6 ways to spot an online Valentine's scam

Don’t give away your heart to an online scammer for Valentine’s Day(Photo: Getty Images)He's the man of your dreams, right there on the computer screen, but all he might do is steal your heart and your money.It's time for Valentine's Day, but even a day of romance is ripe for online scammers."We have doctors. We have lawyers. We have CEOs of companies," said Barbara Sluppick, founder of RomanceScams.org, a website set up to help victims. "Intelligence has nothing to do with these scams. You can be scammed as long as you have an e-mail address and a willingness to be in a relationship."People are falling for online Lotharios, who target people of all ages, but mostly women over age 40. They use smooth talk to establish a close rapport and drain money from people they have never actually met.According to the FBI, during the last six months of 2014, 5,791 victims of romance scams reported more than $82.3 million in losses. And those are just the people who contacted the authorities."So many people don't report this because they are embarrassed," said Special Agent Barbara Woodruff, an FBI spokeswoman in Newark, N.J.Here are some of the ways Valentine's Day can go bad through scams:1. CATFISHINGThey'll try to make a connection through dating websites, social media, gaming sites and support groups. It's called catfishing."The scammer has already done their research," Woodruff said.They know their target's description, likes and hobbies. "Do they like to rescue dogs? Do they like to go fishing?" the agent said. "Do they like to hike?"The scammer can seem so persuasive and convincing. "Over a period of time, they actually become the person's dream person," Sluppick said. "They become somebody that the person has always wanted, just what they have idolized the person to be."2. LOVE TOO QUICKLYLook out for someone who professes love too quickly, without ever having met in person.They use poetry, flowers and gifts to draw in their victims, according to the Internet Crime Complaint Center. Stories about severe life tragedies, family deaths and injuries are meant to pull their marks in closer."They very quickly become attached to you," Woodruff said.3. TOO PERFECTBe on the look out for profile photos that are just too perfect. They might be from a magazine or a professional photo shoot. Use services such as Google Images and TinEye.com to find where photos have been used online. (Computer software can be used by scammers to fake webcams, so they are not reliable anymore, Sluppick said.)4. CLAIMING TO BE ABROADThe scammer may claim to be businessman working abroad or a soldier stationed overseas. There's always a reason why he's never able to meet.If an online connection says they are overseas, "walk away," Sluppick said.5. SPELLING AND GRAMMARCheck the spelling and grammar of online messages. "This guy is supposed to be an engineer and he can't spell?" Sluppick said. "It doesn't match up."6. REQUEST FOR MONEYEventually, the discussion may turn to money, such as sending cash to help out a problem or opening a bank account in the victim's name, which is later used by them to launder money. "If you are in an online relationship like this and they start asking for money, that is the biggest red flag," Woodruff said.Ford GT appears at Chicago Auto Show – in silverFeb 13, 2015