Beware: Imposters busy with Valentine's Day-related schemes to steal your money

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- Valentine's Day is this week and for any last-minute gift givers, you need to watch out for scammers. Americans are expected to spend $27.5 billion on Valentine's Day according to WalletHub. Scammers are hoping to cash in on some of that money.

Check Point Software, a cyber security company, says it found more than 18,000 new Valentine's Day-related websites since the start of 2025.

"Of these, one in seventy-two were identified as malicious. These sites kind of run the gamut, but they're all obviously centered on trying to get you to buy something or something around Valentine's Day," said Jeremy Fuchs with Check Point Software.

Fuchs shared with ABC11 phishing emails with a fraudulent offer to win a "Valentine basket." He warns that scammers are impersonating well-known brands to trick consumers. "So just a way of kind of piggybacking off of these brands, names, and popularity to make it more legitimate. But the key point is, it's not actually coming from these brands at all," Fuchs said.

"To protect yourself in this case and with any email, always check out the sender's address. It's kind of a bunch of random letters that don't actually amount to anything. If you see that that's a stop delete or report it as phishing."

Also, look at the link included hover over the URL, and see if it's a random website, not a legitimate company's website. While scammers typically pursue your money, your personal information is also a target. Fuchs says, "If they have your cell phone number, for example, then they can start sending you text messages, or if they have your email address, they can continue on so yes, money is always at the front and center. but you know these are not just one-and-done. The more information that they can get on somebody, then they can use it down the line."

Another big scam surrounding Valentine's holiday is romance scams.

SEE ALSO | Love connection with scammer impersonating K-Pop drama star costs NC woman over $67,000

The latest data from the FBI says here in North Carolina consumers lost more than $16 million in 2023 to romance scams, so remember if you find a love interest online and they ask for money, crypto, and gift cards, those are big red flags.

SEE ALSO | Mysterious rings mailed to North Carolina woman in plot to steal her information