ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) - According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), scammers often like to impersonate familiar people, organizations, and companies we know and trust- and for the LGBTQ+ community, that could include "safe spaces". Scammers can easily take advantage of these spaces, especially online.
The FTC said scammers target people on LGBTQ+ dating apps by posing as romantic partners. They will very quickly send explicit photos to their victims, and as soon as you send photos back, the blackmail begins.
Job scams are also very common, according to FTC officials. There are job boards specifically for members of the LGBTQ+ community to find jobs with welcoming employers. Even if a job says it's LGBTQ+ friendly, warned the agency, it might not be legit. Job scams can unfortunately show up anywhere.
These are only two examples of scams targeting the community, and the FTC said it understands there are a lot more. That's why they are asking members of the LGBTQ+ community to report scams at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
Every report helps the FTC fulfill its mission to protect all communities from scammers. Sharing your story with the FTC alerts 3,000 law enforcers of scams, and helps spread the word.
