0:00 it's National Consumer Protection week 0:02 this year's focus is on romance or 0:05 sweetheart scams 0:06 with online dating and social media it's 0:09 easier than ever for you to meet new 0:11 people and find dates unfortunately 0:13 scammers can bring a heartache to those 0:15 looking for love 0:17 hi I'm Andre Avery United States Postal 0:19 Inspector in these romance scams con 0:22 artists create compelling backstories 0:24 and phony identities to trick you into 0:27 falling for someone who doesn't even 0:29 exist 0:30 just when the relationship seems to be 0:32 getting serious your new sweetheart has 0:34 an emergency or health issue or wants to 0:38 plan a visit whatever the story they 0:40 need money 0:42 your money 0:43 that is the heart of a scam 0:45 but after you send funds there's another 0:48 request and then another or the scammer 0:51 stops communicating all together 0:54 here are a couple things to remember 0:55 before you dive into an online 0:57 relationship 0:58 never ever send money to someone you met 1:01 online 1:02 do your research and ask specific 1:04 questions about details given in a 1:06 profile make sure you go into virtual 1:08 relationships with two feet firmly 1:10 planted in reality 1:12 for more information visit uspis.gov and 1:16 watch for more messages on romance scams 1:18 this week