According to the Federal Trade Commission, scammers tend to prey on unsuspecting people through dating apps. According to a new FTC report, people sent $547 million to online romance scammers last year. 

Here are some tips to avoid Valentine's Day scammers and protect your wallets:

1. People steal photos from others online and pretend to be that person, which is known as cat-phishing. You can quickly thwart this tact by doing a reverse Google search on the photos they present to you. 

2. Scammers will say they can't meet you because they are in the military, or out of the country.

3. Another red flag is they will say a family member is sick, and ask for cash to buy a plane ticket.  Some even ask for cryptocurrency or gift cards. 

4. Never send money to a person you have never met no matter how in love you think you are. 

If you think you're caught in a romance scam, stop communicating immediately. Report the scammer to the FTC, and report the person to the app you’re using to communicate with them.