Scammers know how hard it is to say no to people you love, and they take advantage of that fact to trick people into giving them money.

Here's how it works: The scammer uses a fake identity to pose as an online love interest, a practice known as catfishing. The "relationship" progresses, and at some point the scammer manufactures an "emergency" such as a medical expense and asks for money to help pay for it. Or, if you request to meet, the scammer asks for money to cover travel expenses.

The New York Times reports this phenomenon cost Americans $143 billion in 2018 — a number significantly higher than the $50 million reported just three years prior — and people between the ages of 40 and 69 experience these scams at the highest rate. The interactions often happen on dating sites such as Match, Tinder, and OkCupid, but can also occur on Facebook, other social media sites, and in online games.

Dating sites are starting to use algorithms that detect catfishers. In the meantime, here's how to protect your heart — and your wallet:

• Take concerns of family and friends seriously.
  
  
• Never send money, gift cards, or other forms of payment to someone you haven't met in person.
  
  
• Never send anything upon initial request. Ask questions about the nature of the person's "emergency" and look for inconsistent answers.
  
  
• Before getting too serious with a potential romantic partner, check out their contact information to make sure it corresponds with a real person.
  
  
• You can also use a reverse image search of photos to confirm that the photo shows up attached to the same name elsewhere online.

Stay safe and don't let scammers ruin your chances for a real romance to bloom this spring.