Romance scams have surged during the pandemic, cheating online daters out of millions of dollars in the quest for love. In 2021, consumers reported they lost a record $547 million to romance scams, according to a report from the Federal Trade Commission. That represents an 80% increase compared to 2020 and brought the median personal loss to $2,400. “The data doesn’t tell us exactly why it’s happening, but I think it’s reasonable to assume that the pandemic may have helped to fuel the continued growth by attracting more people to online dating apps and social media where they’ve ending up being connected with these ... (full story)