The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) warned that bad actors are using dating scams in an attempt to recruit money mules.
According to the FBI, bad actors first attempt to gain a potential victim’s trust and lead them to believe that they’re in a legitimate relationship. They’ll then abuse that sense of connection to trick the victim into sending over money. Sometimes, the attackers will even recruit the victim as a money mule.
The FBI explains how this works in a public service announcement (PSA):