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it's National Consumer Protection week
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this year's focus is on romance or
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sweetheart scams
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with online dating and social media it's
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easier than ever for you to meet new
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people and find dates unfortunately
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scammers can bring a heartache to those
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looking for love
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hi I'm Andre Avery United States Postal
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Inspector in these romance scams con
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artists create compelling backstories
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and phony identities to trick you into
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falling for someone who doesn't even
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exist
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just when the relationship seems to be
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getting serious your new sweetheart has
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an emergency or health issue or wants to
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plan a visit whatever the story they
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need money
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your money
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that is the heart of a scam
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but after you send funds there's another
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request and then another or the scammer
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stops communicating all together
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here are a couple things to remember
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before you dive into an online
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relationship
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never ever send money to someone you met
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online
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do your research and ask specific
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questions about details given in a
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profile make sure you go into virtual
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relationships with two feet firmly
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planted in reality
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for more information visit uspis.gov and
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watch for more messages on romance scams
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this week