Scammers are known for using all kinds of tactics to cheat innocent, unsuspecting people out of their money, but one of the most conniving strategies just might be when fraudsters pretend to be romantically interested in someone so they can financially exploit them. 

Unfortunately, it happens more often than one would hope, which is why police in York Region are advising the public to have a healthy amount of skepticism when someone slides into their DMs with a too-good-to-be-true pick-up line.

"The search for love and companionship can be both exciting and scary," warn York Regional Police (YRP) on their fraud prevention webpage. "In your quest to meet the right person, scammers will play on your feelings to extort money from you."

From sliding into your DMs to offering a once-in-a-lifetime investment opportunity in crypto, scammers are out to make easy cash at your expense.

Learn how to protect yourself by joining us tomorrow at 1 pm for an Ask Me Anything with our Major Fraud Unit. #CrimePreventionMonth pic.twitter.com/aORZjItAka

— York Regional Police (@YRP) November 2, 2020

According to YRP, both men and women have the potential to become a victim of a romance scam, and fraudsters are known to troll all kinds of different dating sites and apps in search of their next victim. 

The police service says online profiles can easily be faked or stolen, so it's important to do your research before believing that the person you're chatting with is truly who they say they are.

In situations where a romance scammer is trying to take advantage of someone looking for love, YRP say relationships will often progress very quickly and the fraudster will use terms of endearment to try and convince their victim to trust them. 

"Once trust has been established, the requests for money will start. They may be small at first and then requests for more money will be made," says YRP.

"In almost every case, the victim will never recover their financial loss and will be required to pay any outstanding debt."