Valentine warning bells, not wedding bells

Hopeless romantics looking to catch the love bug this Valentine’s Day could end up infected with nothing more than a computer virus.

E-cards from secret admirers often turn out to be spam from online scam artists, the NSW Department of Fair Trading has warned.

Minister for Fair Trading Anthony Roberts says people should think with their heads, not their hearts, when making Valentine’s Day purchases and receiving online messages.

“We know in the lead up to February 14, there is a marked increase in spam relating to Valentine’s Day,” Mr Roberts said.

“Much of this spam … contains malware, computer viruses or links to rackets including scam dating sites.”

Messages containing links to dating services could be bogus sites trying to steal consumers’ money, he said.

“Carefully scrutinise contracts and fees, and ideally choose an Australian-based company as this makes recourse easier should things go wrong,” he said.

Mr Roberts also warned never to hand over money online to someone you have not met.

“Requests for money should ring warning bells, not wedding bells.”

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