Don't let love blind you to scams
Watch out for romance scams and rip-offs around Valentine's Day.
Watch out for romance scams and rip-offs around Valentine's Day.
Love might be in the air this week but so are shysters looking to part you from your money.
Consumers know red roses, chocolates and undies aren’t likely to be on special anytime around 14 February, but they don’t expect to be the targets of scams and rip-offs. Here's what to be wary of around Valentine's Day.
Online florist Ready Flowers last year boasted 500,000 customers worldwide, and a fast and efficient service. The company reinvented itself this year as ZFlowers, now with even more customers worldwide and glowing testimonials on its website. We suggest you steer well clear. The internet is full of horror stories from people who paid for flowers from this company and didn’t receive them. Or received them, but they were way less than what was expected. Ready Flowers has featured on Fair Go and has been the subject of litigation in Australia.
Beware the romance scams. If you’re looking for love online this Valentine’s Day be wary of anyone needing financial help. Whether it’s a medical emergency, family problem, legal issue, employment or business opportunity – they all have something in common: they need money from you, and lots of it. Some scamsters are so clever they manipulate hapless victims into offering assistance without even asking.
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