For many people, the FOMO is especially difficult, and especially on a holiday such as Valentine’s Day. But for all of us, the fear of missing out isn’t the worst thing that can happen on that special day. Think more about your bank accounts being drained and your life completely upended due to identity theft. Or worse.

Enter: romance scams.

“Valentine’s Day provides a timely reminder for the public to not fall prey to criminals using love to scam their way into their victims’ hearts for monetary gain,” says Demetrius Hardeman, acting special agent in charge at the IRS’s Criminal Investigation Atlanta Field Office.

He’s right.

To avoid becoming a victim, on Valentine’s and every other day, people need to be aware of the telltale signs that they are being manipulated.

Those signs are included in timely suggestions from the field office.

As for the worse? Many scammers don’t act alone and can often be part of criminal actions such as human trafficking, gambling or loansharking.

We may be in the mood for love, but scammers are in the mood for much more and with nefarious intentions.

Don’t become a victim. But if you feel you have been part of such a scam, contact local authorities and federal officials immediately. One good place to start is with an email to the IRS CI Atlanta Field Office at atlantafieldoffice@ci.irs.gov.