CHARLOTTE, N.C. — North Carolina is one of the fastest-growing states in the country thanks to the population boom in the Charlotte area.
But the Tar Heel State is among the U.S. leaders in something that's not so great. Catfishing.
According to a new report from SocialCatfish.com, North Carolina has the 10th most victims of catfishing incidents. The report, which uses FBI crime data, shows 432 victims in North Carolina. The leading state was California with 2,105 victims. South Carolina was in the middle of the pack with 187 reported victims.
Catfishing is when someone fakes their identity online to scam for money, romance or to physically hurt someone.
The Better Business Bureau says it receives countless complaints about online dating scams each year.
The 10 states with the most victims in 2018, according to the Free Press, include California, Texas, Florida, New York, Pennsylvania, Washington, Virginia, Michigan, Illinois and North Carolina.
The best ways to spot a scammer are those who ask for money, refuse to video chat or meet in person, are stationed overseas, or just seem too good to be true.
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