In this Issue:
- National Consumer Protection Week 2019
- Romance Scam
- Your Community, You’re Connected – Replay Days, Video on Demand, Archived Episodes
- Homeowner Education – WMCCAI Conference and Expo – Saturday, February 23, 2019
- Visit the Fairfax County Consumer Affairs Branch at the 2019 WMCCAI Conference and Expo!
- SAVE THE DATE! Your Community, You’re Connected – Association Meetings
- Looking for Homeowner and Condominium Resources?
Join the Fairfax County Consumer Affairs Branch in celebrating National Consumer Protection Week from March 4 to 8, 2019. National Consumer Protection Week is a national celebration of federal, state and local agencies and organizations who provide consumer education and resources throughout the year.
The Fairfax County Consumer Affairs Branch will be out and about in the county along with the Virginia Department of Treasury Unclaimed Property. There will also be consumer presentations about cable television, protecting yourself against identity theft, and several other informative presentations. Check out all the details here.
Romance Scam
With Valentine’s Day quickly approaching, now may be a good time to refresh consumers on romance scams!
According to an article published by ScamWatch, Scammers take advantage of people looking for romantic partners, often via dating websites, apps or social media by pretending to be prospective companions. They play on emotional triggers to get you to provide money, gifts or personal details.
How this scam works
Dating and romance scams often take place through online dating websites, but scammers may also use social media or email to make contact. They have even been known to telephone their victims as a first introduction. These scams are also known as ‘catfishing’.
Scammers typically create fake online profiles designed to lure you in. They may use a fictional name, or falsely take on the identities of real, trusted people such as military personnel, aid workers or professionals working abroad.
Dating and romance scammers will express strong emotions for you in a relatively short period of time, and will suggest you move the relationship away from the website to a more private channel, such as phone, email or instant messaging. They often claim to be from Australia or another western country, but travelling or working overseas.
Scammers will go to great lengths to gain your interest and trust, such as showering you with loving words, sharing ‘personal information’ and even sending you gifts. They may take months to build what may feel like the romance of a lifetime and may even pretend to book flights to visit you, but never actually come.
Once they have gained your trust and your defenses are down, they will ask you (either subtly or directly) for money, gifts or your banking/credit card details. They may also ask you to send pictures or videos of yourself, possibly of an intimate nature.
Often the scammer will pretend to need the money for some sort of personal emergency. For example, they may claim to have a severely ill family member who requires immediate medical attention such as an expensive operation, or they may claim financial hardship due to an unfortunate run of bad luck such as a failed business or mugging in the street. The scammer may also claim they want to travel to visit you, but cannot afford it unless you are able to lend them money to cover flights or other travel expenses.
Sometimes the scammer will send you valuable items such as laptop computers and mobile phones, and ask you to resend them somewhere. They will invent some reason why they need you to send the goods but this is just a way for them to cover up their criminal activity. Alternatively they may ask you to buy the goods yourself and send them somewhere. You might even be asked to accept money into your bank account and then transfer it to someone else.
Sometimes the scammer will tell you about a large amount of money or gold they need to transfer out of their country, and offer you a share of it. They will tell you they need your money to cover administrative fees or taxes.
Dating and romance scammers can also pose a risk to your personal safety as they are often part of international criminal networks. Scammers may attempt to lure their victims overseas, putting you in dangerous situations that can have tragic consequences.
Regardless of how you are scammed, you could end up losing a lot of money. Online dating and romance scams cheat Australians out of millions every year. The money you send to scammers is almost always impossible to recover and, in addition, you may feel long-lasting emotional betrayal at the hands of someone you thought loved you.
Warning Signs
You meet someone online and after just a few contacts they profess strong feelings for you, and ask to chat with you privately. If you met on a dating site they will try and move you away from the site and communicate via chat or email.
Their profile on the internet dating website or their Facebook page is not consistent with what they tell you. For example, their profile picture looks different to their description of themselves, or they say they are university educated but their English is poor.
After gaining your trust – often waiting weeks, months or even years – they tell you an elaborate story and ask for money, gifts or your bank account/credit card details.
Their messages are often poorly written, vague and escalate quickly from introduction to love. If you don’t send money straight away, their messages and calls become more desperate, persistent or direct. If you do send money, they continue to ask you to send more.
They don’t keep their promises and always have an excuse for why they can't travel to meet you and why they always need more money.
Protect yourself
Never send money to someone you haven’t met in person.
Always consider the possibility that the approach may be a scam, particularly if the warning signs listed above appear. Try to remove the emotion from your decision making no matter how caring or persistent the ‘prospective partner’ is.
Do an image search of your admirer to help determine if they really are who they say they are.
Be alert to things like spelling and grammar mistakes, inconsistencies in their stories and others signs that it’s a scam like their camera never working if you want to Skype each other.
Be cautious when sharing personal pictures or videos with prospective partners, especially if you’ve never met them before. Scammers are known to blackmail their targets using compromising material.
If you agree to meet a prospective partner in person, tell family and friends where you are going. Scamwatch strongly recommends you do not travel overseas to meet someone you have never met before. Be wary of requests for money. Never send money or give credit card details, online account details, or copies of important personal documents to anyone you don’t know or trust.
Avoid any arrangement with a stranger that asks for up-front payment via money order, wire transfer, international funds transfer, pre-loaded card or electronic currency, like Bitcoin. It is rare to recover money sent this way.
Do not agree to transfer money for someone else: money laundering is a criminal offence. Be very careful about how much personal information you share on social network sites. Scammers can use your information and pictures to create a fake identity or to target you with a scam.
Have you been scammed?
If you think you have been scammed, report it to the website, app, or social media site where the scammer first approached you. Let them know the scammer’s profile name and any other details that may help them to stop others being scammed.
If you think you have provided your account details to a scammer, contact your bank or financial institution immediately.
Your Community, You’re Connected – Replay Days, Video on Demand, Archived Episodes
The most recent episode of Your Community, You’re Connected – Association Communications can be viewed 24/7 by Video on Demand and on Fairfax County Government Channel 16 on the following days and times:
- Monday at 8pm
- Tuesday at 8am and 3pm
- Friday at 8pm
If you are looking for a previously recorded programs, please visit the Your Community, You’re Connected Archives
Your Community, You’re Connected – Replay Days, Video on Demand, Archived Episodes
Homeowner Education – WMCCAI Conference and Expo – Saturday, February 23, 2019
Your Community, You’re Connected – Replay Days, Video on Demand, Archived Episodes
Homeowner Education – WMCCAI Conference and Expo – Saturday, February 23, 2019
Washington Metropolitan Chapter Community Associations Institute’s Conference & Expo is the largest gathering of community association professionals in the D.C. Metro Area and is the largest event across CAI chapters worldwide.
The 2019 Conference & Expo will be held at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center on Saturday, February 23, 2019 with education sessions and over five hours of exhibit time.
- Learn tips and best practices to get more involved in your community
- Network with other volunteer association leaders
- Earn Continuing Education Credits
- Visit with businesses and management companies that cater to your needs
- Meet community association industry leaders
For more information visit the WMCCAI website at www.caidc.org and REGISTER TODAY!
Visit the Fairfax County Consumer Affairs Branch at the 2019 WMCCAI Conference and Expo!
The Fairfax County Homeowners’ and Condominium Association Liaison will be available to connect with you during WMCCAI’s Conference and Expo! Stop by the Fairfax County Consumer Affairs Branch table in the Expo Hall to ask your questions about homeowners’ and condominium association living. Learn more about the Consumer Affairs Branch and the services the office provides to members and volunteer leaders of common interest communities.
SAVE THE DATE! Your Community, You’re Connected – Association Meetings
Tune to Fairfax County Channel 16, on Tuesday, March 12, 2019 from 7:00pm to 8:00pm for the next live episode of Your Community, You’re Connected – Association Meetings. Guests will provide guidance on the responsibilities of owners who live in common interest communities.
Do you want to be a part of the conversation? Email your questions to ycyc@fairfaxcounty.gov. Using #FFXYCYC, post your questions on the Fairfax County Consumer Affairs Branch Facebook Page or send us a tweet on Twitter. We look forward to connecting with you!
SAVE THE DATE! Your Community, You’re Connected – Association Meetings
Looking for Homeowner and Condominium Resources?
Visit the Homeowners’ and Condominium Association web page for links to valuable resources such as education, publications and laws related to living and managing a common interest community. Feel free to contact the Homeowners’ and Condominium Association Liaison at 703-222-8435.