With Valentine’s Day, our thoughts often turn to romance and love. But for some sinister prowlers, professing love and affection may just be a way to prey on the vulnerable, and seniors are frequently the target of such “sweetheart scams.” Especially for seniors who are active online, and who may therefore be publicly known as recently widowed or divorced, scams abound to lure the unsuspecting into revealing private financial information or sending money. It’s helpful for seniors and their loved ones to be aware of the warning signs for such scams. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau created a handy little placemat to spell out the suspicious signs. None of this is meant to discourage older individuals from pursuing opportunities for new relationships or intimacy- you just need to do so with eyes wide open. For some helpful tips about online dating for older people, put down your romance novel and click Here.