar 27, 2025 at 11:30&nbsp;a.m. ET</p>
					<p class="venue">THEARC: Town Hall Education Arts Recreation Campus (Community Room)</p>
					<p class="loc">Washington, DC</p>
					
				</li><li class="item" data-pageindex="1">

					
					<h2 class="title"><a href="/aarp-event/aarp-careversations-washington-dc-32725-600-pm-et-jmnzf5hydcg.html" data-formelementid="LOCAL-BTN-CLK-EVENTS-AARP-CAREVERSATIONS-CARING-FOR-A-LOVED-ONE">AARP CAREversations: Caring for A Loved One</a></h2>
					<p class="time">Thursday, Mar 27, 2025 at 6:00&nbsp;p.m. ET</p>
					<p class="venue">Busboys and Poets-Brookland (Pearl Bailey Room)</p>
					<p class="loc">Washington, DC</p>
					
				</li>			</ul>

			<p><a class="link-red" href="/harrisburg-pa/aarp-events/" data-formelementid="LOCAL-BTN-CLK-SEEALL-EVENTS">View All AARP Events<i class="ml-1 fas fa-chevron-right"></i></a></p>
	
		</div>
	</div>
</div>


<div aria-hidden="true" class="aarpe-ad-wrapper">
                    
                    <div class="aarpe-ad en clearfix" id="300x250_53475" data-adsize="300x250">
                        
                         
                            <script type="text/javascript">
                                if(typeof AARP.ads !== 'undefined'){
                                  AARP.ads.slots({ id:'300x250_53475', size:'300x250'});
                                }
                            </script>
                         
                    </div>
                </div>
<div class="card-tout card-dark membership-tout" style="margin:0 0 30px 0;height:360px;">
	<img class="img-responsive image" 
		title="image of two AARP membership cards"
		alt="image of two AARP membership cards" 
		src="https://cdn-aarp.americantowns.com/img/tout-two-cards.png">
	<div class="title">Last Chance to Save!<br />New Pricing Coming in 2025.</div>
<br />
	<p>
This is AARP's first rate increase in 15 years.<br />Don't miss out, join today and save!<br /><br />
</p>
	<div class="action">
		<a class="btn" href="https://appsec.aarp.org/mem/join?campaignid=UAJFT3&intcmp=LNK-CSN-AARPLOCAL-JRTOUT-RR-A-HARRISBURG-PA">Join AARP</a>
		<div class="body">Already a member? <a href="https://appsec.aarp.org/mem/renew?campaignid= UARFT3&intcmp=LNK-CSN-AARPLOCAL-JRTOUT-RR-A-HARRISBURG-PA">Renew</a> or 
			<a href="https://www.aarp.org/benefits-discounts/my-membership/print-your-card/">Print Card</a></div>
	</div>
</div>
<style>
.membership-tout {padding:16px 20px;}
.membership-tout .list li { margin: 0; }
</style> 
<div aria-hidden="true" class="aarpe-ad-wrapper">
                    
                    <div class="aarpe-ad en clearfix" id="300x250_93505" data-adsize="300x250">
                        
                         
                            <script type="text/javascript">
                                if(typeof AARP.ads !== 'undefined'){
                                  AARP.ads.slots({ id:'300x250_93505', size:'300x250'});
                                }
                            </script>
                         
                    </div>
                </div>
<div class="module-spacer text-center">
<div class="fb-page" alt="Image of AARP Pennsylvania Facebook Page" title="Image of AARP Pennsylvania Facebook Page" data-href="https://www.facebook.com/AARPPA" data-tabs="timeline" width="" height="" data-small-header="false" data-adapt-container-width="true" data-hide-cover="false" data-show-facepile="true">
	<blockquote cite="https://www.facebook.com/AARPPA" class="fb-xfbml-parse-ignore"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/AARPPA">Facebook</a></blockquote>
</div>
</div>

 


<div class="ar-basic-box module-spacer">
<header>
<h2>Contact AARP<br />Pennsylvania</h2>
</header>
<div class="wrap">

<div class="ar-quick-list module-spacer">
<ul class="list-unstyled">
<li><i class="list-icon fa fa-envelope" alt="Email icon" title="Email icon" aria-hidden="true"></i><a href="mailto:PAAARP@aarp.org" target="_blank" rel="noopener">PAAARP@aarp.org</a></li>
<li><i class="list-icon fa fa-globe" alt="Globe icon" title="Globe icon" aria-hidden="true"></i><a href="https://states.aarp.org/region/pennsylvania/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">AARP Pennsylvania</a></li>
<li><i class="list-icon fa fa-map-marker" alt="Map Marker icon" title="Map Marker icon" aria-hidden="true"></i><a href="https://states.aarp.org/your-local-aarp-office/?intcmp=SNG-LNK-AARPLOCAL-CONTACT-20140101-HARRISBURG-PA" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Contact Us</a></li>


</ul>
</div>
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/AARPPA" target="_blank" rel="noopener" aria-label="Open Facebook"><img style="max-width: 48px;" alt="Facebook icon" title="Facebook icon" src="https://cdn-aarp.americantowns.com/img/page/icons/facebook.png"></a>&nbsp;&nbsp;
<a href="https://twitter.com/AARPPA" target="_blank" rel="noopener" aria-label="Open Twitter"><img style="max-width: 48px;" alt="Twitter icon" title="Twitter icon" src="https://cdn-aarp.americantowns.com/img/page/icons/twitter.png"></a>



</div>
</div>


</div></div>
	<div class="col-md-8 left-rail left-bot"></div>
	<div class="col-md-4 right-rail right-bot thin-rhs"></div>
</div>
<div class="row oneColumnLayout">
	</div>
<div class="row oneColumnLayout">
	<div class="col-md-12"><!-- script to activate navbar -->
	<script type="text/javascript">
		jQuery(".channelBarMain ul.left li a").click(function() {
			window.location = jQuery(this).attr('href');
		});
	</script>
</div>
</div>
'
$scripts_for_layout = '<title>For Scammers, It’s Not About Love, It’s About Your Money</title>
<meta name="page_title" content="For Scammers, It’s Not About Love, It’s About Your Money"/>
<meta name="robots" content="noindex, nofollow"/>
<meta content="Romance is in the air as Valentine’s Day approaches. But for scammers, it’s not about love. It’s about gaining access to your money.Romance fraud" name="description"/>
<meta content="Scammers, It, s, Not, About, Love, Your, Money" name="keywords"/>
<link rel="canonical" href="https://states.aarp.org/pennsylvania/for-scammers-its-not-about-love-its-about-your-money" />
<meta property="og:url" content="https://vccstaging.local.aarp.org/news/for-scammers-its-not-about-love-its-about-your-money-pa-2025-02-03.html"/>
<meta name="twitter:card" content="summary_large_image"/>
<meta name="twitter:title" content="For Scammers, It’s Not About Love, It’s About Your Money"/>
<meta name="twitter:description" content="Romance is in the air as Valentine’s Day approaches. But for scammers, it’s not about love. It’s about gaining access to your money."/>
<meta name="twitter:image" content="https://aarp-states.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/c94e22e/2147483647/strip/true/crop/480x309+0+26/resize/420x270!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.ytimg.com%2Fvi%2FDyRG7nNrtMw%2Fhqdefault.jpg"/>
<meta property="og:type" content="article"/>
<meta property="og:title" content="For Scammers, It’s Not About Love, It’s About Your Money"/>
<meta property="og:description" content="Romance is in the air as Valentine’s Day approaches. But for scammers, it’s not about love. It’s about gaining access to your money."/>
<meta property="og:image" content="https://aarp-states.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/c94e22e/2147483647/strip/true/crop/480x309+0+26/resize/420x270!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.ytimg.com%2Fvi%2FDyRG7nNrtMw%2Fhqdefault.jpg"/>
/* temporary */
.RichTextArticleBody ul {
	padding-left: 20px;
}
.RichTextArticleBody .Enhancement {
	margin: 40px 0;
}
.RichTextArticleBody .Enhancement .Enhancement-item img {
	width: auto;
    max-width: 100% !important;
	height: auto;
}

@media (min-width: 768px) {
	.RichTextArticleBody .Enhancement .Enhancement-item .Figure[data-alignment=left],
	.RichTextArticleBody .Enhancement[data-align-left] .Enhancement-item > * {
		float: left;
		max-width: 340px !important;
		margin: 0 20px 20px 0;
	}
	.RichTextArticleBody .Enhancement .Enhancement-item .Figure[data-alignment=right],
	.RichTextArticleBody .Enhancement[data-align-right] .Enhancement-item > * {
		float: right;
		max-width: 340px !important;
		margin: 0 0 20px 20px;
	}
}        :root {
        --primaryColor: #ff1e3c;
        --primaryTextColor: #2a2a2a;
        --linkTextColor: #1f66bd;
        --linkHoverColor: #1f66bd;
        --secondaryTextColor: #000000;
        --secondaryColor2: #000000;
        --secondaryColor3: #000000;
        --secondaryColor4: #000000;
        --secondaryColor5: #000000;
        --black: #000000;
        --white: #ffffff;
        --grey: #f0efed;
        --gridGutters: 30px;
        --modulePadding: 60px;
        --pageWidth: 86.11%;
        --maxPageWidth: 1240px;
        --horizontalAlignment: center;
        --fontFamily: 'Roboto', sans-serif;
        --headerBackgroundColor:#000000;
        --headerTextColor:#FFFFFF;
        --headerHeight:50px;
        --footerbackgroundColor:#000000;
        --footerTextColor:#918883;
        }'
$title_for_layout = '{local_city_c}, {local_state} Happenings - AARP'
$asset_version = '240925'
$min = true
$nowrapper = false
$css = '/* temporary */
.RichTextArticleBody ul {
	padding-left: 20px;
}
.RichTextArticleBody .Enhancement {
	margin: 40px 0;
}
.RichTextArticleBody .Enhancement .Enhancement-item img {
	width: auto;
    max-width: 100% !important;
	height: auto;
}

@media (min-width: 768px) {
	.RichTextArticleBody .Enhancement .Enhancement-item .Figure[data-alignment=left],
	.RichTextArticleBody .Enhancement[data-align-left] .Enhancement-item > * {
		float: left;
		max-width: 340px !important;
		margin: 0 20px 20px 0;
	}
	.RichTextArticleBody .Enhancement .Enhancement-item .Figure[data-alignment=right],
	.RichTextArticleBody .Enhancement[data-align-right] .Enhancement-item > * {
		float: right;
		max-width: 340px !important;
		margin: 0 0 20px 20px;
	}
}        :root {
        --primaryColor: #ff1e3c;
        --primaryTextColor: #2a2a2a;
        --linkTextColor: #1f66bd;
        --linkHoverColor: #1f66bd;
        --secondaryTextColor: #000000;
        --secondaryColor2: #000000;
        --secondaryColor3: #000000;
        --secondaryColor4: #000000;
        --secondaryColor5: #000000;
        --black: #000000;
        --white: #ffffff;
        --grey: #f0efed;
        --gridGutters: 30px;
        --modulePadding: 60px;
        --pageWidth: 86.11%;
        --maxPageWidth: 1240px;
        --horizontalAlignment: center;
        --fontFamily: 'Roboto', sans-serif;
        --headerBackgroundColor:#000000;
        --headerTextColor:#FFFFFF;
        --headerHeight:50px;
        --footerbackgroundColor:#000000;
        --footerTextColor:#918883;
        }'
$highlighting = ''
$location = '<a href="/harrisburg-pa/?intcmp=CSN-LOCAL-NAV-HOME">Harrisburg, PA</a>'
$no_header = false
$header_title = '<a href="/harrisburg-pa/happenings/">News Feed</a>'
$header_subtitle = ''
$isPR = false
$navbar = '<nav class="section" role="button" aria-expanded="false" aria-controls="collapse">
	<div class="section-toggle">Sections <i class="fas fa-chevron-down"></i></div>
	<ul class="secondary-menu" id="secondary-menu" role="menu" aria-busy="true">
		<li role="presentation" class=""><a role="menuitem" class="menuitem" href="/harrisburg-pa/aarp-events/?intcmp=CSN-LOCAL-NAV-OLE" data-formelementid="LOCAL-LNK-CLK-EVENTS">Online & Local Events</a> </li>
		<li role="presentation" class=""><a role="menuitem" class="menuitem" href="/harrisburg-pa/things-to-do/?intcmp=CSN-LOCAL-NAV-TTD" data-formelementid="LOCAL-LNK-CLK-THINGSTODO">Things to Do</a></li>
		<li role="presentation" class="active"><a role="menuitem" class="menuitem" href="/harrisburg-pa/happenings/?intcmp=CSN-LOCAL-NAV-NF" data-formelementid="LOCAL-LNK-CLK-HAPPENINGS">News Feed</a> </li>
		<li role="presentation" class=""><a role="menuitem" class="menuitem" href="/harrisburg-pa/volunteering/?intcmp=CSN-LOCAL-NAV-VOL" data-formelementid="LOCAL-LNK-CLK-VOLUNTEERING">Volunteering</a> </li>
		<li role="presentation" class=""><a role="menuitem" class="menuitem" href="/harrisburg-pa/home-and-community/?intcmp=CSN-LOCAL-NAV-HC" data-formelementid="LOCAL-LNK-CLK-HC">Home & Community</a> </li>
		<li role="presentation" class=""><a role="menuitem" class="menuitem" href="/harrisburg-pa/movies/?intcmp=CSN-LOCAL-NAV-MFG" data-formelementid="LOCAL-LNK-CLK-MOVIESFORGROWNUPS">Movies for Grownups</a> </li>
		<li role="presentation" class="more nosep " id="submenu-more">
			<span role="menuitem" class="menuitem" data-formelementid="LOCAL-LNK-CLK-MORE">More<i class="fas fa-chevron-down"></i></span>
			<ul class="secondary-submenu animate slide-in" id="secondary-submenu">
				<li role="presentation"><a role="menuitem" class="menuitem " href="/harrisburg-pa/discounts/?intcmp=CSN-LOCAL-NAV-LO" data-formelementid="LOCAL-LNK-CLK-OFFERS">Local Offers</a></li>
				<li role="presentation"><a role="menuitem" class="menuitem " href="/harrisburg-pa/local-resources/?intcmp=CSN-LOCAL-NAV-LR" data-formelementid="LOCAL-LNK-CLK-LOCALRESOURCES">Local Resources</a> </li>
				<li role="presentation"><a role="menuitem" class="menuitem " href="/harrisburg-pa/jobs/?intcmp=CSN-LOCAL-NAV-WJ" data-formelementid="LOCAL-LNK-CLK-WORK&JOBS">Work & Jobs</a></li>
				<li role="presentation"><a role="menuitem" class="menuitem " href="/harrisburg-pa/events/?intcmp=CSN-LOCAL-NAV-CC" data-formelementid="LOCAL-LNK-CLK-EVENTS">Community Calendar</a></li>
				<!--
				<li role="presentation"><a role="menuitem" class="menuitem " href="/harrisburg-pa/healthy-living/?intcmp=CSN-LOCAL-NAV-HEALTHY_LIVING" data-formelementid="LOCAL-LNK-CLK-HEALTHY_LIVING">Healthy Living</a></li>
				<li role="presentation"><a role="menuitem" class="menuitem " href="/harrisburg-pa/arts-entertainment/?intcmp=CSN-LOCAL-NAV-ARTS_ENT" data-formelementid="LOCAL-LNK-CLK-ARTS_ENT">Arts & Entertainment</a></li>
				<li role="presentation"><a role="menuitem" class="menuitem " href="/harrisburg-pa/museums/?intcmp=CSN-LOCAL-NAV-MUSEUMS" data-formelementid="LOCAL-LNK-CLK-MUSEUMS">Museums</a></li>
				-->
			</ul>
		</li>
		
	</ul>
</nav>'
$header_custom = ''
$breadcrumbs = array(
	(int) 0 => array(
		'title' => 'News Feed',
		'slug' => 'happenings'
	)
)
$row = array(
	'title' => 'Back to News Feed',
	'slug' => 'happenings'
)
$i = (int) 0
include - APP/View/Layouts/aarp_2023.ctp, line 243
include - APP/View/Layouts/aarp_2023.ctp, line 243
View::_evaluate() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 971
View::_render() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 933
View::renderLayout() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 546
View::render() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 481
Controller::render() - CORE/Cake/Controller/Controller.php, line 963
AppController::renderPage() - APP/Controller/AppController.php, line 136
BlogsController::display() - APP/Controller/BlogsController.php, line 81
ReflectionMethod::invokeArgs() - [internal], line ??
Controller::invokeAction() - CORE/Cake/Controller/Controller.php, line 491
Dispatcher::_invoke() - CORE/Cake/Routing/Dispatcher.php, line 193
Dispatcher::dispatch() - CORE/Cake/Routing/Dispatcher.php, line 167
[main] - APP/webroot/index.php, line 118

Warning (2): include() [<a href='http://php.net/function.include'>function.include</a>]: Failed opening '/var/www/vhosts/vcc_staging/app/Resource/aarp2_master.bodyTargeting.html' for inclusion (include_path='/var/www/vhosts/vcc_staging/lib:.:/usr/share/pear:/usr/share/php') [APP/View/Layouts/aarp_2023.ctp, line 243]
Code Context
            <?php if (!$nowrapper):  // MLW - Spanish wrappers TBD
                    include (APP . "Resource/aarp2_master.footer.html");
                    include (APP . "Resource/aarp2_master.bodyTargeting.html");
$viewFile = '/var/www/vhosts/vcc_staging/app/View/Layouts/aarp_2023.ctp'
$dataForView = array(
	'content_for_layout' => '<div class="row twoColumnLayout">
	<div class="col-md-8 left-rail"><div class="module clearfix"><div class="ar-basic-box">

	<div>    
		<div class="module-spacer">
			<header><h1 class="article-headline">For Scammers, It’s Not About Love, It’s About Your Money</h1></header>	
						<div class="posted-on">
				Posted on 02/03/25 
							</div>
		</div>
		<div class="module-spacer">
			<span class="blog-content"><p><div class="RichTextArticleBody">
    
        <div class="RichTextArticleBody-body"><p>Romance is in the air as Valentine’s Day approaches. But for scammers, it’s not about love. It’s about gaining access to your money.<br><br>Romance fraud exploits intimate relationships for personal gain. Some common types of romance fraud include love bombing, catfishing, and inheritance.<br></p><ul><li>In “love bombing,” the scammer will take their time earning a person’s trust before expressing messages of love and asking for money. One such scammer, “Tony” cost AARP Pennsylvania Volunteer Kate tens of thousands of dollars. “Tony” reached out to her on Facebook with a friend request.</li></ul><p>“We got friendly very quickly and moved off Facebook onto an app so we could talk to one another. And we spoke for a few months before he ever asked for any money, so there was a layer of trust,” said Kate who now warns others about the devastation of romance scams through <span class="Enhancement" ><span class="Enhancement-item"><a class="Link" href="https://www.aarp.org/money/scams-fraud/about-fraud-watch-network/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">AARP’s Fraud Watch Network</a></span></span>.<br></p><ul><li>On dating sites, a “catfishing” scammer will create a fake online profile using an attractive fake photo. Once a person matches with this phony profile, the scammer moves the relationship forward quickly. He or she will express their love and ask to take the conversation off the dating app and use Snapchat or WhatsApp. Then this “perfect match” will begin asking for personal information or money.<br></li><li>After developing a romantic relationship with someone, a scammer will convince them that they are going to receive a large inheritance, but they need to pay unexpected expenses that they can’t afford. By holding out the idea of future wealth, the scammer begins to ask for money to pay for the expenses regarding this non-existent inheritance. Once the money is in the scammer’s hands, he or she disappears.</li></ul><p>“Romance scams can happen to any gender and are devastating financially and emotionally,” said Mary Bach, AARP Pennsylvania Volunteer and Chair of the Consumer Issues Task Force. “These scammers are very skilled at creating personas and exploiting a person’s vulnerabilities. Remember, if someone never attends a video call or other means of live interaction, it should raise concerns about their true identity.”<br><br><b>Report scams to local law enforcement. For help from AARP, call 1-877-908-3360 or visit the AARP Pennsylvania Fraud Resource Page at </b><span class="Enhancement" ><span class="Enhancement-item"><a class="Link" href="http://www.aarp.org/pafraud" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><b>aarp.org/pafraud</b></a></span></span>.<br><br></p></div>
    
</div>
</p></span>
		</div>
	</div>

		<p><i>This story is provided by AARP Pennsylvania. Visit the <a href="https://states.aarp.org/region/pennsylvania/" target="_blank">AARP Pennsylvania</a> page for more news, events, and programs affecting retirement, health care, and more.</i></p>
	
</div>
</div><div class="module clearfix"><script src="https://npmcdn.com/flickity@2/dist/flickity.pkgd.min.js"></script>

<script src="https://aarp-states.brightspotcdn.com/resource/00000168-dd17-d487-a96e-df5fe3ee0000/styleguide/All.min.d703996ba6a992470f9f7fa2170736df.gz.js"></script>

<link class="Webpack-css" rel="stylesheet" href="https://aarp-states.brightspotcdn.com/resource/00000168-dd17-d487-a96e-df5fe3ee0000/styleguide/All.min.2cef3303b65f09149a6db29044f033cb.gz.css">

<!--
<script src="https://aarp-states.brightspotcdn.com/resource/00000168-dd17-d487-a96e-df5fe3ee0000/styleguide/All.min.c85a242a55150cd195e494cd6e5b9c77.gz.js" async=""></script>
<link rel="stylesheet" media="all" href="https://aarp-states.brightspotcdn.com/resource/00000168-dd17-d487-a96e-df5fe3ee0000/styleguide/All.min.bfe6eb5a8301841feef3af4e9bd1e26d.gz.css">
-->

<!-- bypass -->
<style>
a:focus, a:hover {
    text-decoration: underline;
}
h1.article-headline {
margin: 0 0 1rem;
}
</style>

<!--
<style>
.Enhancement-item .Figure {
margin-bottom: 24px;
}
.RichTextArticleBody-body ul {
    margin-bottom: 24px;
}
.RichTextArticleBody-body p{
    margin: 12px 0;
}
.RichTextModule-items {
   clear: both;
    display: table;
    width: 100%;
    margin-bottom: 12px;
}
.VideoEnhancement>* {
    color: var(--primaryTextColor);
    font-size: 13px;
    font-weight: 400;
    line-height: 1.4;
    font-style: italic;
    background: #f0efed
}

@media only screen and (min-width: 768px) {
    .VideoEnhancement>* {
        font-size:14px;
        font-weight: 400;
        line-height: 1.47
    }
}

.VideoEnhancement-title {
    padding: 20px
}

@media only screen and (min-width: 768px) {
    .VideoEnhancement-title {
        padding:30px
    }
}

.VideoEnhancement-player>* {
    position: relative;
    width: 100%;
    height: 0;
    padding-bottom: 56.25%
}

.VideoEnhancement iframe {
    border: 0;
    position: absolute;
    top: 0;
    left: 0;
    width: 100%;
    height: 100%
}
[data-video-player] {
    display: block;
    padding-bottom: 56.25%;
    height: 0;
    margin: 0 auto;
}

[data-video-player][data-aspect-ratio="4x3"] {
    padding-bottom: 56.25%;
}

[data-video-player][data-aspect-ratio="16x9"] {
    padding-bottom: 56.25%
}
</style>
--></div><div class="module clearfix"><div class="module-spacer tout-homefit-750">
<a data-formelementid="CSN-LOCAL-HC-NEWSSK-02272024" 
	href="/harrisburg-pa/home-and-community/?intcmp=CSN-LOCAL-HC-NEWSSK-02272024"><img class="img-responsive"  
	alt="Explore the free AARP HomeFit Guide" title="Explore the free AARP HomeFit Guide" 
	src="https://cdn-aarp.americantowns.com/img/touts/HomeFit_750x150.png"></a>
</div></div></div>
	<div class="col-md-4 right-rail thin-rhs"><div class="module clearfix"><!--default-->
<!-- module_RHS - AARP Events -->

<div class="ar-basic-box module-spacer">
	<header>
		<div class="pull-right">
			<a href="/harrisburg-pa/aarp-events/" data-formelementid="LOCAL-BTN-CLK-SEEALL-EVENTS">
				<img style="width:30px;" src="https://cdn-aarp.americantowns.com/img/template/icons/aarp_event_icon.png" alt="Upcoming AARP Events" />
			</a>
		</div>
		<h2 class="visible-lg">AARP Events for Harrisburg</h2>
		<h2 class="hidden-lg">AARP Events for Harrisburg</h2>
	</header>
	<div class="wrap">
		<div class="ar-listing snippet">
			<ul class="list">
				<li class="item" data-pageindex="1">

					
					<h2 class="title"><a href="/driver-safety/aarp-smart-driver-dulles-va-c35488.html" data-formelementid="LOCAL-BTN-CLK-EVENTS-AARP-SMART-DRIVERTM-CASCADES-SENIOR-CENTER">AARP Smart Driver™: Cascades Senior Center</a></h2>
					<p class="time">Wednesday, Mar 26, 2025 at 9:00&nbsp;a.m. ET</p>
					<p class="venue">Cascades Senior Center</p>
					<p class="loc">Sterling, VA</p>
					
				</li><li class="item" data-pageindex="1">

					
					<h2 class="title"><a href="/aarp-event/strategies-to-help-enhance-your-job-search-washington-dc-32725-1130-am-et-lynhsltrh96.html" data-formelementid="LOCAL-BTN-CLK-EVENTS-STRATEGIES-TO-HELP-ENHANCE-YOUR-JOB-SEARCH">Strategies to Help Enhance Your Job Search</a></h2>
					<p class="time">Thursday, Mar 27, 2025 at 11:30&nbsp;a.m. ET</p>
					<p class="venue">THEARC: Town Hall Education Arts Recreation Campus (Community Room)</p>
					<p class="loc">Washington, DC</p>
					
				</li><li class="item" data-pageindex="1">

					
					<h2 class="title"><a href="/aarp-event/aarp-careversations-washington-dc-32725-600-pm-et-jmnzf5hydcg.html" data-formelementid="LOCAL-BTN-CLK-EVENTS-AARP-CAREVERSATIONS-CARING-FOR-A-LOVED-ONE">AARP CAREversations: Caring for A Loved One</a></h2>
					<p class="time">Thursday, Mar 27, 2025 at 6:00&nbsp;p.m. ET</p>
					<p class="venue">Busboys and Poets-Brookland (Pearl Bailey Room)</p>
					<p class="loc">Washington, DC</p>
					
				</li>			</ul>

			<p><a class="link-red" href="/harrisburg-pa/aarp-events/" data-formelementid="LOCAL-BTN-CLK-SEEALL-EVENTS">View All AARP Events<i class="ml-1 fas fa-chevron-right"></i></a></p>
	
		</div>
	</div>
</div>


<div aria-hidden="true" class="aarpe-ad-wrapper">
                    
                    <div class="aarpe-ad en clearfix" id="300x250_53475" data-adsize="300x250">
                        
                         
                            <script type="text/javascript">
                                if(typeof AARP.ads !== 'undefined'){
                                  AARP.ads.slots({ id:'300x250_53475', size:'300x250'});
                                }
                            </script>
                         
                    </div>
                </div>
<div class="card-tout card-dark membership-tout" style="margin:0 0 30px 0;height:360px;">
	<img class="img-responsive image" 
		title="image of two AARP membership cards"
		alt="image of two AARP membership cards" 
		src="https://cdn-aarp.americantowns.com/img/tout-two-cards.png">
	<div class="title">Last Chance to Save!<br />New Pricing Coming in 2025.</div>
<br />
	<p>
This is AARP's first rate increase in 15 years.<br />Don't miss out, join today and save!<br /><br />
</p>
	<div class="action">
		<a class="btn" href="https://appsec.aarp.org/mem/join?campaignid=UAJFT3&intcmp=LNK-CSN-AARPLOCAL-JRTOUT-RR-A-HARRISBURG-PA">Join AARP</a>
		<div class="body">Already a member? <a href="https://appsec.aarp.org/mem/renew?campaignid= UARFT3&intcmp=LNK-CSN-AARPLOCAL-JRTOUT-RR-A-HARRISBURG-PA">Renew</a> or 
			<a href="https://www.aarp.org/benefits-discounts/my-membership/print-your-card/">Print Card</a></div>
	</div>
</div>
<style>
.membership-tout {padding:16px 20px;}
.membership-tout .list li { margin: 0; }
</style> 
<div aria-hidden="true" class="aarpe-ad-wrapper">
                    
                    <div class="aarpe-ad en clearfix" id="300x250_93505" data-adsize="300x250">
                        
                         
                            <script type="text/javascript">
                                if(typeof AARP.ads !== 'undefined'){
                                  AARP.ads.slots({ id:'300x250_93505', size:'300x250'});
                                }
                            </script>
                         
                    </div>
                </div>
<div class="module-spacer text-center">
<div class="fb-page" alt="Image of AARP Pennsylvania Facebook Page" title="Image of AARP Pennsylvania Facebook Page" data-href="https://www.facebook.com/AARPPA" data-tabs="timeline" width="" height="" data-small-header="false" data-adapt-container-width="true" data-hide-cover="false" data-show-facepile="true">
	<blockquote cite="https://www.facebook.com/AARPPA" class="fb-xfbml-parse-ignore"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/AARPPA">Facebook</a></blockquote>
</div>
</div>

 


<div class="ar-basic-box module-spacer">
<header>
<h2>Contact AARP<br />Pennsylvania</h2>
</header>
<div class="wrap">

<div class="ar-quick-list module-spacer">
<ul class="list-unstyled">
<li><i class="list-icon fa fa-envelope" alt="Email icon" title="Email icon" aria-hidden="true"></i><a href="mailto:PAAARP@aarp.org" target="_blank" rel="noopener">PAAARP@aarp.org</a></li>
<li><i class="list-icon fa fa-globe" alt="Globe icon" title="Globe icon" aria-hidden="true"></i><a href="https://states.aarp.org/region/pennsylvania/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">AARP Pennsylvania</a></li>
<li><i class="list-icon fa fa-map-marker" alt="Map Marker icon" title="Map Marker icon" aria-hidden="true"></i><a href="https://states.aarp.org/your-local-aarp-office/?intcmp=SNG-LNK-AARPLOCAL-CONTACT-20140101-HARRISBURG-PA" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Contact Us</a></li>


</ul>
</div>
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/AARPPA" target="_blank" rel="noopener" aria-label="Open Facebook"><img style="max-width: 48px;" alt="Facebook icon" title="Facebook icon" src="https://cdn-aarp.americantowns.com/img/page/icons/facebook.png"></a>&nbsp;&nbsp;
<a href="https://twitter.com/AARPPA" target="_blank" rel="noopener" aria-label="Open Twitter"><img style="max-width: 48px;" alt="Twitter icon" title="Twitter icon" src="https://cdn-aarp.americantowns.com/img/page/icons/twitter.png"></a>



</div>
</div>


</div></div>
	<div class="col-md-8 left-rail left-bot"></div>
	<div class="col-md-4 right-rail right-bot thin-rhs"></div>
</div>
<div class="row oneColumnLayout">
	</div>
<div class="row oneColumnLayout">
	<div class="col-md-12"><!-- script to activate navbar -->
	<script type="text/javascript">
		jQuery(".channelBarMain ul.left li a").click(function() {
			window.location = jQuery(this).attr('href');
		});
	</script>
</div>
</div>
',
	'scripts_for_layout' => '<title>For Scammers, It’s Not About Love, It’s About Your Money</title>
<meta name="page_title" content="For Scammers, It’s Not About Love, It’s About Your Money"/>
<meta name="robots" content="noindex, nofollow"/>
<meta content="Romance is in the air as Valentine’s Day approaches. But for scammers, it’s not about love. It’s about gaining access to your money.Romance fraud" name="description"/>
<meta content="Scammers, It, s, Not, About, Love, Your, Money" name="keywords"/>
<link rel="canonical" href="https://states.aarp.org/pennsylvania/for-scammers-its-not-about-love-its-about-your-money" />
<meta property="og:url" content="https://vccstaging.local.aarp.org/news/for-scammers-its-not-about-love-its-about-your-money-pa-2025-02-03.html"/>
<meta name="twitter:card" content="summary_large_image"/>
<meta name="twitter:title" content="For Scammers, It’s Not About Love, It’s About Your Money"/>
<meta name="twitter:description" content="Romance is in the air as Valentine’s Day approaches. But for scammers, it’s not about love. It’s about gaining access to your money."/>
<meta name="twitter:image" content="https://aarp-states.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/c94e22e/2147483647/strip/true/crop/480x309+0+26/resize/420x270!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.ytimg.com%2Fvi%2FDyRG7nNrtMw%2Fhqdefault.jpg"/>
<meta property="og:type" content="article"/>
<meta property="og:title" content="For Scammers, It’s Not About Love, It’s About Your Money"/>
<meta property="og:description" content="Romance is in the air as Valentine’s Day approaches. But for scammers, it’s not about love. It’s about gaining access to your money."/>
<meta property="og:image" content="https://aarp-states.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/c94e22e/2147483647/strip/true/crop/480x309+0+26/resize/420x270!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.ytimg.com%2Fvi%2FDyRG7nNrtMw%2Fhqdefault.jpg"/>
/* temporary */
.RichTextArticleBody ul {
	padding-left: 20px;
}
.RichTextArticleBody .Enhancement {
	margin: 40px 0;
}
.RichTextArticleBody .Enhancement .Enhancement-item img {
	width: auto;
    max-width: 100% !important;
	height: auto;
}

@media (min-width: 768px) {
	.RichTextArticleBody .Enhancement .Enhancement-item .Figure[data-alignment=left],
	.RichTextArticleBody .Enhancement[data-align-left] .Enhancement-item > * {
		float: left;
		max-width: 340px !important;
		margin: 0 20px 20px 0;
	}
	.RichTextArticleBody .Enhancement .Enhancement-item .Figure[data-alignment=right],
	.RichTextArticleBody .Enhancement[data-align-right] .Enhancement-item > * {
		float: right;
		max-width: 340px !important;
		margin: 0 0 20px 20px;
	}
}        :root {
        --primaryColor: #ff1e3c;
        --primaryTextColor: #2a2a2a;
        --linkTextColor: #1f66bd;
        --linkHoverColor: #1f66bd;
        --secondaryTextColor: #000000;
        --secondaryColor2: #000000;
        --secondaryColor3: #000000;
        --secondaryColor4: #000000;
        --secondaryColor5: #000000;
        --black: #000000;
        --white: #ffffff;
        --grey: #f0efed;
        --gridGutters: 30px;
        --modulePadding: 60px;
        --pageWidth: 86.11%;
        --maxPageWidth: 1240px;
        --horizontalAlignment: center;
        --fontFamily: 'Roboto', sans-serif;
        --headerBackgroundColor:#000000;
        --headerTextColor:#FFFFFF;
        --headerHeight:50px;
        --footerbackgroundColor:#000000;
        --footerTextColor:#918883;
        }',
	'title_for_layout' => '{local_city_c}, {local_state} Happenings - AARP'
)
$content_for_layout = '<div class="row twoColumnLayout">
	<div class="col-md-8 left-rail"><div class="module clearfix"><div class="ar-basic-box">

	<div>    
		<div class="module-spacer">
			<header><h1 class="article-headline">For Scammers, It’s Not About Love, It’s About Your Money</h1></header>	
						<div class="posted-on">
				Posted on 02/03/25 
							</div>
		</div>
		<div class="module-spacer">
			<span class="blog-content"><p><div class="RichTextArticleBody">
    
        <div class="RichTextArticleBody-body"><p>Romance is in the air as Valentine’s Day approaches. But for scammers, it’s not about love. It’s about gaining access to your money.<br><br>Romance fraud exploits intimate relationships for personal gain. Some common types of romance fraud include love bombing, catfishing, and inheritance.<br></p><ul><li>In “love bombing,” the scammer will take their time earning a person’s trust before expressing messages of love and asking for money. One such scammer, “Tony” cost AARP Pennsylvania Volunteer Kate tens of thousands of dollars. “Tony” reached out to her on Facebook with a friend request.</li></ul><p>“We got friendly very quickly and moved off Facebook onto an app so we could talk to one another. And we spoke for a few months before he ever asked for any money, so there was a layer of trust,” said Kate who now warns others about the devastation of romance scams through <span class="Enhancement" ><span class="Enhancement-item"><a class="Link" href="https://www.aarp.org/money/scams-fraud/about-fraud-watch-network/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">AARP’s Fraud Watch Network</a></span></span>.<br></p><ul><li>On dating sites, a “catfishing” scammer will create a fake online profile using an attractive fake photo. Once a person matches with this phony profile, the scammer moves the relationship forward quickly. He or she will express their love and ask to take the conversation off the dating app and use Snapchat or WhatsApp. Then this “perfect match” will begin asking for personal information or money.<br></li><li>After developing a romantic relationship with someone, a scammer will convince them that they are going to receive a large inheritance, but they need to pay unexpected expenses that they can’t afford. By holding out the idea of future wealth, the scammer begins to ask for money to pay for the expenses regarding this non-existent inheritance. Once the money is in the scammer’s hands, he or she disappears.</li></ul><p>“Romance scams can happen to any gender and are devastating financially and emotionally,” said Mary Bach, AARP Pennsylvania Volunteer and Chair of the Consumer Issues Task Force. “These scammers are very skilled at creating personas and exploiting a person’s vulnerabilities. Remember, if someone never attends a video call or other means of live interaction, it should raise concerns about their true identity.”<br><br><b>Report scams to local law enforcement. For help from AARP, call 1-877-908-3360 or visit the AARP Pennsylvania Fraud Resource Page at </b><span class="Enhancement" ><span class="Enhancement-item"><a class="Link" href="http://www.aarp.org/pafraud" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><b>aarp.org/pafraud</b></a></span></span>.<br><br></p></div>
    
</div>
</p></span>
		</div>
	</div>

		<p><i>This story is provided by AARP Pennsylvania. Visit the <a href="https://states.aarp.org/region/pennsylvania/" target="_blank">AARP Pennsylvania</a> page for more news, events, and programs affecting retirement, health care, and more.</i></p>
	
</div>
</div><div class="module clearfix"><script src="https://npmcdn.com/flickity@2/dist/flickity.pkgd.min.js"></script>

<script src="https://aarp-states.brightspotcdn.com/resource/00000168-dd17-d487-a96e-df5fe3ee0000/styleguide/All.min.d703996ba6a992470f9f7fa2170736df.gz.js"></script>

<link class="Webpack-css" rel="stylesheet" href="https://aarp-states.brightspotcdn.com/resource/00000168-dd17-d487-a96e-df5fe3ee0000/styleguide/All.min.2cef3303b65f09149a6db29044f033cb.gz.css">

<!--
<script src="https://aarp-states.brightspotcdn.com/resource/00000168-dd17-d487-a96e-df5fe3ee0000/styleguide/All.min.c85a242a55150cd195e494cd6e5b9c77.gz.js" async=""></script>
<link rel="stylesheet" media="all" href="https://aarp-states.brightspotcdn.com/resource/00000168-dd17-d487-a96e-df5fe3ee0000/styleguide/All.min.bfe6eb5a8301841feef3af4e9bd1e26d.gz.css">
-->

<!-- bypass -->
<style>
a:focus, a:hover {
    text-decoration: underline;
}
h1.article-headline {
margin: 0 0 1rem;
}
</style>

<!--
<style>
.Enhancement-item .Figure {
margin-bottom: 24px;
}
.RichTextArticleBody-body ul {
    margin-bottom: 24px;
}
.RichTextArticleBody-body p{
    margin: 12px 0;
}
.RichTextModule-items {
   clear: both;
    display: table;
    width: 100%;
    margin-bottom: 12px;
}
.VideoEnhancement>* {
    color: var(--primaryTextColor);
    font-size: 13px;
    font-weight: 400;
    line-height: 1.4;
    font-style: italic;
    background: #f0efed
}

@media only screen and (min-width: 768px) {
    .VideoEnhancement>* {
        font-size:14px;
        font-weight: 400;
        line-height: 1.47
    }
}

.VideoEnhancement-title {
    padding: 20px
}

@media only screen and (min-width: 768px) {
    .VideoEnhancement-title {
        padding:30px
    }
}

.VideoEnhancement-player>* {
    position: relative;
    width: 100%;
    height: 0;
    padding-bottom: 56.25%
}

.VideoEnhancement iframe {
    border: 0;
    position: absolute;
    top: 0;
    left: 0;
    width: 100%;
    height: 100%
}
[data-video-player] {
    display: block;
    padding-bottom: 56.25%;
    height: 0;
    margin: 0 auto;
}

[data-video-player][data-aspect-ratio="4x3"] {
    padding-bottom: 56.25%;
}

[data-video-player][data-aspect-ratio="16x9"] {
    padding-bottom: 56.25%
}
</style>
--></div><div class="module clearfix"><div class="module-spacer tout-homefit-750">
<a data-formelementid="CSN-LOCAL-HC-NEWSSK-02272024" 
	href="/harrisburg-pa/home-and-community/?intcmp=CSN-LOCAL-HC-NEWSSK-02272024"><img class="img-responsive"  
	alt="Explore the free AARP HomeFit Guide" title="Explore the free AARP HomeFit Guide" 
	src="https://cdn-aarp.americantowns.com/img/touts/HomeFit_750x150.png"></a>
</div></div></div>
	<div class="col-md-4 right-rail thin-rhs"><div class="module clearfix"><!--default-->
<!-- module_RHS - AARP Events -->

<div class="ar-basic-box module-spacer">
	<header>
		<div class="pull-right">
			<a href="/harrisburg-pa/aarp-events/" data-formelementid="LOCAL-BTN-CLK-SEEALL-EVENTS">
				<img style="width:30px;" src="https://cdn-aarp.americantowns.com/img/template/icons/aarp_event_icon.png" alt="Upcoming AARP Events" />
			</a>
		</div>
		<h2 class="visible-lg">AARP Events for Harrisburg</h2>
		<h2 class="hidden-lg">AARP Events for Harrisburg</h2>
	</header>
	<div class="wrap">
		<div class="ar-listing snippet">
			<ul class="list">
				<li class="item" data-pageindex="1">

					
					<h2 class="title"><a href="/driver-safety/aarp-smart-driver-dulles-va-c35488.html" data-formelementid="LOCAL-BTN-CLK-EVENTS-AARP-SMART-DRIVERTM-CASCADES-SENIOR-CENTER">AARP Smart Driver™: Cascades Senior Center</a></h2>
					<p class="time">Wednesday, Mar 26, 2025 at 9:00&nbsp;a.m. ET</p>
					<p class="venue">Cascades Senior Center</p>
					<p class="loc">Sterling, VA</p>
					
				</li><li class="item" data-pageindex="1">

					
					<h2 class="title"><a href="/aarp-event/strategies-to-help-enhance-your-job-search-washington-dc-32725-1130-am-et-lynhsltrh96.html" data-formelementid="LOCAL-BTN-CLK-EVENTS-STRATEGIES-TO-HELP-ENHANCE-YOUR-JOB-SEARCH">Strategies to Help Enhance Your Job Search</a></h2>
					<p class="time">Thursday, Mar 27, 2025 at 11:30&nbsp;a.m. ET</p>
					<p class="venue">THEARC: Town Hall Education Arts Recreation Campus (Community Room)</p>
					<p class="loc">Washington, DC</p>
					
				</li><li class="item" data-pageindex="1">

					
					<h2 class="title"><a href="/aarp-event/aarp-careversations-washington-dc-32725-600-pm-et-jmnzf5hydcg.html" data-formelementid="LOCAL-BTN-CLK-EVENTS-AARP-CAREVERSATIONS-CARING-FOR-A-LOVED-ONE">AARP CAREversations: Caring for A Loved One</a></h2>
					<p class="time">Thursday, Mar 27, 2025 at 6:00&nbsp;p.m. ET</p>
					<p class="venue">Busboys and Poets-Brookland (Pearl Bailey Room)</p>
					<p class="loc">Washington, DC</p>
					
				</li>			</ul>

			<p><a class="link-red" href="/harrisburg-pa/aarp-events/" data-formelementid="LOCAL-BTN-CLK-SEEALL-EVENTS">View All AARP Events<i class="ml-1 fas fa-chevron-right"></i></a></p>
	
		</div>
	</div>
</div>


<div aria-hidden="true" class="aarpe-ad-wrapper">
                    
                    <div class="aarpe-ad en clearfix" id="300x250_53475" data-adsize="300x250">
                        
                         
                            <script type="text/javascript">
                                if(typeof AARP.ads !== 'undefined'){
                                  AARP.ads.slots({ id:'300x250_53475', size:'300x250'});
                                }
                            </script>
                         
                    </div>
                </div>
<div class="card-tout card-dark membership-tout" style="margin:0 0 30px 0;height:360px;">
	<img class="img-responsive image" 
		title="image of two AARP membership cards"
		alt="image of two AARP membership cards" 
		src="https://cdn-aarp.americantowns.com/img/tout-two-cards.png">
	<div class="title">Last Chance to Save!<br />New Pricing Coming in 2025.</div>
<br />
	<p>
This is AARP's first rate increase in 15 years.<br />Don't miss out, join today and save!<br /><br />
</p>
	<div class="action">
		<a class="btn" href="https://appsec.aarp.org/mem/join?campaignid=UAJFT3&intcmp=LNK-CSN-AARPLOCAL-JRTOUT-RR-A-HARRISBURG-PA">Join AARP</a>
		<div class="body">Already a member? <a href="https://appsec.aarp.org/mem/renew?campaignid= UARFT3&intcmp=LNK-CSN-AARPLOCAL-JRTOUT-RR-A-HARRISBURG-PA">Renew</a> or 
			<a href="https://www.aarp.org/benefits-discounts/my-membership/print-your-card/">Print Card</a></div>
	</div>
</div>
<style>
.membership-tout {padding:16px 20px;}
.membership-tout .list li { margin: 0; }
</style> 
<div aria-hidden="true" class="aarpe-ad-wrapper">
                    
                    <div class="aarpe-ad en clearfix" id="300x250_93505" data-adsize="300x250">
                        
                         
                            <script type="text/javascript">
                                if(typeof AARP.ads !== 'undefined'){
                                  AARP.ads.slots({ id:'300x250_93505', size:'300x250'});
                                }
                            </script>
                         
                    </div>
                </div>
<div class="module-spacer text-center">
<div class="fb-page" alt="Image of AARP Pennsylvania Facebook Page" title="Image of AARP Pennsylvania Facebook Page" data-href="https://www.facebook.com/AARPPA" data-tabs="timeline" width="" height="" data-small-header="false" data-adapt-container-width="true" data-hide-cover="false" data-show-facepile="true">
	<blockquote cite="https://www.facebook.com/AARPPA" class="fb-xfbml-parse-ignore"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/AARPPA">Facebook</a></blockquote>
</div>
</div>

 


<div class="ar-basic-box module-spacer">
<header>
<h2>Contact AARP<br />Pennsylvania</h2>
</header>
<div class="wrap">

<div class="ar-quick-list module-spacer">
<ul class="list-unstyled">
<li><i class="list-icon fa fa-envelope" alt="Email icon" title="Email icon" aria-hidden="true"></i><a href="mailto:PAAARP@aarp.org" target="_blank" rel="noopener">PAAARP@aarp.org</a></li>
<li><i class="list-icon fa fa-globe" alt="Globe icon" title="Globe icon" aria-hidden="true"></i><a href="https://states.aarp.org/region/pennsylvania/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">AARP Pennsylvania</a></li>
<li><i class="list-icon fa fa-map-marker" alt="Map Marker icon" title="Map Marker icon" aria-hidden="true"></i><a href="https://states.aarp.org/your-local-aarp-office/?intcmp=SNG-LNK-AARPLOCAL-CONTACT-20140101-HARRISBURG-PA" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Contact Us</a></li>


</ul>
</div>
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/AARPPA" target="_blank" rel="noopener" aria-label="Open Facebook"><img style="max-width: 48px;" alt="Facebook icon" title="Facebook icon" src="https://cdn-aarp.americantowns.com/img/page/icons/facebook.png"></a>&nbsp;&nbsp;
<a href="https://twitter.com/AARPPA" target="_blank" rel="noopener" aria-label="Open Twitter"><img style="max-width: 48px;" alt="Twitter icon" title="Twitter icon" src="https://cdn-aarp.americantowns.com/img/page/icons/twitter.png"></a>



</div>
</div>


</div></div>
	<div class="col-md-8 left-rail left-bot"></div>
	<div class="col-md-4 right-rail right-bot thin-rhs"></div>
</div>
<div class="row oneColumnLayout">
	</div>
<div class="row oneColumnLayout">
	<div class="col-md-12"><!-- script to activate navbar -->
	<script type="text/javascript">
		jQuery(".channelBarMain ul.left li a").click(function() {
			window.location = jQuery(this).attr('href');
		});
	</script>
</div>
</div>
'
$scripts_for_layout = '<title>For Scammers, It’s Not About Love, It’s About Your Money</title>
<meta name="page_title" content="For Scammers, It’s Not About Love, It’s About Your Money"/>
<meta name="robots" content="noindex, nofollow"/>
<meta content="Romance is in the air as Valentine’s Day approaches. But for scammers, it’s not about love. It’s about gaining access to your money.Romance fraud" name="description"/>
<meta content="Scammers, It, s, Not, About, Love, Your, Money" name="keywords"/>
<link rel="canonical" href="https://states.aarp.org/pennsylvania/for-scammers-its-not-about-love-its-about-your-money" />
<meta property="og:url" content="https://vccstaging.local.aarp.org/news/for-scammers-its-not-about-love-its-about-your-money-pa-2025-02-03.html"/>
<meta name="twitter:card" content="summary_large_image"/>
<meta name="twitter:title" content="For Scammers, It’s Not About Love, It’s About Your Money"/>
<meta name="twitter:description" content="Romance is in the air as Valentine’s Day approaches. But for scammers, it’s not about love. It’s about gaining access to your money."/>
<meta name="twitter:image" content="https://aarp-states.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/c94e22e/2147483647/strip/true/crop/480x309+0+26/resize/420x270!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.ytimg.com%2Fvi%2FDyRG7nNrtMw%2Fhqdefault.jpg"/>
<meta property="og:type" content="article"/>
<meta property="og:title" content="For Scammers, It’s Not About Love, It’s About Your Money"/>
<meta property="og:description" content="Romance is in the air as Valentine’s Day approaches. But for scammers, it’s not about love. It’s about gaining access to your money."/>
<meta property="og:image" content="https://aarp-states.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/c94e22e/2147483647/strip/true/crop/480x309+0+26/resize/420x270!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.ytimg.com%2Fvi%2FDyRG7nNrtMw%2Fhqdefault.jpg"/>
/* temporary */
.RichTextArticleBody ul {
	padding-left: 20px;
}
.RichTextArticleBody .Enhancement {
	margin: 40px 0;
}
.RichTextArticleBody .Enhancement .Enhancement-item img {
	width: auto;
    max-width: 100% !important;
	height: auto;
}

@media (min-width: 768px) {
	.RichTextArticleBody .Enhancement .Enhancement-item .Figure[data-alignment=left],
	.RichTextArticleBody .Enhancement[data-align-left] .Enhancement-item > * {
		float: left;
		max-width: 340px !important;
		margin: 0 20px 20px 0;
	}
	.RichTextArticleBody .Enhancement .Enhancement-item .Figure[data-alignment=right],
	.RichTextArticleBody .Enhancement[data-align-right] .Enhancement-item > * {
		float: right;
		max-width: 340px !important;
		margin: 0 0 20px 20px;
	}
}        :root {
        --primaryColor: #ff1e3c;
        --primaryTextColor: #2a2a2a;
        --linkTextColor: #1f66bd;
        --linkHoverColor: #1f66bd;
        --secondaryTextColor: #000000;
        --secondaryColor2: #000000;
        --secondaryColor3: #000000;
        --secondaryColor4: #000000;
        --secondaryColor5: #000000;
        --black: #000000;
        --white: #ffffff;
        --grey: #f0efed;
        --gridGutters: 30px;
        --modulePadding: 60px;
        --pageWidth: 86.11%;
        --maxPageWidth: 1240px;
        --horizontalAlignment: center;
        --fontFamily: 'Roboto', sans-serif;
        --headerBackgroundColor:#000000;
        --headerTextColor:#FFFFFF;
        --headerHeight:50px;
        --footerbackgroundColor:#000000;
        --footerTextColor:#918883;
        }'
$title_for_layout = '{local_city_c}, {local_state} Happenings - AARP'
$asset_version = '240925'
$min = true
$nowrapper = false
$css = '/* temporary */
.RichTextArticleBody ul {
	padding-left: 20px;
}
.RichTextArticleBody .Enhancement {
	margin: 40px 0;
}
.RichTextArticleBody .Enhancement .Enhancement-item img {
	width: auto;
    max-width: 100% !important;
	height: auto;
}

@media (min-width: 768px) {
	.RichTextArticleBody .Enhancement .Enhancement-item .Figure[data-alignment=left],
	.RichTextArticleBody .Enhancement[data-align-left] .Enhancement-item > * {
		float: left;
		max-width: 340px !important;
		margin: 0 20px 20px 0;
	}
	.RichTextArticleBody .Enhancement .Enhancement-item .Figure[data-alignment=right],
	.RichTextArticleBody .Enhancement[data-align-right] .Enhancement-item > * {
		float: right;
		max-width: 340px !important;
		margin: 0 0 20px 20px;
	}
}        :root {
        --primaryColor: #ff1e3c;
        --primaryTextColor: #2a2a2a;
        --linkTextColor: #1f66bd;
        --linkHoverColor: #1f66bd;
        --secondaryTextColor: #000000;
        --secondaryColor2: #000000;
        --secondaryColor3: #000000;
        --secondaryColor4: #000000;
        --secondaryColor5: #000000;
        --black: #000000;
        --white: #ffffff;
        --grey: #f0efed;
        --gridGutters: 30px;
        --modulePadding: 60px;
        --pageWidth: 86.11%;
        --maxPageWidth: 1240px;
        --horizontalAlignment: center;
        --fontFamily: 'Roboto', sans-serif;
        --headerBackgroundColor:#000000;
        --headerTextColor:#FFFFFF;
        --headerHeight:50px;
        --footerbackgroundColor:#000000;
        --footerTextColor:#918883;
        }'
$highlighting = ''
$location = '<a href="/harrisburg-pa/?intcmp=CSN-LOCAL-NAV-HOME">Harrisburg, PA</a>'
$no_header = false
$header_title = '<a href="/harrisburg-pa/happenings/">News Feed</a>'
$header_subtitle = ''
$isPR = false
$navbar = '<nav class="section" role="button" aria-expanded="false" aria-controls="collapse">
	<div class="section-toggle">Sections <i class="fas fa-chevron-down"></i></div>
	<ul class="secondary-menu" id="secondary-menu" role="menu" aria-busy="true">
		<li role="presentation" class=""><a role="menuitem" class="menuitem" href="/harrisburg-pa/aarp-events/?intcmp=CSN-LOCAL-NAV-OLE" data-formelementid="LOCAL-LNK-CLK-EVENTS">Online & Local Events</a> </li>
		<li role="presentation" class=""><a role="menuitem" class="menuitem" href="/harrisburg-pa/things-to-do/?intcmp=CSN-LOCAL-NAV-TTD" data-formelementid="LOCAL-LNK-CLK-THINGSTODO">Things to Do</a></li>
		<li role="presentation" class="active"><a role="menuitem" class="menuitem" href="/harrisburg-pa/happenings/?intcmp=CSN-LOCAL-NAV-NF" data-formelementid="LOCAL-LNK-CLK-HAPPENINGS">News Feed</a> </li>
		<li role="presentation" class=""><a role="menuitem" class="menuitem" href="/harrisburg-pa/volunteering/?intcmp=CSN-LOCAL-NAV-VOL" data-formelementid="LOCAL-LNK-CLK-VOLUNTEERING">Volunteering</a> </li>
		<li role="presentation" class=""><a role="menuitem" class="menuitem" href="/harrisburg-pa/home-and-community/?intcmp=CSN-LOCAL-NAV-HC" data-formelementid="LOCAL-LNK-CLK-HC">Home & Community</a> </li>
		<li role="presentation" class=""><a role="menuitem" class="menuitem" href="/harrisburg-pa/movies/?intcmp=CSN-LOCAL-NAV-MFG" data-formelementid="LOCAL-LNK-CLK-MOVIESFORGROWNUPS">Movies for Grownups</a> </li>
		<li role="presentation" class="more nosep " id="submenu-more">
			<span role="menuitem" class="menuitem" data-formelementid="LOCAL-LNK-CLK-MORE">More<i class="fas fa-chevron-down"></i></span>
			<ul class="secondary-submenu animate slide-in" id="secondary-submenu">
				<li role="presentation"><a role="menuitem" class="menuitem " href="/harrisburg-pa/discounts/?intcmp=CSN-LOCAL-NAV-LO" data-formelementid="LOCAL-LNK-CLK-OFFERS">Local Offers</a></li>
				<li role="presentation"><a role="menuitem" class="menuitem " href="/harrisburg-pa/local-resources/?intcmp=CSN-LOCAL-NAV-LR" data-formelementid="LOCAL-LNK-CLK-LOCALRESOURCES">Local Resources</a> </li>
				<li role="presentation"><a role="menuitem" class="menuitem " href="/harrisburg-pa/jobs/?intcmp=CSN-LOCAL-NAV-WJ" data-formelementid="LOCAL-LNK-CLK-WORK&JOBS">Work & Jobs</a></li>
				<li role="presentation"><a role="menuitem" class="menuitem " href="/harrisburg-pa/events/?intcmp=CSN-LOCAL-NAV-CC" data-formelementid="LOCAL-LNK-CLK-EVENTS">Community Calendar</a></li>
				<!--
				<li role="presentation"><a role="menuitem" class="menuitem " href="/harrisburg-pa/healthy-living/?intcmp=CSN-LOCAL-NAV-HEALTHY_LIVING" data-formelementid="LOCAL-LNK-CLK-HEALTHY_LIVING">Healthy Living</a></li>
				<li role="presentation"><a role="menuitem" class="menuitem " href="/harrisburg-pa/arts-entertainment/?intcmp=CSN-LOCAL-NAV-ARTS_ENT" data-formelementid="LOCAL-LNK-CLK-ARTS_ENT">Arts & Entertainment</a></li>
				<li role="presentation"><a role="menuitem" class="menuitem " href="/harrisburg-pa/museums/?intcmp=CSN-LOCAL-NAV-MUSEUMS" data-formelementid="LOCAL-LNK-CLK-MUSEUMS">Museums</a></li>
				-->
			</ul>
		</li>
		
	</ul>
</nav>'
$header_custom = ''
$breadcrumbs = array(
	(int) 0 => array(
		'title' => 'News Feed',
		'slug' => 'happenings'
	)
)
$row = array(
	'title' => 'Back to News Feed',
	'slug' => 'happenings'
)
$i = (int) 0
include - APP/View/Layouts/aarp_2023.ctp, line 243
include - APP/View/Layouts/aarp_2023.ctp, line 243
View::_evaluate() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 971
View::_render() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 933
View::renderLayout() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 546
View::render() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 481
Controller::render() - CORE/Cake/Controller/Controller.php, line 963
AppController::renderPage() - APP/Controller/AppController.php, line 136
BlogsController::display() - APP/Controller/BlogsController.php, line 81
ReflectionMethod::invokeArgs() - [internal], line ??
Controller::invokeAction() - CORE/Cake/Controller/Controller.php, line 491
Dispatcher::_invoke() - CORE/Cake/Routing/Dispatcher.php, line 193
Dispatcher::dispatch() - CORE/Cake/Routing/Dispatcher.php, line 167
[main] - APP/webroot/index.php, line 118

Warning (2): include(/var/www/vhosts/vcc_staging/app/Resource/aarp2_master.resource.footer.root.html) [<a href='http://php.net/function.include'>function.include</a>]: failed to open stream: No such file or directory [APP/View/Layouts/aarp_2023.ctp, line 244]
Code Context
                    include (APP . "Resource/aarp2_master.footer.html");
                    include (APP . "Resource/aarp2_master.bodyTargeting.html");
                    include (APP . "Resource/aarp2_master.resource.footer.root.html");
$viewFile = '/var/www/vhosts/vcc_staging/app/View/Layouts/aarp_2023.ctp'
$dataForView = array(
	'content_for_layout' => '<div class="row twoColumnLayout">
	<div class="col-md-8 left-rail"><div class="module clearfix"><div class="ar-basic-box">

	<div>    
		<div class="module-spacer">
			<header><h1 class="article-headline">For Scammers, It’s Not About Love, It’s About Your Money</h1></header>	
						<div class="posted-on">
				Posted on 02/03/25 
							</div>
		</div>
		<div class="module-spacer">
			<span class="blog-content"><p><div class="RichTextArticleBody">
    
        <div class="RichTextArticleBody-body"><p>Romance is in the air as Valentine’s Day approaches. But for scammers, it’s not about love. It’s about gaining access to your money.<br><br>Romance fraud exploits intimate relationships for personal gain. Some common types of romance fraud include love bombing, catfishing, and inheritance.<br></p><ul><li>In “love bombing,” the scammer will take their time earning a person’s trust before expressing messages of love and asking for money. One such scammer, “Tony” cost AARP Pennsylvania Volunteer Kate tens of thousands of dollars. “Tony” reached out to her on Facebook with a friend request.</li></ul><p>“We got friendly very quickly and moved off Facebook onto an app so we could talk to one another. And we spoke for a few months before he ever asked for any money, so there was a layer of trust,” said Kate who now warns others about the devastation of romance scams through <span class="Enhancement" ><span class="Enhancement-item"><a class="Link" href="https://www.aarp.org/money/scams-fraud/about-fraud-watch-network/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">AARP’s Fraud Watch Network</a></span></span>.<br></p><ul><li>On dating sites, a “catfishing” scammer will create a fake online profile using an attractive fake photo. Once a person matches with this phony profile, the scammer moves the relationship forward quickly. He or she will express their love and ask to take the conversation off the dating app and use Snapchat or WhatsApp. Then this “perfect match” will begin asking for personal information or money.<br></li><li>After developing a romantic relationship with someone, a scammer will convince them that they are going to receive a large inheritance, but they need to pay unexpected expenses that they can’t afford. By holding out the idea of future wealth, the scammer begins to ask for money to pay for the expenses regarding this non-existent inheritance. Once the money is in the scammer’s hands, he or she disappears.</li></ul><p>“Romance scams can happen to any gender and are devastating financially and emotionally,” said Mary Bach, AARP Pennsylvania Volunteer and Chair of the Consumer Issues Task Force. “These scammers are very skilled at creating personas and exploiting a person’s vulnerabilities. Remember, if someone never attends a video call or other means of live interaction, it should raise concerns about their true identity.”<br><br><b>Report scams to local law enforcement. For help from AARP, call 1-877-908-3360 or visit the AARP Pennsylvania Fraud Resource Page at </b><span class="Enhancement" ><span class="Enhancement-item"><a class="Link" href="http://www.aarp.org/pafraud" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><b>aarp.org/pafraud</b></a></span></span>.<br><br></p></div>
    
</div>
</p></span>
		</div>
	</div>

		<p><i>This story is provided by AARP Pennsylvania. Visit the <a href="https://states.aarp.org/region/pennsylvania/" target="_blank">AARP Pennsylvania</a> page for more news, events, and programs affecting retirement, health care, and more.</i></p>
	
</div>
</div><div class="module clearfix"><script src="https://npmcdn.com/flickity@2/dist/flickity.pkgd.min.js"></script>

<script src="https://aarp-states.brightspotcdn.com/resource/00000168-dd17-d487-a96e-df5fe3ee0000/styleguide/All.min.d703996ba6a992470f9f7fa2170736df.gz.js"></script>

<link class="Webpack-css" rel="stylesheet" href="https://aarp-states.brightspotcdn.com/resource/00000168-dd17-d487-a96e-df5fe3ee0000/styleguide/All.min.2cef3303b65f09149a6db29044f033cb.gz.css">

<!--
<script src="https://aarp-states.brightspotcdn.com/resource/00000168-dd17-d487-a96e-df5fe3ee0000/styleguide/All.min.c85a242a55150cd195e494cd6e5b9c77.gz.js" async=""></script>
<link rel="stylesheet" media="all" href="https://aarp-states.brightspotcdn.com/resource/00000168-dd17-d487-a96e-df5fe3ee0000/styleguide/All.min.bfe6eb5a8301841feef3af4e9bd1e26d.gz.css">
-->

<!-- bypass -->
<style>
a:focus, a:hover {
    text-decoration: underline;
}
h1.article-headline {
margin: 0 0 1rem;
}
</style>

<!--
<style>
.Enhancement-item .Figure {
margin-bottom: 24px;
}
.RichTextArticleBody-body ul {
    margin-bottom: 24px;
}
.RichTextArticleBody-body p{
    margin: 12px 0;
}
.RichTextModule-items {
   clear: both;
    display: table;
    width: 100%;
    margin-bottom: 12px;
}
.VideoEnhancement>* {
    color: var(--primaryTextColor);
    font-size: 13px;
    font-weight: 400;
    line-height: 1.4;
    font-style: italic;
    background: #f0efed
}

@media only screen and (min-width: 768px) {
    .VideoEnhancement>* {
        font-size:14px;
        font-weight: 400;
        line-height: 1.47
    }
}

.VideoEnhancement-title {
    padding: 20px
}

@media only screen and (min-width: 768px) {
    .VideoEnhancement-title {
        padding:30px
    }
}

.VideoEnhancement-player>* {
    position: relative;
    width: 100%;
    height: 0;
    padding-bottom: 56.25%
}

.VideoEnhancement iframe {
    border: 0;
    position: absolute;
    top: 0;
    left: 0;
    width: 100%;
    height: 100%
}
[data-video-player] {
    display: block;
    padding-bottom: 56.25%;
    height: 0;
    margin: 0 auto;
}

[data-video-player][data-aspect-ratio="4x3"] {
    padding-bottom: 56.25%;
}

[data-video-player][data-aspect-ratio="16x9"] {
    padding-bottom: 56.25%
}
</style>
--></div><div class="module clearfix"><div class="module-spacer tout-homefit-750">
<a data-formelementid="CSN-LOCAL-HC-NEWSSK-02272024" 
	href="/harrisburg-pa/home-and-community/?intcmp=CSN-LOCAL-HC-NEWSSK-02272024"><img class="img-responsive"  
	alt="Explore the free AARP HomeFit Guide" title="Explore the free AARP HomeFit Guide" 
	src="https://cdn-aarp.americantowns.com/img/touts/HomeFit_750x150.png"></a>
</div></div></div>
	<div class="col-md-4 right-rail thin-rhs"><div class="module clearfix"><!--default-->
<!-- module_RHS - AARP Events -->

<div class="ar-basic-box module-spacer">
	<header>
		<div class="pull-right">
			<a href="/harrisburg-pa/aarp-events/" data-formelementid="LOCAL-BTN-CLK-SEEALL-EVENTS">
				<img style="width:30px;" src="https://cdn-aarp.americantowns.com/img/template/icons/aarp_event_icon.png" alt="Upcoming AARP Events" />
			</a>
		</div>
		<h2 class="visible-lg">AARP Events for Harrisburg</h2>
		<h2 class="hidden-lg">AARP Events for Harrisburg</h2>
	</header>
	<div class="wrap">
		<div class="ar-listing snippet">
			<ul class="list">
				<li class="item" data-pageindex="1">

					
					<h2 class="title"><a href="/driver-safety/aarp-smart-driver-dulles-va-c35488.html" data-formelementid="LOCAL-BTN-CLK-EVENTS-AARP-SMART-DRIVERTM-CASCADES-SENIOR-CENTER">AARP Smart Driver™: Cascades Senior Center</a></h2>
					<p class="time">Wednesday, Mar 26, 2025 at 9:00&nbsp;a.m. ET</p>
					<p class="venue">Cascades Senior Center</p>
					<p class="loc">Sterling, VA</p>
					
				</li><li class="item" data-pageindex="1">

					
					<h2 class="title"><a href="/aarp-event/strategies-to-help-enhance-your-job-search-washington-dc-32725-1130-am-et-lynhsltrh96.html" data-formelementid="LOCAL-BTN-CLK-EVENTS-STRATEGIES-TO-HELP-ENHANCE-YOUR-JOB-SEARCH">Strategies to Help Enhance Your Job Search</a></h2>
					<p class="time">Thursday, Mar 27, 2025 at 11:30&nbsp;a.m. ET</p>
					<p class="venue">THEARC: Town Hall Education Arts Recreation Campus (Community Room)</p>
					<p class="loc">Washington, DC</p>
					
				</li><li class="item" data-pageindex="1">

					
					<h2 class="title"><a href="/aarp-event/aarp-careversations-washington-dc-32725-600-pm-et-jmnzf5hydcg.html" data-formelementid="LOCAL-BTN-CLK-EVENTS-AARP-CAREVERSATIONS-CARING-FOR-A-LOVED-ONE">AARP CAREversations: Caring for A Loved One</a></h2>
					<p class="time">Thursday, Mar 27, 2025 at 6:00&nbsp;p.m. ET</p>
					<p class="venue">Busboys and Poets-Brookland (Pearl Bailey Room)</p>
					<p class="loc">Washington, DC</p>
					
				</li>			</ul>

			<p><a class="link-red" href="/harrisburg-pa/aarp-events/" data-formelementid="LOCAL-BTN-CLK-SEEALL-EVENTS">View All AARP Events<i class="ml-1 fas fa-chevron-right"></i></a></p>
	
		</div>
	</div>
</div>


<div aria-hidden="true" class="aarpe-ad-wrapper">
                    
                    <div class="aarpe-ad en clearfix" id="300x250_53475" data-adsize="300x250">
                        
                         
                            <script type="text/javascript">
                                if(typeof AARP.ads !== 'undefined'){
                                  AARP.ads.slots({ id:'300x250_53475', size:'300x250'});
                                }
                            </script>
                         
                    </div>
                </div>
<div class="card-tout card-dark membership-tout" style="margin:0 0 30px 0;height:360px;">
	<img class="img-responsive image" 
		title="image of two AARP membership cards"
		alt="image of two AARP membership cards" 
		src="https://cdn-aarp.americantowns.com/img/tout-two-cards.png">
	<div class="title">Last Chance to Save!<br />New Pricing Coming in 2025.</div>
<br />
	<p>
This is AARP's first rate increase in 15 years.<br />Don't miss out, join today and save!<br /><br />
</p>
	<div class="action">
		<a class="btn" href="https://appsec.aarp.org/mem/join?campaignid=UAJFT3&intcmp=LNK-CSN-AARPLOCAL-JRTOUT-RR-A-HARRISBURG-PA">Join AARP</a>
		<div class="body">Already a member? <a href="https://appsec.aarp.org/mem/renew?campaignid= UARFT3&intcmp=LNK-CSN-AARPLOCAL-JRTOUT-RR-A-HARRISBURG-PA">Renew</a> or 
			<a href="https://www.aarp.org/benefits-discounts/my-membership/print-your-card/">Print Card</a></div>
	</div>
</div>
<style>
.membership-tout {padding:16px 20px;}
.membership-tout .list li { margin: 0; }
</style> 
<div aria-hidden="true" class="aarpe-ad-wrapper">
                    
                    <div class="aarpe-ad en clearfix" id="300x250_93505" data-adsize="300x250">
                        
                         
                            <script type="text/javascript">
                                if(typeof AARP.ads !== 'undefined'){
                                  AARP.ads.slots({ id:'300x250_93505', size:'300x250'});
                                }
                            </script>
                         
                    </div>
                </div>
<div class="module-spacer text-center">
<div class="fb-page" alt="Image of AARP Pennsylvania Facebook Page" title="Image of AARP Pennsylvania Facebook Page" data-href="https://www.facebook.com/AARPPA" data-tabs="timeline" width="" height="" data-small-header="false" data-adapt-container-width="true" data-hide-cover="false" data-show-facepile="true">
	<blockquote cite="https://www.facebook.com/AARPPA" class="fb-xfbml-parse-ignore"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/AARPPA">Facebook</a></blockquote>
</div>
</div>

 


<div class="ar-basic-box module-spacer">
<header>
<h2>Contact AARP<br />Pennsylvania</h2>
</header>
<div class="wrap">

<div class="ar-quick-list module-spacer">
<ul class="list-unstyled">
<li><i class="list-icon fa fa-envelope" alt="Email icon" title="Email icon" aria-hidden="true"></i><a href="mailto:PAAARP@aarp.org" target="_blank" rel="noopener">PAAARP@aarp.org</a></li>
<li><i class="list-icon fa fa-globe" alt="Globe icon" title="Globe icon" aria-hidden="true"></i><a href="https://states.aarp.org/region/pennsylvania/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">AARP Pennsylvania</a></li>
<li><i class="list-icon fa fa-map-marker" alt="Map Marker icon" title="Map Marker icon" aria-hidden="true"></i><a href="https://states.aarp.org/your-local-aarp-office/?intcmp=SNG-LNK-AARPLOCAL-CONTACT-20140101-HARRISBURG-PA" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Contact Us</a></li>


</ul>
</div>
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/AARPPA" target="_blank" rel="noopener" aria-label="Open Facebook"><img style="max-width: 48px;" alt="Facebook icon" title="Facebook icon" src="https://cdn-aarp.americantowns.com/img/page/icons/facebook.png"></a>&nbsp;&nbsp;
<a href="https://twitter.com/AARPPA" target="_blank" rel="noopener" aria-label="Open Twitter"><img style="max-width: 48px;" alt="Twitter icon" title="Twitter icon" src="https://cdn-aarp.americantowns.com/img/page/icons/twitter.png"></a>



</div>
</div>


</div></div>
	<div class="col-md-8 left-rail left-bot"></div>
	<div class="col-md-4 right-rail right-bot thin-rhs"></div>
</div>
<div class="row oneColumnLayout">
	</div>
<div class="row oneColumnLayout">
	<div class="col-md-12"><!-- script to activate navbar -->
	<script type="text/javascript">
		jQuery(".channelBarMain ul.left li a").click(function() {
			window.location = jQuery(this).attr('href');
		});
	</script>
</div>
</div>
',
	'scripts_for_layout' => '<title>For Scammers, It’s Not About Love, It’s About Your Money</title>
<meta name="page_title" content="For Scammers, It’s Not About Love, It’s About Your Money"/>
<meta name="robots" content="noindex, nofollow"/>
<meta content="Romance is in the air as Valentine’s Day approaches. But for scammers, it’s not about love. It’s about gaining access to your money.Romance fraud" name="description"/>
<meta content="Scammers, It, s, Not, About, Love, Your, Money" name="keywords"/>
<link rel="canonical" href="https://states.aarp.org/pennsylvania/for-scammers-its-not-about-love-its-about-your-money" />
<meta property="og:url" content="https://vccstaging.local.aarp.org/news/for-scammers-its-not-about-love-its-about-your-money-pa-2025-02-03.html"/>
<meta name="twitter:card" content="summary_large_image"/>
<meta name="twitter:title" content="For Scammers, It’s Not About Love, It’s About Your Money"/>
<meta name="twitter:description" content="Romance is in the air as Valentine’s Day approaches. But for scammers, it’s not about love. It’s about gaining access to your money."/>
<meta name="twitter:image" content="https://aarp-states.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/c94e22e/2147483647/strip/true/crop/480x309+0+26/resize/420x270!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.ytimg.com%2Fvi%2FDyRG7nNrtMw%2Fhqdefault.jpg"/>
<meta property="og:type" content="article"/>
<meta property="og:title" content="For Scammers, It’s Not About Love, It’s About Your Money"/>
<meta property="og:description" content="Romance is in the air as Valentine’s Day approaches. But for scammers, it’s not about love. It’s about gaining access to your money."/>
<meta property="og:image" content="https://aarp-states.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/c94e22e/2147483647/strip/true/crop/480x309+0+26/resize/420x270!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.ytimg.com%2Fvi%2FDyRG7nNrtMw%2Fhqdefault.jpg"/>
/* temporary */
.RichTextArticleBody ul {
	padding-left: 20px;
}
.RichTextArticleBody .Enhancement {
	margin: 40px 0;
}
.RichTextArticleBody .Enhancement .Enhancement-item img {
	width: auto;
    max-width: 100% !important;
	height: auto;
}

@media (min-width: 768px) {
	.RichTextArticleBody .Enhancement .Enhancement-item .Figure[data-alignment=left],
	.RichTextArticleBody .Enhancement[data-align-left] .Enhancement-item > * {
		float: left;
		max-width: 340px !important;
		margin: 0 20px 20px 0;
	}
	.RichTextArticleBody .Enhancement .Enhancement-item .Figure[data-alignment=right],
	.RichTextArticleBody .Enhancement[data-align-right] .Enhancement-item > * {
		float: right;
		max-width: 340px !important;
		margin: 0 0 20px 20px;
	}
}        :root {
        --primaryColor: #ff1e3c;
        --primaryTextColor: #2a2a2a;
        --linkTextColor: #1f66bd;
        --linkHoverColor: #1f66bd;
        --secondaryTextColor: #000000;
        --secondaryColor2: #000000;
        --secondaryColor3: #000000;
        --secondaryColor4: #000000;
        --secondaryColor5: #000000;
        --black: #000000;
        --white: #ffffff;
        --grey: #f0efed;
        --gridGutters: 30px;
        --modulePadding: 60px;
        --pageWidth: 86.11%;
        --maxPageWidth: 1240px;
        --horizontalAlignment: center;
        --fontFamily: 'Roboto', sans-serif;
        --headerBackgroundColor:#000000;
        --headerTextColor:#FFFFFF;
        --headerHeight:50px;
        --footerbackgroundColor:#000000;
        --footerTextColor:#918883;
        }',
	'title_for_layout' => '{local_city_c}, {local_state} Happenings - AARP'
)
$content_for_layout = '<div class="row twoColumnLayout">
	<div class="col-md-8 left-rail"><div class="module clearfix"><div class="ar-basic-box">

	<div>    
		<div class="module-spacer">
			<header><h1 class="article-headline">For Scammers, It’s Not About Love, It’s About Your Money</h1></header>	
						<div class="posted-on">
				Posted on 02/03/25 
							</div>
		</div>
		<div class="module-spacer">
			<span class="blog-content"><p><div class="RichTextArticleBody">
    
        <div class="RichTextArticleBody-body"><p>Romance is in the air as Valentine’s Day approaches. But for scammers, it’s not about love. It’s about gaining access to your money.<br><br>Romance fraud exploits intimate relationships for personal gain. Some common types of romance fraud include love bombing, catfishing, and inheritance.<br></p><ul><li>In “love bombing,” the scammer will take their time earning a person’s trust before expressing messages of love and asking for money. One such scammer, “Tony” cost AARP Pennsylvania Volunteer Kate tens of thousands of dollars. “Tony” reached out to her on Facebook with a friend request.</li></ul><p>“We got friendly very quickly and moved off Facebook onto an app so we could talk to one another. And we spoke for a few months before he ever asked for any money, so there was a layer of trust,” said Kate who now warns others about the devastation of romance scams through <span class="Enhancement" ><span class="Enhancement-item"><a class="Link" href="https://www.aarp.org/money/scams-fraud/about-fraud-watch-network/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">AARP’s Fraud Watch Network</a></span></span>.<br></p><ul><li>On dating sites, a “catfishing” scammer will create a fake online profile using an attractive fake photo. Once a person matches with this phony profile, the scammer moves the relationship forward quickly. He or she will express their love and ask to take the conversation off the dating app and use Snapchat or WhatsApp. Then this “perfect match” will begin asking for personal information or money.<br></li><li>After developing a romantic relationship with someone, a scammer will convince them that they are going to receive a large inheritance, but they need to pay unexpected expenses that they can’t afford. By holding out the idea of future wealth, the scammer begins to ask for money to pay for the expenses regarding this non-existent inheritance. Once the money is in the scammer’s hands, he or she disappears.</li></ul><p>“Romance scams can happen to any gender and are devastating financially and emotionally,” said Mary Bach, AARP Pennsylvania Volunteer and Chair of the Consumer Issues Task Force. “These scammers are very skilled at creating personas and exploiting a person’s vulnerabilities. Remember, if someone never attends a video call or other means of live interaction, it should raise concerns about their true identity.”<br><br><b>Report scams to local law enforcement. For help from AARP, call 1-877-908-3360 or visit the AARP Pennsylvania Fraud Resource Page at </b><span class="Enhancement" ><span class="Enhancement-item"><a class="Link" href="http://www.aarp.org/pafraud" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><b>aarp.org/pafraud</b></a></span></span>.<br><br></p></div>
    
</div>
</p></span>
		</div>
	</div>

		<p><i>This story is provided by AARP Pennsylvania. Visit the <a href="https://states.aarp.org/region/pennsylvania/" target="_blank">AARP Pennsylvania</a> page for more news, events, and programs affecting retirement, health care, and more.</i></p>
	
</div>
</div><div class="module clearfix"><script src="https://npmcdn.com/flickity@2/dist/flickity.pkgd.min.js"></script>

<script src="https://aarp-states.brightspotcdn.com/resource/00000168-dd17-d487-a96e-df5fe3ee0000/styleguide/All.min.d703996ba6a992470f9f7fa2170736df.gz.js"></script>

<link class="Webpack-css" rel="stylesheet" href="https://aarp-states.brightspotcdn.com/resource/00000168-dd17-d487-a96e-df5fe3ee0000/styleguide/All.min.2cef3303b65f09149a6db29044f033cb.gz.css">

<!--
<script src="https://aarp-states.brightspotcdn.com/resource/00000168-dd17-d487-a96e-df5fe3ee0000/styleguide/All.min.c85a242a55150cd195e494cd6e5b9c77.gz.js" async=""></script>
<link rel="stylesheet" media="all" href="https://aarp-states.brightspotcdn.com/resource/00000168-dd17-d487-a96e-df5fe3ee0000/styleguide/All.min.bfe6eb5a8301841feef3af4e9bd1e26d.gz.css">
-->

<!-- bypass -->
<style>
a:focus, a:hover {
    text-decoration: underline;
}
h1.article-headline {
margin: 0 0 1rem;
}
</style>

<!--
<style>
.Enhancement-item .Figure {
margin-bottom: 24px;
}
.RichTextArticleBody-body ul {
    margin-bottom: 24px;
}
.RichTextArticleBody-body p{
    margin: 12px 0;
}
.RichTextModule-items {
   clear: both;
    display: table;
    width: 100%;
    margin-bottom: 12px;
}
.VideoEnhancement>* {
    color: var(--primaryTextColor);
    font-size: 13px;
    font-weight: 400;
    line-height: 1.4;
    font-style: italic;
    background: #f0efed
}

@media only screen and (min-width: 768px) {
    .VideoEnhancement>* {
        font-size:14px;
        font-weight: 400;
        line-height: 1.47
    }
}

.VideoEnhancement-title {
    padding: 20px
}

@media only screen and (min-width: 768px) {
    .VideoEnhancement-title {
        padding:30px
    }
}

.VideoEnhancement-player>* {
    position: relative;
    width: 100%;
    height: 0;
    padding-bottom: 56.25%
}

.VideoEnhancement iframe {
    border: 0;
    position: absolute;
    top: 0;
    left: 0;
    width: 100%;
    height: 100%
}
[data-video-player] {
    display: block;
    padding-bottom: 56.25%;
    height: 0;
    margin: 0 auto;
}

[data-video-player][data-aspect-ratio="4x3"] {
    padding-bottom: 56.25%;
}

[data-video-player][data-aspect-ratio="16x9"] {
    padding-bottom: 56.25%
}
</style>
--></div><div class="module clearfix"><div class="module-spacer tout-homefit-750">
<a data-formelementid="CSN-LOCAL-HC-NEWSSK-02272024" 
	href="/harrisburg-pa/home-and-community/?intcmp=CSN-LOCAL-HC-NEWSSK-02272024"><img class="img-responsive"  
	alt="Explore the free AARP HomeFit Guide" title="Explore the free AARP HomeFit Guide" 
	src="https://cdn-aarp.americantowns.com/img/touts/HomeFit_750x150.png"></a>
</div></div></div>
	<div class="col-md-4 right-rail thin-rhs"><div class="module clearfix"><!--default-->
<!-- module_RHS - AARP Events -->

<div class="ar-basic-box module-spacer">
	<header>
		<div class="pull-right">
			<a href="/harrisburg-pa/aarp-events/" data-formelementid="LOCAL-BTN-CLK-SEEALL-EVENTS">
				<img style="width:30px;" src="https://cdn-aarp.americantowns.com/img/template/icons/aarp_event_icon.png" alt="Upcoming AARP Events" />
			</a>
		</div>
		<h2 class="visible-lg">AARP Events for Harrisburg</h2>
		<h2 class="hidden-lg">AARP Events for Harrisburg</h2>
	</header>
	<div class="wrap">
		<div class="ar-listing snippet">
			<ul class="list">
				<li class="item" data-pageindex="1">

					
					<h2 class="title"><a href="/driver-safety/aarp-smart-driver-dulles-va-c35488.html" data-formelementid="LOCAL-BTN-CLK-EVENTS-AARP-SMART-DRIVERTM-CASCADES-SENIOR-CENTER">AARP Smart Driver™: Cascades Senior Center</a></h2>
					<p class="time">Wednesday, Mar 26, 2025 at 9:00&nbsp;a.m. ET</p>
					<p class="venue">Cascades Senior Center</p>
					<p class="loc">Sterling, VA</p>
					
				</li><li class="item" data-pageindex="1">

					
					<h2 class="title"><a href="/aarp-event/strategies-to-help-enhance-your-job-search-washington-dc-32725-1130-am-et-lynhsltrh96.html" data-formelementid="LOCAL-BTN-CLK-EVENTS-STRATEGIES-TO-HELP-ENHANCE-YOUR-JOB-SEARCH">Strategies to Help Enhance Your Job Search</a></h2>
					<p class="time">Thursday, Mar 27, 2025 at 11:30&nbsp;a.m. ET</p>
					<p class="venue">THEARC: Town Hall Education Arts Recreation Campus (Community Room)</p>
					<p class="loc">Washington, DC</p>
					
				</li><li class="item" data-pageindex="1">

					
					<h2 class="title"><a href="/aarp-event/aarp-careversations-washington-dc-32725-600-pm-et-jmnzf5hydcg.html" data-formelementid="LOCAL-BTN-CLK-EVENTS-AARP-CAREVERSATIONS-CARING-FOR-A-LOVED-ONE">AARP CAREversations: Caring for A Loved One</a></h2>
					<p class="time">Thursday, Mar 27, 2025 at 6:00&nbsp;p.m. ET</p>
					<p class="venue">Busboys and Poets-Brookland (Pearl Bailey Room)</p>
					<p class="loc">Washington, DC</p>
					
				</li>			</ul>

			<p><a class="link-red" href="/harrisburg-pa/aarp-events/" data-formelementid="LOCAL-BTN-CLK-SEEALL-EVENTS">View All AARP Events<i class="ml-1 fas fa-chevron-right"></i></a></p>
	
		</div>
	</div>
</div>


<div aria-hidden="true" class="aarpe-ad-wrapper">
                    
                    <div class="aarpe-ad en clearfix" id="300x250_53475" data-adsize="300x250">
                        
                         
                            <script type="text/javascript">
                                if(typeof AARP.ads !== 'undefined'){
                                  AARP.ads.slots({ id:'300x250_53475', size:'300x250'});
                                }
                            </script>
                         
                    </div>
                </div>
<div class="card-tout card-dark membership-tout" style="margin:0 0 30px 0;height:360px;">
	<img class="img-responsive image" 
		title="image of two AARP membership cards"
		alt="image of two AARP membership cards" 
		src="https://cdn-aarp.americantowns.com/img/tout-two-cards.png">
	<div class="title">Last Chance to Save!<br />New Pricing Coming in 2025.</div>
<br />
	<p>
This is AARP's first rate increase in 15 years.<br />Don't miss out, join today and save!<br /><br />
</p>
	<div class="action">
		<a class="btn" href="https://appsec.aarp.org/mem/join?campaignid=UAJFT3&intcmp=LNK-CSN-AARPLOCAL-JRTOUT-RR-A-HARRISBURG-PA">Join AARP</a>
		<div class="body">Already a member? <a href="https://appsec.aarp.org/mem/renew?campaignid= UARFT3&intcmp=LNK-CSN-AARPLOCAL-JRTOUT-RR-A-HARRISBURG-PA">Renew</a> or 
			<a href="https://www.aarp.org/benefits-discounts/my-membership/print-your-card/">Print Card</a></div>
	</div>
</div>
<style>
.membership-tout {padding:16px 20px;}
.membership-tout .list li { margin: 0; }
</style> 
<div aria-hidden="true" class="aarpe-ad-wrapper">
                    
                    <div class="aarpe-ad en clearfix" id="300x250_93505" data-adsize="300x250">
                        
                         
                            <script type="text/javascript">
                                if(typeof AARP.ads !== 'undefined'){
                                  AARP.ads.slots({ id:'300x250_93505', size:'300x250'});
                                }
                            </script>
                         
                    </div>
                </div>
<div class="module-spacer text-center">
<div class="fb-page" alt="Image of AARP Pennsylvania Facebook Page" title="Image of AARP Pennsylvania Facebook Page" data-href="https://www.facebook.com/AARPPA" data-tabs="timeline" width="" height="" data-small-header="false" data-adapt-container-width="true" data-hide-cover="false" data-show-facepile="true">
	<blockquote cite="https://www.facebook.com/AARPPA" class="fb-xfbml-parse-ignore"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/AARPPA">Facebook</a></blockquote>
</div>
</div>

 


<div class="ar-basic-box module-spacer">
<header>
<h2>Contact AARP<br />Pennsylvania</h2>
</header>
<div class="wrap">

<div class="ar-quick-list module-spacer">
<ul class="list-unstyled">
<li><i class="list-icon fa fa-envelope" alt="Email icon" title="Email icon" aria-hidden="true"></i><a href="mailto:PAAARP@aarp.org" target="_blank" rel="noopener">PAAARP@aarp.org</a></li>
<li><i class="list-icon fa fa-globe" alt="Globe icon" title="Globe icon" aria-hidden="true"></i><a href="https://states.aarp.org/region/pennsylvania/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">AARP Pennsylvania</a></li>
<li><i class="list-icon fa fa-map-marker" alt="Map Marker icon" title="Map Marker icon" aria-hidden="true"></i><a href="https://states.aarp.org/your-local-aarp-office/?intcmp=SNG-LNK-AARPLOCAL-CONTACT-20140101-HARRISBURG-PA" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Contact Us</a></li>


</ul>
</div>
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/AARPPA" target="_blank" rel="noopener" aria-label="Open Facebook"><img style="max-width: 48px;" alt="Facebook icon" title="Facebook icon" src="https://cdn-aarp.americantowns.com/img/page/icons/facebook.png"></a>&nbsp;&nbsp;
<a href="https://twitter.com/AARPPA" target="_blank" rel="noopener" aria-label="Open Twitter"><img style="max-width: 48px;" alt="Twitter icon" title="Twitter icon" src="https://cdn-aarp.americantowns.com/img/page/icons/twitter.png"></a>



</div>
</div>


</div></div>
	<div class="col-md-8 left-rail left-bot"></div>
	<div class="col-md-4 right-rail right-bot thin-rhs"></div>
</div>
<div class="row oneColumnLayout">
	</div>
<div class="row oneColumnLayout">
	<div class="col-md-12"><!-- script to activate navbar -->
	<script type="text/javascript">
		jQuery(".channelBarMain ul.left li a").click(function() {
			window.location = jQuery(this).attr('href');
		});
	</script>
</div>
</div>
'
$scripts_for_layout = '<title>For Scammers, It’s Not About Love, It’s About Your Money</title>
<meta name="page_title" content="For Scammers, It’s Not About Love, It’s About Your Money"/>
<meta name="robots" content="noindex, nofollow"/>
<meta content="Romance is in the air as Valentine’s Day approaches. But for scammers, it’s not about love. It’s about gaining access to your money.Romance fraud" name="description"/>
<meta content="Scammers, It, s, Not, About, Love, Your, Money" name="keywords"/>
<link rel="canonical" href="https://states.aarp.org/pennsylvania/for-scammers-its-not-about-love-its-about-your-money" />
<meta property="og:url" content="https://vccstaging.local.aarp.org/news/for-scammers-its-not-about-love-its-about-your-money-pa-2025-02-03.html"/>
<meta name="twitter:card" content="summary_large_image"/>
<meta name="twitter:title" content="For Scammers, It’s Not About Love, It’s About Your Money"/>
<meta name="twitter:description" content="Romance is in the air as Valentine’s Day approaches. But for scammers, it’s not about love. It’s about gaining access to your money."/>
<meta name="twitter:image" content="https://aarp-states.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/c94e22e/2147483647/strip/true/crop/480x309+0+26/resize/420x270!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.ytimg.com%2Fvi%2FDyRG7nNrtMw%2Fhqdefault.jpg"/>
<meta property="og:type" content="article"/>
<meta property="og:title" content="For Scammers, It’s Not About Love, It’s About Your Money"/>
<meta property="og:description" content="Romance is in the air as Valentine’s Day approaches. But for scammers, it’s not about love. It’s about gaining access to your money."/>
<meta property="og:image" content="https://aarp-states.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/c94e22e/2147483647/strip/true/crop/480x309+0+26/resize/420x270!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.ytimg.com%2Fvi%2FDyRG7nNrtMw%2Fhqdefault.jpg"/>
/* temporary */
.RichTextArticleBody ul {
	padding-left: 20px;
}
.RichTextArticleBody .Enhancement {
	margin: 40px 0;
}
.RichTextArticleBody .Enhancement .Enhancement-item img {
	width: auto;
    max-width: 100% !important;
	height: auto;
}

@media (min-width: 768px) {
	.RichTextArticleBody .Enhancement .Enhancement-item .Figure[data-alignment=left],
	.RichTextArticleBody .Enhancement[data-align-left] .Enhancement-item > * {
		float: left;
		max-width: 340px !important;
		margin: 0 20px 20px 0;
	}
	.RichTextArticleBody .Enhancement .Enhancement-item .Figure[data-alignment=right],
	.RichTextArticleBody .Enhancement[data-align-right] .Enhancement-item > * {
		float: right;
		max-width: 340px !important;
		margin: 0 0 20px 20px;
	}
}        :root {
        --primaryColor: #ff1e3c;
        --primaryTextColor: #2a2a2a;
        --linkTextColor: #1f66bd;
        --linkHoverColor: #1f66bd;
        --secondaryTextColor: #000000;
        --secondaryColor2: #000000;
        --secondaryColor3: #000000;
        --secondaryColor4: #000000;
        --secondaryColor5: #000000;
        --black: #000000;
        --white: #ffffff;
        --grey: #f0efed;
        --gridGutters: 30px;
        --modulePadding: 60px;
        --pageWidth: 86.11%;
        --maxPageWidth: 1240px;
        --horizontalAlignment: center;
        --fontFamily: 'Roboto', sans-serif;
        --headerBackgroundColor:#000000;
        --headerTextColor:#FFFFFF;
        --headerHeight:50px;
        --footerbackgroundColor:#000000;
        --footerTextColor:#918883;
        }'
$title_for_layout = '{local_city_c}, {local_state} Happenings - AARP'
$asset_version = '240925'
$min = true
$nowrapper = false
$css = '/* temporary */
.RichTextArticleBody ul {
	padding-left: 20px;
}
.RichTextArticleBody .Enhancement {
	margin: 40px 0;
}
.RichTextArticleBody .Enhancement .Enhancement-item img {
	width: auto;
    max-width: 100% !important;
	height: auto;
}

@media (min-width: 768px) {
	.RichTextArticleBody .Enhancement .Enhancement-item .Figure[data-alignment=left],
	.RichTextArticleBody .Enhancement[data-align-left] .Enhancement-item > * {
		float: left;
		max-width: 340px !important;
		margin: 0 20px 20px 0;
	}
	.RichTextArticleBody .Enhancement .Enhancement-item .Figure[data-alignment=right],
	.RichTextArticleBody .Enhancement[data-align-right] .Enhancement-item > * {
		float: right;
		max-width: 340px !important;
		margin: 0 0 20px 20px;
	}
}        :root {
        --primaryColor: #ff1e3c;
        --primaryTextColor: #2a2a2a;
        --linkTextColor: #1f66bd;
        --linkHoverColor: #1f66bd;
        --secondaryTextColor: #000000;
        --secondaryColor2: #000000;
        --secondaryColor3: #000000;
        --secondaryColor4: #000000;
        --secondaryColor5: #000000;
        --black: #000000;
        --white: #ffffff;
        --grey: #f0efed;
        --gridGutters: 30px;
        --modulePadding: 60px;
        --pageWidth: 86.11%;
        --maxPageWidth: 1240px;
        --horizontalAlignment: center;
        --fontFamily: 'Roboto', sans-serif;
        --headerBackgroundColor:#000000;
        --headerTextColor:#FFFFFF;
        --headerHeight:50px;
        --footerbackgroundColor:#000000;
        --footerTextColor:#918883;
        }'
$highlighting = ''
$location = '<a href="/harrisburg-pa/?intcmp=CSN-LOCAL-NAV-HOME">Harrisburg, PA</a>'
$no_header = false
$header_title = '<a href="/harrisburg-pa/happenings/">News Feed</a>'
$header_subtitle = ''
$isPR = false
$navbar = '<nav class="section" role="button" aria-expanded="false" aria-controls="collapse">
	<div class="section-toggle">Sections <i class="fas fa-chevron-down"></i></div>
	<ul class="secondary-menu" id="secondary-menu" role="menu" aria-busy="true">
		<li role="presentation" class=""><a role="menuitem" class="menuitem" href="/harrisburg-pa/aarp-events/?intcmp=CSN-LOCAL-NAV-OLE" data-formelementid="LOCAL-LNK-CLK-EVENTS">Online & Local Events</a> </li>
		<li role="presentation" class=""><a role="menuitem" class="menuitem" href="/harrisburg-pa/things-to-do/?intcmp=CSN-LOCAL-NAV-TTD" data-formelementid="LOCAL-LNK-CLK-THINGSTODO">Things to Do</a></li>
		<li role="presentation" class="active"><a role="menuitem" class="menuitem" href="/harrisburg-pa/happenings/?intcmp=CSN-LOCAL-NAV-NF" data-formelementid="LOCAL-LNK-CLK-HAPPENINGS">News Feed</a> </li>
		<li role="presentation" class=""><a role="menuitem" class="menuitem" href="/harrisburg-pa/volunteering/?intcmp=CSN-LOCAL-NAV-VOL" data-formelementid="LOCAL-LNK-CLK-VOLUNTEERING">Volunteering</a> </li>
		<li role="presentation" class=""><a role="menuitem" class="menuitem" href="/harrisburg-pa/home-and-community/?intcmp=CSN-LOCAL-NAV-HC" data-formelementid="LOCAL-LNK-CLK-HC">Home & Community</a> </li>
		<li role="presentation" class=""><a role="menuitem" class="menuitem" href="/harrisburg-pa/movies/?intcmp=CSN-LOCAL-NAV-MFG" data-formelementid="LOCAL-LNK-CLK-MOVIESFORGROWNUPS">Movies for Grownups</a> </li>
		<li role="presentation" class="more nosep " id="submenu-more">
			<span role="menuitem" class="menuitem" data-formelementid="LOCAL-LNK-CLK-MORE">More<i class="fas fa-chevron-down"></i></span>
			<ul class="secondary-submenu animate slide-in" id="secondary-submenu">
				<li role="presentation"><a role="menuitem" class="menuitem " href="/harrisburg-pa/discounts/?intcmp=CSN-LOCAL-NAV-LO" data-formelementid="LOCAL-LNK-CLK-OFFERS">Local Offers</a></li>
				<li role="presentation"><a role="menuitem" class="menuitem " href="/harrisburg-pa/local-resources/?intcmp=CSN-LOCAL-NAV-LR" data-formelementid="LOCAL-LNK-CLK-LOCALRESOURCES">Local Resources</a> </li>
				<li role="presentation"><a role="menuitem" class="menuitem " href="/harrisburg-pa/jobs/?intcmp=CSN-LOCAL-NAV-WJ" data-formelementid="LOCAL-LNK-CLK-WORK&JOBS">Work & Jobs</a></li>
				<li role="presentation"><a role="menuitem" class="menuitem " href="/harrisburg-pa/events/?intcmp=CSN-LOCAL-NAV-CC" data-formelementid="LOCAL-LNK-CLK-EVENTS">Community Calendar</a></li>
				<!--
				<li role="presentation"><a role="menuitem" class="menuitem " href="/harrisburg-pa/healthy-living/?intcmp=CSN-LOCAL-NAV-HEALTHY_LIVING" data-formelementid="LOCAL-LNK-CLK-HEALTHY_LIVING">Healthy Living</a></li>
				<li role="presentation"><a role="menuitem" class="menuitem " href="/harrisburg-pa/arts-entertainment/?intcmp=CSN-LOCAL-NAV-ARTS_ENT" data-formelementid="LOCAL-LNK-CLK-ARTS_ENT">Arts & Entertainment</a></li>
				<li role="presentation"><a role="menuitem" class="menuitem " href="/harrisburg-pa/museums/?intcmp=CSN-LOCAL-NAV-MUSEUMS" data-formelementid="LOCAL-LNK-CLK-MUSEUMS">Museums</a></li>
				-->
			</ul>
		</li>
		
	</ul>
</nav>'
$header_custom = ''
$breadcrumbs = array(
	(int) 0 => array(
		'title' => 'News Feed',
		'slug' => 'happenings'
	)
)
$row = array(
	'title' => 'Back to News Feed',
	'slug' => 'happenings'
)
$i = (int) 0
include - APP/View/Layouts/aarp_2023.ctp, line 244
include - APP/View/Layouts/aarp_2023.ctp, line 244
View::_evaluate() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 971
View::_render() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 933
View::renderLayout() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 546
View::render() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 481
Controller::render() - CORE/Cake/Controller/Controller.php, line 963
AppController::renderPage() - APP/Controller/AppController.php, line 136
BlogsController::display() - APP/Controller/BlogsController.php, line 81
ReflectionMethod::invokeArgs() - [internal], line ??
Controller::invokeAction() - CORE/Cake/Controller/Controller.php, line 491
Dispatcher::_invoke() - CORE/Cake/Routing/Dispatcher.php, line 193
Dispatcher::dispatch() - CORE/Cake/Routing/Dispatcher.php, line 167
[main] - APP/webroot/index.php, line 118

Warning (2): include() [<a href='http://php.net/function.include'>function.include</a>]: Failed opening '/var/www/vhosts/vcc_staging/app/Resource/aarp2_master.resource.footer.root.html' for inclusion (include_path='/var/www/vhosts/vcc_staging/lib:.:/usr/share/pear:/usr/share/php') [APP/View/Layouts/aarp_2023.ctp, line 244]
Code Context
                    include (APP . "Resource/aarp2_master.footer.html");
                    include (APP . "Resource/aarp2_master.bodyTargeting.html");
                    include (APP . "Resource/aarp2_master.resource.footer.root.html");
$viewFile = '/var/www/vhosts/vcc_staging/app/View/Layouts/aarp_2023.ctp'
$dataForView = array(
	'content_for_layout' => '<div class="row twoColumnLayout">
	<div class="col-md-8 left-rail"><div class="module clearfix"><div class="ar-basic-box">

	<div>    
		<div class="module-spacer">
			<header><h1 class="article-headline">For Scammers, It’s Not About Love, It’s About Your Money</h1></header>	
						<div class="posted-on">
				Posted on 02/03/25 
							</div>
		</div>
		<div class="module-spacer">
			<span class="blog-content"><p><div class="RichTextArticleBody">
    
        <div class="RichTextArticleBody-body"><p>Romance is in the air as Valentine’s Day approaches. But for scammers, it’s not about love. It’s about gaining access to your money.<br><br>Romance fraud exploits intimate relationships for personal gain. Some common types of romance fraud include love bombing, catfishing, and inheritance.<br></p><ul><li>In “love bombing,” the scammer will take their time earning a person’s trust before expressing messages of love and asking for money. One such scammer, “Tony” cost AARP Pennsylvania Volunteer Kate tens of thousands of dollars. “Tony” reached out to her on Facebook with a friend request.</li></ul><p>“We got friendly very quickly and moved off Facebook onto an app so we could talk to one another. And we spoke for a few months before he ever asked for any money, so there was a layer of trust,” said Kate who now warns others about the devastation of romance scams through <span class="Enhancement" ><span class="Enhancement-item"><a class="Link" href="https://www.aarp.org/money/scams-fraud/about-fraud-watch-network/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">AARP’s Fraud Watch Network</a></span></span>.<br></p><ul><li>On dating sites, a “catfishing” scammer will create a fake online profile using an attractive fake photo. Once a person matches with this phony profile, the scammer moves the relationship forward quickly. He or she will express their love and ask to take the conversation off the dating app and use Snapchat or WhatsApp. Then this “perfect match” will begin asking for personal information or money.<br></li><li>After developing a romantic relationship with someone, a scammer will convince them that they are going to receive a large inheritance, but they need to pay unexpected expenses that they can’t afford. By holding out the idea of future wealth, the scammer begins to ask for money to pay for the expenses regarding this non-existent inheritance. Once the money is in the scammer’s hands, he or she disappears.</li></ul><p>“Romance scams can happen to any gender and are devastating financially and emotionally,” said Mary Bach, AARP Pennsylvania Volunteer and Chair of the Consumer Issues Task Force. “These scammers are very skilled at creating personas and exploiting a person’s vulnerabilities. Remember, if someone never attends a video call or other means of live interaction, it should raise concerns about their true identity.”<br><br><b>Report scams to local law enforcement. For help from AARP, call 1-877-908-3360 or visit the AARP Pennsylvania Fraud Resource Page at </b><span class="Enhancement" ><span class="Enhancement-item"><a class="Link" href="http://www.aarp.org/pafraud" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><b>aarp.org/pafraud</b></a></span></span>.<br><br></p></div>
    
</div>
</p></span>
		</div>
	</div>

		<p><i>This story is provided by AARP Pennsylvania. Visit the <a href="https://states.aarp.org/region/pennsylvania/" target="_blank">AARP Pennsylvania</a> page for more news, events, and programs affecting retirement, health care, and more.</i></p>
	
</div>
</div><div class="module clearfix"><script src="https://npmcdn.com/flickity@2/dist/flickity.pkgd.min.js"></script>

<script src="https://aarp-states.brightspotcdn.com/resource/00000168-dd17-d487-a96e-df5fe3ee0000/styleguide/All.min.d703996ba6a992470f9f7fa2170736df.gz.js"></script>

<link class="Webpack-css" rel="stylesheet" href="https://aarp-states.brightspotcdn.com/resource/00000168-dd17-d487-a96e-df5fe3ee0000/styleguide/All.min.2cef3303b65f09149a6db29044f033cb.gz.css">

<!--
<script src="https://aarp-states.brightspotcdn.com/resource/00000168-dd17-d487-a96e-df5fe3ee0000/styleguide/All.min.c85a242a55150cd195e494cd6e5b9c77.gz.js" async=""></script>
<link rel="stylesheet" media="all" href="https://aarp-states.brightspotcdn.com/resource/00000168-dd17-d487-a96e-df5fe3ee0000/styleguide/All.min.bfe6eb5a8301841feef3af4e9bd1e26d.gz.css">
-->

<!-- bypass -->
<style>
a:focus, a:hover {
    text-decoration: underline;
}
h1.article-headline {
margin: 0 0 1rem;
}
</style>

<!--
<style>
.Enhancement-item .Figure {
margin-bottom: 24px;
}
.RichTextArticleBody-body ul {
    margin-bottom: 24px;
}
.RichTextArticleBody-body p{
    margin: 12px 0;
}
.RichTextModule-items {
   clear: both;
    display: table;
    width: 100%;
    margin-bottom: 12px;
}
.VideoEnhancement>* {
    color: var(--primaryTextColor);
    font-size: 13px;
    font-weight: 400;
    line-height: 1.4;
    font-style: italic;
    background: #f0efed
}

@media only screen and (min-width: 768px) {
    .VideoEnhancement>* {
        font-size:14px;
        font-weight: 400;
        line-height: 1.47
    }
}

.VideoEnhancement-title {
    padding: 20px
}

@media only screen and (min-width: 768px) {
    .VideoEnhancement-title {
        padding:30px
    }
}

.VideoEnhancement-player>* {
    position: relative;
    width: 100%;
    height: 0;
    padding-bottom: 56.25%
}

.VideoEnhancement iframe {
    border: 0;
    position: absolute;
    top: 0;
    left: 0;
    width: 100%;
    height: 100%
}
[data-video-player] {
    display: block;
    padding-bottom: 56.25%;
    height: 0;
    margin: 0 auto;
}

[data-video-player][data-aspect-ratio="4x3"] {
    padding-bottom: 56.25%;
}

[data-video-player][data-aspect-ratio="16x9"] {
    padding-bottom: 56.25%
}
</style>
--></div><div class="module clearfix"><div class="module-spacer tout-homefit-750">
<a data-formelementid="CSN-LOCAL-HC-NEWSSK-02272024" 
	href="/harrisburg-pa/home-and-community/?intcmp=CSN-LOCAL-HC-NEWSSK-02272024"><img class="img-responsive"  
	alt="Explore the free AARP HomeFit Guide" title="Explore the free AARP HomeFit Guide" 
	src="https://cdn-aarp.americantowns.com/img/touts/HomeFit_750x150.png"></a>
</div></div></div>
	<div class="col-md-4 right-rail thin-rhs"><div class="module clearfix"><!--default-->
<!-- module_RHS - AARP Events -->

<div class="ar-basic-box module-spacer">
	<header>
		<div class="pull-right">
			<a href="/harrisburg-pa/aarp-events/" data-formelementid="LOCAL-BTN-CLK-SEEALL-EVENTS">
				<img style="width:30px;" src="https://cdn-aarp.americantowns.com/img/template/icons/aarp_event_icon.png" alt="Upcoming AARP Events" />
			</a>
		</div>
		<h2 class="visible-lg">AARP Events for Harrisburg</h2>
		<h2 class="hidden-lg">AARP Events for Harrisburg</h2>
	</header>
	<div class="wrap">
		<div class="ar-listing snippet">
			<ul class="list">
				<li class="item" data-pageindex="1">

					
					<h2 class="title"><a href="/driver-safety/aarp-smart-driver-dulles-va-c35488.html" data-formelementid="LOCAL-BTN-CLK-EVENTS-AARP-SMART-DRIVERTM-CASCADES-SENIOR-CENTER">AARP Smart Driver™: Cascades Senior Center</a></h2>
					<p class="time">Wednesday, Mar 26, 2025 at 9:00&nbsp;a.m. ET</p>
					<p class="venue">Cascades Senior Center</p>
					<p class="loc">Sterling, VA</p>
					
				</li><li class="item" data-pageindex="1">

					
					<h2 class="title"><a href="/aarp-event/strategies-to-help-enhance-your-job-search-washington-dc-32725-1130-am-et-lynhsltrh96.html" data-formelementid="LOCAL-BTN-CLK-EVENTS-STRATEGIES-TO-HELP-ENHANCE-YOUR-JOB-SEARCH">Strategies to Help Enhance Your Job Search</a></h2>
					<p class="time">Thursday, Mar 27, 2025 at 11:30&nbsp;a.m. ET</p>
					<p class="venue">THEARC: Town Hall Education Arts Recreation Campus (Community Room)</p>
					<p class="loc">Washington, DC</p>
					
				</li><li class="item" data-pageindex="1">

					
					<h2 class="title"><a href="/aarp-event/aarp-careversations-washington-dc-32725-600-pm-et-jmnzf5hydcg.html" data-formelementid="LOCAL-BTN-CLK-EVENTS-AARP-CAREVERSATIONS-CARING-FOR-A-LOVED-ONE">AARP CAREversations: Caring for A Loved One</a></h2>
					<p class="time">Thursday, Mar 27, 2025 at 6:00&nbsp;p.m. ET</p>
					<p class="venue">Busboys and Poets-Brookland (Pearl Bailey Room)</p>
					<p class="loc">Washington, DC</p>
					
				</li>			</ul>

			<p><a class="link-red" href="/harrisburg-pa/aarp-events/" data-formelementid="LOCAL-BTN-CLK-SEEALL-EVENTS">View All AARP Events<i class="ml-1 fas fa-chevron-right"></i></a></p>
	
		</div>
	</div>
</div>


<div aria-hidden="true" class="aarpe-ad-wrapper">
                    
                    <div class="aarpe-ad en clearfix" id="300x250_53475" data-adsize="300x250">
                        
                         
                            <script type="text/javascript">
                                if(typeof AARP.ads !== 'undefined'){
                                  AARP.ads.slots({ id:'300x250_53475', size:'300x250'});
                                }
                            </script>
                         
                    </div>
                </div>
<div class="card-tout card-dark membership-tout" style="margin:0 0 30px 0;height:360px;">
	<img class="img-responsive image" 
		title="image of two AARP membership cards"
		alt="image of two AARP membership cards" 
		src="https://cdn-aarp.americantowns.com/img/tout-two-cards.png">
	<div class="title">Last Chance to Save!<br />New Pricing Coming in 2025.</div>
<br />
	<p>
This is AARP's first rate increase in 15 years.<br />Don't miss out, join today and save!<br /><br />
</p>
	<div class="action">
		<a class="btn" href="https://appsec.aarp.org/mem/join?campaignid=UAJFT3&intcmp=LNK-CSN-AARPLOCAL-JRTOUT-RR-A-HARRISBURG-PA">Join AARP</a>
		<div class="body">Already a member? <a href="https://appsec.aarp.org/mem/renew?campaignid= UARFT3&intcmp=LNK-CSN-AARPLOCAL-JRTOUT-RR-A-HARRISBURG-PA">Renew</a> or 
			<a href="https://www.aarp.org/benefits-discounts/my-membership/print-your-card/">Print Card</a></div>
	</div>
</div>
<style>
.membership-tout {padding:16px 20px;}
.membership-tout .list li { margin: 0; }
</style> 
<div aria-hidden="true" class="aarpe-ad-wrapper">
                    
                    <div class="aarpe-ad en clearfix" id="300x250_93505" data-adsize="300x250">
                        
                         
                            <script type="text/javascript">
                                if(typeof AARP.ads !== 'undefined'){
                                  AARP.ads.slots({ id:'300x250_93505', size:'300x250'});
                                }
                            </script>
                         
                    </div>
                </div>
<div class="module-spacer text-center">
<div class="fb-page" alt="Image of AARP Pennsylvania Facebook Page" title="Image of AARP Pennsylvania Facebook Page" data-href="https://www.facebook.com/AARPPA" data-tabs="timeline" width="" height="" data-small-header="false" data-adapt-container-width="true" data-hide-cover="false" data-show-facepile="true">
	<blockquote cite="https://www.facebook.com/AARPPA" class="fb-xfbml-parse-ignore"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/AARPPA">Facebook</a></blockquote>
</div>
</div>

 


<div class="ar-basic-box module-spacer">
<header>
<h2>Contact AARP<br />Pennsylvania</h2>
</header>
<div class="wrap">

<div class="ar-quick-list module-spacer">
<ul class="list-unstyled">
<li><i class="list-icon fa fa-envelope" alt="Email icon" title="Email icon" aria-hidden="true"></i><a href="mailto:PAAARP@aarp.org" target="_blank" rel="noopener">PAAARP@aarp.org</a></li>
<li><i class="list-icon fa fa-globe" alt="Globe icon" title="Globe icon" aria-hidden="true"></i><a href="https://states.aarp.org/region/pennsylvania/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">AARP Pennsylvania</a></li>
<li><i class="list-icon fa fa-map-marker" alt="Map Marker icon" title="Map Marker icon" aria-hidden="true"></i><a href="https://states.aarp.org/your-local-aarp-office/?intcmp=SNG-LNK-AARPLOCAL-CONTACT-20140101-HARRISBURG-PA" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Contact Us</a></li>


</ul>
</div>
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/AARPPA" target="_blank" rel="noopener" aria-label="Open Facebook"><img style="max-width: 48px;" alt="Facebook icon" title="Facebook icon" src="https://cdn-aarp.americantowns.com/img/page/icons/facebook.png"></a>&nbsp;&nbsp;
<a href="https://twitter.com/AARPPA" target="_blank" rel="noopener" aria-label="Open Twitter"><img style="max-width: 48px;" alt="Twitter icon" title="Twitter icon" src="https://cdn-aarp.americantowns.com/img/page/icons/twitter.png"></a>



</div>
</div>


</div></div>
	<div class="col-md-8 left-rail left-bot"></div>
	<div class="col-md-4 right-rail right-bot thin-rhs"></div>
</div>
<div class="row oneColumnLayout">
	</div>
<div class="row oneColumnLayout">
	<div class="col-md-12"><!-- script to activate navbar -->
	<script type="text/javascript">
		jQuery(".channelBarMain ul.left li a").click(function() {
			window.location = jQuery(this).attr('href');
		});
	</script>
</div>
</div>
',
	'scripts_for_layout' => '<title>For Scammers, It’s Not About Love, It’s About Your Money</title>
<meta name="page_title" content="For Scammers, It’s Not About Love, It’s About Your Money"/>
<meta name="robots" content="noindex, nofollow"/>
<meta content="Romance is in the air as Valentine’s Day approaches. But for scammers, it’s not about love. It’s about gaining access to your money.Romance fraud" name="description"/>
<meta content="Scammers, It, s, Not, About, Love, Your, Money" name="keywords"/>
<link rel="canonical" href="https://states.aarp.org/pennsylvania/for-scammers-its-not-about-love-its-about-your-money" />
<meta property="og:url" content="https://vccstaging.local.aarp.org/news/for-scammers-its-not-about-love-its-about-your-money-pa-2025-02-03.html"/>
<meta name="twitter:card" content="summary_large_image"/>
<meta name="twitter:title" content="For Scammers, It’s Not About Love, It’s About Your Money"/>
<meta name="twitter:description" content="Romance is in the air as Valentine’s Day approaches. But for scammers, it’s not about love. It’s about gaining access to your money."/>
<meta name="twitter:image" content="https://aarp-states.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/c94e22e/2147483647/strip/true/crop/480x309+0+26/resize/420x270!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.ytimg.com%2Fvi%2FDyRG7nNrtMw%2Fhqdefault.jpg"/>
<meta property="og:type" content="article"/>
<meta property="og:title" content="For Scammers, It’s Not About Love, It’s About Your Money"/>
<meta property="og:description" content="Romance is in the air as Valentine’s Day approaches. But for scammers, it’s not about love. It’s about gaining access to your money."/>
<meta property="og:image" content="https://aarp-states.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/c94e22e/2147483647/strip/true/crop/480x309+0+26/resize/420x270!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.ytimg.com%2Fvi%2FDyRG7nNrtMw%2Fhqdefault.jpg"/>
/* temporary */
.RichTextArticleBody ul {
	padding-left: 20px;
}
.RichTextArticleBody .Enhancement {
	margin: 40px 0;
}
.RichTextArticleBody .Enhancement .Enhancement-item img {
	width: auto;
    max-width: 100% !important;
	height: auto;
}

@media (min-width: 768px) {
	.RichTextArticleBody .Enhancement .Enhancement-item .Figure[data-alignment=left],
	.RichTextArticleBody .Enhancement[data-align-left] .Enhancement-item > * {
		float: left;
		max-width: 340px !important;
		margin: 0 20px 20px 0;
	}
	.RichTextArticleBody .Enhancement .Enhancement-item .Figure[data-alignment=right],
	.RichTextArticleBody .Enhancement[data-align-right] .Enhancement-item > * {
		float: right;
		max-width: 340px !important;
		margin: 0 0 20px 20px;
	}
}        :root {
        --primaryColor: #ff1e3c;
        --primaryTextColor: #2a2a2a;
        --linkTextColor: #1f66bd;
        --linkHoverColor: #1f66bd;
        --secondaryTextColor: #000000;
        --secondaryColor2: #000000;
        --secondaryColor3: #000000;
        --secondaryColor4: #000000;
        --secondaryColor5: #000000;
        --black: #000000;
        --white: #ffffff;
        --grey: #f0efed;
        --gridGutters: 30px;
        --modulePadding: 60px;
        --pageWidth: 86.11%;
        --maxPageWidth: 1240px;
        --horizontalAlignment: center;
        --fontFamily: 'Roboto', sans-serif;
        --headerBackgroundColor:#000000;
        --headerTextColor:#FFFFFF;
        --headerHeight:50px;
        --footerbackgroundColor:#000000;
        --footerTextColor:#918883;
        }',
	'title_for_layout' => '{local_city_c}, {local_state} Happenings - AARP'
)
$content_for_layout = '<div class="row twoColumnLayout">
	<div class="col-md-8 left-rail"><div class="module clearfix"><div class="ar-basic-box">

	<div>    
		<div class="module-spacer">
			<header><h1 class="article-headline">For Scammers, It’s Not About Love, It’s About Your Money</h1></header>	
						<div class="posted-on">
				Posted on 02/03/25 
							</div>
		</div>
		<div class="module-spacer">
			<span class="blog-content"><p><div class="RichTextArticleBody">
    
        <div class="RichTextArticleBody-body"><p>Romance is in the air as Valentine’s Day approaches. But for scammers, it’s not about love. It’s about gaining access to your money.<br><br>Romance fraud exploits intimate relationships for personal gain. Some common types of romance fraud include love bombing, catfishing, and inheritance.<br></p><ul><li>In “love bombing,” the scammer will take their time earning a person’s trust before expressing messages of love and asking for money. One such scammer, “Tony” cost AARP Pennsylvania Volunteer Kate tens of thousands of dollars. “Tony” reached out to her on Facebook with a friend request.</li></ul><p>“We got friendly very quickly and moved off Facebook onto an app so we could talk to one another. And we spoke for a few months before he ever asked for any money, so there was a layer of trust,” said Kate who now warns others about the devastation of romance scams through <span class="Enhancement" ><span class="Enhancement-item"><a class="Link" href="https://www.aarp.org/money/scams-fraud/about-fraud-watch-network/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">AARP’s Fraud Watch Network</a></span></span>.<br></p><ul><li>On dating sites, a “catfishing” scammer will create a fake online profile using an attractive fake photo. Once a person matches with this phony profile, the scammer moves the relationship forward quickly. He or she will express their love and ask to take the conversation off the dating app and use Snapchat or WhatsApp. Then this “perfect match” will begin asking for personal information or money.<br></li><li>After developing a romantic relationship with someone, a scammer will convince them that they are going to receive a large inheritance, but they need to pay unexpected expenses that they can’t afford. By holding out the idea of future wealth, the scammer begins to ask for money to pay for the expenses regarding this non-existent inheritance. Once the money is in the scammer’s hands, he or she disappears.</li></ul><p>“Romance scams can happen to any gender and are devastating financially and emotionally,” said Mary Bach, AARP Pennsylvania Volunteer and Chair of the Consumer Issues Task Force. “These scammers are very skilled at creating personas and exploiting a person’s vulnerabilities. Remember, if someone never attends a video call or other means of live interaction, it should raise concerns about their true identity.”<br><br><b>Report scams to local law enforcement. For help from AARP, call 1-877-908-3360 or visit the AARP Pennsylvania Fraud Resource Page at </b><span class="Enhancement" ><span class="Enhancement-item"><a class="Link" href="http://www.aarp.org/pafraud" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><b>aarp.org/pafraud</b></a></span></span>.<br><br></p></div>
    
</div>
</p></span>
		</div>
	</div>

		<p><i>This story is provided by AARP Pennsylvania. Visit the <a href="https://states.aarp.org/region/pennsylvania/" target="_blank">AARP Pennsylvania</a> page for more news, events, and programs affecting retirement, health care, and more.</i></p>
	
</div>
</div><div class="module clearfix"><script src="https://npmcdn.com/flickity@2/dist/flickity.pkgd.min.js"></script>

<script src="https://aarp-states.brightspotcdn.com/resource/00000168-dd17-d487-a96e-df5fe3ee0000/styleguide/All.min.d703996ba6a992470f9f7fa2170736df.gz.js"></script>

<link class="Webpack-css" rel="stylesheet" href="https://aarp-states.brightspotcdn.com/resource/00000168-dd17-d487-a96e-df5fe3ee0000/styleguide/All.min.2cef3303b65f09149a6db29044f033cb.gz.css">

<!--
<script src="https://aarp-states.brightspotcdn.com/resource/00000168-dd17-d487-a96e-df5fe3ee0000/styleguide/All.min.c85a242a55150cd195e494cd6e5b9c77.gz.js" async=""></script>
<link rel="stylesheet" media="all" href="https://aarp-states.brightspotcdn.com/resource/00000168-dd17-d487-a96e-df5fe3ee0000/styleguide/All.min.bfe6eb5a8301841feef3af4e9bd1e26d.gz.css">
-->

<!-- bypass -->
<style>
a:focus, a:hover {
    text-decoration: underline;
}
h1.article-headline {
margin: 0 0 1rem;
}
</style>

<!--
<style>
.Enhancement-item .Figure {
margin-bottom: 24px;
}
.RichTextArticleBody-body ul {
    margin-bottom: 24px;
}
.RichTextArticleBody-body p{
    margin: 12px 0;
}
.RichTextModule-items {
   clear: both;
    display: table;
    width: 100%;
    margin-bottom: 12px;
}
.VideoEnhancement>* {
    color: var(--primaryTextColor);
    font-size: 13px;
    font-weight: 400;
    line-height: 1.4;
    font-style: italic;
    background: #f0efed
}

@media only screen and (min-width: 768px) {
    .VideoEnhancement>* {
        font-size:14px;
        font-weight: 400;
        line-height: 1.47
    }
}

.VideoEnhancement-title {
    padding: 20px
}

@media only screen and (min-width: 768px) {
    .VideoEnhancement-title {
        padding:30px
    }
}

.VideoEnhancement-player>* {
    position: relative;
    width: 100%;
    height: 0;
    padding-bottom: 56.25%
}

.VideoEnhancement iframe {
    border: 0;
    position: absolute;
    top: 0;
    left: 0;
    width: 100%;
    height: 100%
}
[data-video-player] {
    display: block;
    padding-bottom: 56.25%;
    height: 0;
    margin: 0 auto;
}

[data-video-player][data-aspect-ratio="4x3"] {
    padding-bottom: 56.25%;
}

[data-video-player][data-aspect-ratio="16x9"] {
    padding-bottom: 56.25%
}
</style>
--></div><div class="module clearfix"><div class="module-spacer tout-homefit-750">
<a data-formelementid="CSN-LOCAL-HC-NEWSSK-02272024" 
	href="/harrisburg-pa/home-and-community/?intcmp=CSN-LOCAL-HC-NEWSSK-02272024"><img class="img-responsive"  
	alt="Explore the free AARP HomeFit Guide" title="Explore the free AARP HomeFit Guide" 
	src="https://cdn-aarp.americantowns.com/img/touts/HomeFit_750x150.png"></a>
</div></div></div>
	<div class="col-md-4 right-rail thin-rhs"><div class="module clearfix"><!--default-->
<!-- module_RHS - AARP Events -->

<div class="ar-basic-box module-spacer">
	<header>
		<div class="pull-right">
			<a href="/harrisburg-pa/aarp-events/" data-formelementid="LOCAL-BTN-CLK-SEEALL-EVENTS">
				<img style="width:30px;" src="https://cdn-aarp.americantowns.com/img/template/icons/aarp_event_icon.png" alt="Upcoming AARP Events" />
			</a>
		</div>
		<h2 class="visible-lg">AARP Events for Harrisburg</h2>
		<h2 class="hidden-lg">AARP Events for Harrisburg</h2>
	</header>
	<div class="wrap">
		<div class="ar-listing snippet">
			<ul class="list">
				<li class="item" data-pageindex="1">

					
					<h2 class="title"><a href="/driver-safety/aarp-smart-driver-dulles-va-c35488.html" data-formelementid="LOCAL-BTN-CLK-EVENTS-AARP-SMART-DRIVERTM-CASCADES-SENIOR-CENTER">AARP Smart Driver™: Cascades Senior Center</a></h2>
					<p class="time">Wednesday, Mar 26, 2025 at 9:00&nbsp;a.m. ET</p>
					<p class="venue">Cascades Senior Center</p>
					<p class="loc">Sterling, VA</p>
					
				</li><li class="item" data-pageindex="1">

					
					<h2 class="title"><a href="/aarp-event/strategies-to-help-enhance-your-job-search-washington-dc-32725-1130-am-et-lynhsltrh96.html" data-formelementid="LOCAL-BTN-CLK-EVENTS-STRATEGIES-TO-HELP-ENHANCE-YOUR-JOB-SEARCH">Strategies to Help Enhance Your Job Search</a></h2>
					<p class="time">Thursday, Mar 27, 2025 at 11:30&nbsp;a.m. ET</p>
					<p class="venue">THEARC: Town Hall Education Arts Recreation Campus (Community Room)</p>
					<p class="loc">Washington, DC</p>
					
				</li><li class="item" data-pageindex="1">

					
					<h2 class="title"><a href="/aarp-event/aarp-careversations-washington-dc-32725-600-pm-et-jmnzf5hydcg.html" data-formelementid="LOCAL-BTN-CLK-EVENTS-AARP-CAREVERSATIONS-CARING-FOR-A-LOVED-ONE">AARP CAREversations: Caring for A Loved One</a></h2>
					<p class="time">Thursday, Mar 27, 2025 at 6:00&nbsp;p.m. ET</p>
					<p class="venue">Busboys and Poets-Brookland (Pearl Bailey Room)</p>
					<p class="loc">Washington, DC</p>
					
				</li>			</ul>

			<p><a class="link-red" href="/harrisburg-pa/aarp-events/" data-formelementid="LOCAL-BTN-CLK-SEEALL-EVENTS">View All AARP Events<i class="ml-1 fas fa-chevron-right"></i></a></p>
	
		</div>
	</div>
</div>


<div aria-hidden="true" class="aarpe-ad-wrapper">
                    
                    <div class="aarpe-ad en clearfix" id="300x250_53475" data-adsize="300x250">
                        
                         
                            <script type="text/javascript">
                                if(typeof AARP.ads !== 'undefined'){
                                  AARP.ads.slots({ id:'300x250_53475', size:'300x250'});
                                }
                            </script>
                         
                    </div>
                </div>
<div class="card-tout card-dark membership-tout" style="margin:0 0 30px 0;height:360px;">
	<img class="img-responsive image" 
		title="image of two AARP membership cards"
		alt="image of two AARP membership cards" 
		src="https://cdn-aarp.americantowns.com/img/tout-two-cards.png">
	<div class="title">Last Chance to Save!<br />New Pricing Coming in 2025.</div>
<br />
	<p>
This is AARP's first rate increase in 15 years.<br />Don't miss out, join today and save!<br /><br />
</p>
	<div class="action">
		<a class="btn" href="https://appsec.aarp.org/mem/join?campaignid=UAJFT3&intcmp=LNK-CSN-AARPLOCAL-JRTOUT-RR-A-HARRISBURG-PA">Join AARP</a>
		<div class="body">Already a member? <a href="https://appsec.aarp.org/mem/renew?campaignid= UARFT3&intcmp=LNK-CSN-AARPLOCAL-JRTOUT-RR-A-HARRISBURG-PA">Renew</a> or 
			<a href="https://www.aarp.org/benefits-discounts/my-membership/print-your-card/">Print Card</a></div>
	</div>
</div>
<style>
.membership-tout {padding:16px 20px;}
.membership-tout .list li { margin: 0; }
</style> 
<div aria-hidden="true" class="aarpe-ad-wrapper">
                    
                    <div class="aarpe-ad en clearfix" id="300x250_93505" data-adsize="300x250">
                        
                         
                            <script type="text/javascript">
                                if(typeof AARP.ads !== 'undefined'){
                                  AARP.ads.slots({ id:'300x250_93505', size:'300x250'});
                                }
                            </script>
                         
                    </div>
                </div>
<div class="module-spacer text-center">
<div class="fb-page" alt="Image of AARP Pennsylvania Facebook Page" title="Image of AARP Pennsylvania Facebook Page" data-href="https://www.facebook.com/AARPPA" data-tabs="timeline" width="" height="" data-small-header="false" data-adapt-container-width="true" data-hide-cover="false" data-show-facepile="true">
	<blockquote cite="https://www.facebook.com/AARPPA" class="fb-xfbml-parse-ignore"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/AARPPA">Facebook</a></blockquote>
</div>
</div>

 


<div class="ar-basic-box module-spacer">
<header>
<h2>Contact AARP<br />Pennsylvania</h2>
</header>
<div class="wrap">

<div class="ar-quick-list module-spacer">
<ul class="list-unstyled">
<li><i class="list-icon fa fa-envelope" alt="Email icon" title="Email icon" aria-hidden="true"></i><a href="mailto:PAAARP@aarp.org" target="_blank" rel="noopener">PAAARP@aarp.org</a></li>
<li><i class="list-icon fa fa-globe" alt="Globe icon" title="Globe icon" aria-hidden="true"></i><a href="https://states.aarp.org/region/pennsylvania/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">AARP Pennsylvania</a></li>
<li><i class="list-icon fa fa-map-marker" alt="Map Marker icon" title="Map Marker icon" aria-hidden="true"></i><a href="https://states.aarp.org/your-local-aarp-office/?intcmp=SNG-LNK-AARPLOCAL-CONTACT-20140101-HARRISBURG-PA" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Contact Us</a></li>


</ul>
</div>
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/AARPPA" target="_blank" rel="noopener" aria-label="Open Facebook"><img style="max-width: 48px;" alt="Facebook icon" title="Facebook icon" src="https://cdn-aarp.americantowns.com/img/page/icons/facebook.png"></a>&nbsp;&nbsp;
<a href="https://twitter.com/AARPPA" target="_blank" rel="noopener" aria-label="Open Twitter"><img style="max-width: 48px;" alt="Twitter icon" title="Twitter icon" src="https://cdn-aarp.americantowns.com/img/page/icons/twitter.png"></a>



</div>
</div>


</div></div>
	<div class="col-md-8 left-rail left-bot"></div>
	<div class="col-md-4 right-rail right-bot thin-rhs"></div>
</div>
<div class="row oneColumnLayout">
	</div>
<div class="row oneColumnLayout">
	<div class="col-md-12"><!-- script to activate navbar -->
	<script type="text/javascript">
		jQuery(".channelBarMain ul.left li a").click(function() {
			window.location = jQuery(this).attr('href');
		});
	</script>
</div>
</div>
'
$scripts_for_layout = '<title>For Scammers, It’s Not About Love, It’s About Your Money</title>
<meta name="page_title" content="For Scammers, It’s Not About Love, It’s About Your Money"/>
<meta name="robots" content="noindex, nofollow"/>
<meta content="Romance is in the air as Valentine’s Day approaches. But for scammers, it’s not about love. It’s about gaining access to your money.Romance fraud" name="description"/>
<meta content="Scammers, It, s, Not, About, Love, Your, Money" name="keywords"/>
<link rel="canonical" href="https://states.aarp.org/pennsylvania/for-scammers-its-not-about-love-its-about-your-money" />
<meta property="og:url" content="https://vccstaging.local.aarp.org/news/for-scammers-its-not-about-love-its-about-your-money-pa-2025-02-03.html"/>
<meta name="twitter:card" content="summary_large_image"/>
<meta name="twitter:title" content="For Scammers, It’s Not About Love, It’s About Your Money"/>
<meta name="twitter:description" content="Romance is in the air as Valentine’s Day approaches. But for scammers, it’s not about love. It’s about gaining access to your money."/>
<meta name="twitter:image" content="https://aarp-states.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/c94e22e/2147483647/strip/true/crop/480x309+0+26/resize/420x270!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.ytimg.com%2Fvi%2FDyRG7nNrtMw%2Fhqdefault.jpg"/>
<meta property="og:type" content="article"/>
<meta property="og:title" content="For Scammers, It’s Not About Love, It’s About Your Money"/>
<meta property="og:description" content="Romance is in the air as Valentine’s Day approaches. But for scammers, it’s not about love. It’s about gaining access to your money."/>
<meta property="og:image" content="https://aarp-states.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/c94e22e/2147483647/strip/true/crop/480x309+0+26/resize/420x270!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.ytimg.com%2Fvi%2FDyRG7nNrtMw%2Fhqdefault.jpg"/>
/* temporary */
.RichTextArticleBody ul {
	padding-left: 20px;
}
.RichTextArticleBody .Enhancement {
	margin: 40px 0;
}
.RichTextArticleBody .Enhancement .Enhancement-item img {
	width: auto;
    max-width: 100% !important;
	height: auto;
}

@media (min-width: 768px) {
	.RichTextArticleBody .Enhancement .Enhancement-item .Figure[data-alignment=left],
	.RichTextArticleBody .Enhancement[data-align-left] .Enhancement-item > * {
		float: left;
		max-width: 340px !important;
		margin: 0 20px 20px 0;
	}
	.RichTextArticleBody .Enhancement .Enhancement-item .Figure[data-alignment=right],
	.RichTextArticleBody .Enhancement[data-align-right] .Enhancement-item > * {
		float: right;
		max-width: 340px !important;
		margin: 0 0 20px 20px;
	}
}        :root {
        --primaryColor: #ff1e3c;
        --primaryTextColor: #2a2a2a;
        --linkTextColor: #1f66bd;
        --linkHoverColor: #1f66bd;
        --secondaryTextColor: #000000;
        --secondaryColor2: #000000;
        --secondaryColor3: #000000;
        --secondaryColor4: #000000;
        --secondaryColor5: #000000;
        --black: #000000;
        --white: #ffffff;
        --grey: #f0efed;
        --gridGutters: 30px;
        --modulePadding: 60px;
        --pageWidth: 86.11%;
        --maxPageWidth: 1240px;
        --horizontalAlignment: center;
        --fontFamily: 'Roboto', sans-serif;
        --headerBackgroundColor:#000000;
        --headerTextColor:#FFFFFF;
        --headerHeight:50px;
        --footerbackgroundColor:#000000;
        --footerTextColor:#918883;
        }'
$title_for_layout = '{local_city_c}, {local_state} Happenings - AARP'
$asset_version = '240925'
$min = true
$nowrapper = false
$css = '/* temporary */
.RichTextArticleBody ul {
	padding-left: 20px;
}
.RichTextArticleBody .Enhancement {
	margin: 40px 0;
}
.RichTextArticleBody .Enhancement .Enhancement-item img {
	width: auto;
    max-width: 100% !important;
	height: auto;
}

@media (min-width: 768px) {
	.RichTextArticleBody .Enhancement .Enhancement-item .Figure[data-alignment=left],
	.RichTextArticleBody .Enhancement[data-align-left] .Enhancement-item > * {
		float: left;
		max-width: 340px !important;
		margin: 0 20px 20px 0;
	}
	.RichTextArticleBody .Enhancement .Enhancement-item .Figure[data-alignment=right],
	.RichTextArticleBody .Enhancement[data-align-right] .Enhancement-item > * {
		float: right;
		max-width: 340px !important;
		margin: 0 0 20px 20px;
	}
}        :root {
        --primaryColor: #ff1e3c;
        --primaryTextColor: #2a2a2a;
        --linkTextColor: #1f66bd;
        --linkHoverColor: #1f66bd;
        --secondaryTextColor: #000000;
        --secondaryColor2: #000000;
        --secondaryColor3: #000000;
        --secondaryColor4: #000000;
        --secondaryColor5: #000000;
        --black: #000000;
        --white: #ffffff;
        --grey: #f0efed;
        --gridGutters: 30px;
        --modulePadding: 60px;
        --pageWidth: 86.11%;
        --maxPageWidth: 1240px;
        --horizontalAlignment: center;
        --fontFamily: 'Roboto', sans-serif;
        --headerBackgroundColor:#000000;
        --headerTextColor:#FFFFFF;
        --headerHeight:50px;
        --footerbackgroundColor:#000000;
        --footerTextColor:#918883;
        }'
$highlighting = ''
$location = '<a href="/harrisburg-pa/?intcmp=CSN-LOCAL-NAV-HOME">Harrisburg, PA</a>'
$no_header = false
$header_title = '<a href="/harrisburg-pa/happenings/">News Feed</a>'
$header_subtitle = ''
$isPR = false
$navbar = '<nav class="section" role="button" aria-expanded="false" aria-controls="collapse">
	<div class="section-toggle">Sections <i class="fas fa-chevron-down"></i></div>
	<ul class="secondary-menu" id="secondary-menu" role="menu" aria-busy="true">
		<li role="presentation" class=""><a role="menuitem" class="menuitem" href="/harrisburg-pa/aarp-events/?intcmp=CSN-LOCAL-NAV-OLE" data-formelementid="LOCAL-LNK-CLK-EVENTS">Online & Local Events</a> </li>
		<li role="presentation" class=""><a role="menuitem" class="menuitem" href="/harrisburg-pa/things-to-do/?intcmp=CSN-LOCAL-NAV-TTD" data-formelementid="LOCAL-LNK-CLK-THINGSTODO">Things to Do</a></li>
		<li role="presentation" class="active"><a role="menuitem" class="menuitem" href="/harrisburg-pa/happenings/?intcmp=CSN-LOCAL-NAV-NF" data-formelementid="LOCAL-LNK-CLK-HAPPENINGS">News Feed</a> </li>
		<li role="presentation" class=""><a role="menuitem" class="menuitem" href="/harrisburg-pa/volunteering/?intcmp=CSN-LOCAL-NAV-VOL" data-formelementid="LOCAL-LNK-CLK-VOLUNTEERING">Volunteering</a> </li>
		<li role="presentation" class=""><a role="menuitem" class="menuitem" href="/harrisburg-pa/home-and-community/?intcmp=CSN-LOCAL-NAV-HC" data-formelementid="LOCAL-LNK-CLK-HC">Home & Community</a> </li>
		<li role="presentation" class=""><a role="menuitem" class="menuitem" href="/harrisburg-pa/movies/?intcmp=CSN-LOCAL-NAV-MFG" data-formelementid="LOCAL-LNK-CLK-MOVIESFORGROWNUPS">Movies for Grownups</a> </li>
		<li role="presentation" class="more nosep " id="submenu-more">
			<span role="menuitem" class="menuitem" data-formelementid="LOCAL-LNK-CLK-MORE">More<i class="fas fa-chevron-down"></i></span>
			<ul class="secondary-submenu animate slide-in" id="secondary-submenu">
				<li role="presentation"><a role="menuitem" class="menuitem " href="/harrisburg-pa/discounts/?intcmp=CSN-LOCAL-NAV-LO" data-formelementid="LOCAL-LNK-CLK-OFFERS">Local Offers</a></li>
				<li role="presentation"><a role="menuitem" class="menuitem " href="/harrisburg-pa/local-resources/?intcmp=CSN-LOCAL-NAV-LR" data-formelementid="LOCAL-LNK-CLK-LOCALRESOURCES">Local Resources</a> </li>
				<li role="presentation"><a role="menuitem" class="menuitem " href="/harrisburg-pa/jobs/?intcmp=CSN-LOCAL-NAV-WJ" data-formelementid="LOCAL-LNK-CLK-WORK&JOBS">Work & Jobs</a></li>
				<li role="presentation"><a role="menuitem" class="menuitem " href="/harrisburg-pa/events/?intcmp=CSN-LOCAL-NAV-CC" data-formelementid="LOCAL-LNK-CLK-EVENTS">Community Calendar</a></li>
				<!--
				<li role="presentation"><a role="menuitem" class="menuitem " href="/harrisburg-pa/healthy-living/?intcmp=CSN-LOCAL-NAV-HEALTHY_LIVING" data-formelementid="LOCAL-LNK-CLK-HEALTHY_LIVING">Healthy Living</a></li>
				<li role="presentation"><a role="menuitem" class="menuitem " href="/harrisburg-pa/arts-entertainment/?intcmp=CSN-LOCAL-NAV-ARTS_ENT" data-formelementid="LOCAL-LNK-CLK-ARTS_ENT">Arts & Entertainment</a></li>
				<li role="presentation"><a role="menuitem" class="menuitem " href="/harrisburg-pa/museums/?intcmp=CSN-LOCAL-NAV-MUSEUMS" data-formelementid="LOCAL-LNK-CLK-MUSEUMS">Museums</a></li>
				-->
			</ul>
		</li>
		
	</ul>
</nav>'
$header_custom = ''
$breadcrumbs = array(
	(int) 0 => array(
		'title' => 'News Feed',
		'slug' => 'happenings'
	)
)
$row = array(
	'title' => 'Back to News Feed',
	'slug' => 'happenings'
)
$i = (int) 0
include - APP/View/Layouts/aarp_2023.ctp, line 244
include - APP/View/Layouts/aarp_2023.ctp, line 244
View::_evaluate() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 971
View::_render() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 933
View::renderLayout() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 546
View::render() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 481
Controller::render() - CORE/Cake/Controller/Controller.php, line 963
AppController::renderPage() - APP/Controller/AppController.php, line 136
BlogsController::display() - APP/Controller/BlogsController.php, line 81
ReflectionMethod::invokeArgs() - [internal], line ??
Controller::invokeAction() - CORE/Cake/Controller/Controller.php, line 491
Dispatcher::_invoke() - CORE/Cake/Routing/Dispatcher.php, line 193
Dispatcher::dispatch() - CORE/Cake/Routing/Dispatcher.php, line 167
[main] - APP/webroot/index.php, line 118