3 Ways to Avoid a Romance Scam aka Catfish in Minnesota

Anyone familiar with the online dating world is also familiar with catfishing or romance scams. People set up fake profiles, using other people's photos and assume a new identity to trick people into falling in love with them. This is so common that MTV even made a TV show about it. But how can you avoid getting catfished yourself? The Better Business Bureau actually put together a list of ways to spot these romance scammers.

Too Good to Be True: Of course people will post the most flattering photos they have, but if the pics you're seeing look too hot to be real, chances are they aren't.

Rushed Communication Change: Scammers will be quick to want to switch from communicating on a dating app to email, phone or other messaging app. In all that rushing they will also be quick to say the word "love" and talk about the future.

Feeling Manipulation: Catfishers are notorious for trying to quickly establish trust with the person they're taking advantage of. They will most likely start by asking for money as a favor. In addition to that, they might use a "bad luck" story to manipulate your feelings. Sick relatives, broken vehicles, or dead relatives are common stories. Never send money to strangers on the internet!

Other things to be on the lookout for would be language and grammar. If they don't type how a person should talk, they might not be from around here. One way you can tell if the person you're talking to is from MN is by how they comment on the weather. Minnesotans always talk about the weather, and if they don't you don't need that kind of negativity in your life. Happy Valentine's Day!