Looking for love through social media or a dating site can be romantic, but it also can be scary and a breeding ground for scams. The FBI said that in 2022 alone, it received 19,000 of complaints about scams — with victims losing nearly $740 million.

And those are just the complaints that the FBI received. There are undoubtedly more victims out there who never report what happens to them to law enforcement.

In the so-called “romance scams,” the FBI says scammers troll social media sites to get information on their victims, then will strike up a conversation with a target, slowly trying to gain their trust. That’s when they will describe an emergency requiring financial help.

Victims range in age from college students to a recent case involving an 87-year-old Holocaust survivor, who the FBI said lost $2,8 million in a romance scam.

“Of most concern to us are seniors. They may be living on fixed incomes or they’re isolated or lonely,” said FBI Supervisory Special Agent Steven Shapiro.

So how can you look for love without getting scammed? The FBI has a list of tips that can help protect you:

• Think twice before sharing personal information online
• Only use well-known dating sites
• Beware of attempts to isolate you — and if the other person finds excuses to continually not meet you in person, it’s another red flag
• Never send money to anyone you don’t know
• Never help move money to someone you don’t know personally, through your account

Anyone who suspects a scam should report it to the FBI at ic3.gov.

Before gathering all the necessary documents to file a 2023 return, there is a new scam making the rounds online. It involves an email featuring the IRS logo regarding the “third round of economic impact payments,” calling it an “important matter regarding your recent tax return filing.”

It goes on to state that “we have identified certain inconsistencies or missing information” and promises recipients “you will receive a refund of $976 once you have submitted the document we need.”

There is also a button that says “complete my information” — but IRS Media Relations Specialist Robert Marvin warns: Don’t click on that link.

“It’s hard to imagine what someone’s going to come up with next as a scam,” he told NBC New York.

One noticeable red flag: inconsistencies. For example, at the very bottom of the email with the IRS logo, the name of a different agency appears, the U.S. Small Business Administration.

“Look for strange versions and spellings of IRS. Watch out in the body of the email for typos, misspellings, and things that don’t look normal in business correspondence,” Marvin advised.

The agency said there is one hard and fast rule to always keep in mind, and it has to do with how the IRS contacts individuals.

“The IRS does not initiate with taxpayers, request for information through email, through text or social media, we just don’t do business that way,” said Marvin. “When we’re requesting for information we use the U.S. mail.”

And when in doubt, go straight to the source: the official IRS website.

“Really the best for taxpayers is our website, irs.gov. And that’s really the place to go to get information from the IRS,” Marvin said.

But how much should you give? It’s a question that people struggle with, and it can depend on what service is being provided.

First up: building doormen. Guidelines on this generally range from at least $25 in a larger building, to up to $150. But it all depends on your relationship with the doormen.

“If it’s a smaller building, and you have a very personal relationship with those doormen, feel free to be more generous, within your means,” said StreetEasy concierge Carlo Romero.

As for a babysitter or nanny, that depends on how much they work. For a babysitter that works part-time on a regular basis, two days’ pay is considered appropriate. But Romero said that for a nanny or someone who is there every day, “perhaps one to two weeks might be more appropriate.”

For a housekeeper, one week’s pay is a good amount, for those who can manage that. Sanitation workers and those who take away the garbage appreciate a little extra around the holidays as well. For that, StreetEasy suggests around $20-$30.

What about mail carriers? They are technically prohibited from accepting cash or gifts, so a non-cash gift may be best. But that doesn’t apply to others who deliver things to your home, like FedEx and UPS drivers.

“For UPS and FedEx, it’s OK and similar guidelines to sanitation workers — maybe $20-30 if this is someone who’s often delivering a lot of packages,” said Romero.

Ultimately, tipping comes down to how much you are comfortable with.

“Tipping is very personal. It’s a gesture of your gratitude. It should always be an amount that you’re comfortable with,” said Romero. “The holidays are a good opportunity to express that gratitude and show your spirit of appreciation.”

If you’re wondering when is a good time to start handing out the holiday tips, there is no real answer. Any time after Thanksgiving would be acceptable, and the gifts can also be given just after Christmas as well. It’s more about letting those who help on regular basis know that they are appreciated.

If not, the city is trying to have your back.

A city agency goes around to ensure everything at grocery stores adds up and consumers aren’t being cheated. The New York City Department of Consumer and Worker Protection sends out inspectors on unannounced and random visits to stores, checking a variety of different goods sold so that customers don’t get a raw deal.

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“If you’re buying fruit in a container, for example, you want to make sure the weight that’s on the label is exactly what it weighs,” said Vilda Vera Mayuga, the commissioner of the department.

NBC New York tagged along on one inspection at Brooklyn Fare, on Greenwich Street in Manhattan’s Greenwich Village. While in the store, the inspector checks each scale wherever they are found: at registers, deli counter, seafood section and cheese aisle.

The inspector sets the scales at zero, then adds weights one by one to make sure there are no discrepancies. If the scale checks out, he adds a sticker showing that it passed inspection.

At the Brooklyn Fare the inspector was at with News 4, two scales failed inspection. One product had a label without a clear name and address of the manufacturer. And several items didn’t clearly display prices.

So next time you’re at the grocery store, check to see if the scale had been inspected within the last year.

In response, the supermarket said “we are not perfect. We carry around 40,000 different items and mistakes will be made. When that happens, we always give the customer the price that was labeled on the shelf. And we relay that information down to our pricing team who will fix the issue immediately.”

The store said it shut down two checkout lanes as the malfunctioning scales were fixed. They said the problem had since been solved, and they had reached out to the city to come back for another inspection.

In addition to making sure their scales are in proper working order, supermarkets also have to comply with tax laws. To test for that, the inspector will bring certain items to the register to ensure no additional taxes are added.

“There are a number of items that are not allowed to be taxed. For example, feminine products, over the counter medication, things like that,” said Commissioner Mayuga. “You want to make sure there’s no tax added to those.”

Inspectors aim to check each business about once a year, but if customers have a problem, they should report it directly to the agency right away. And there are other things that shoppers can do to protect themselves.

“One of the things is, always check the receipt,” Mayuga said. “The other thing is to hold the store to its advertising…make a list and take into account sales, coupons, things like that .”

The social payment app is widely used for things like splitting bills at restaurants or reimbursing others for a shared expense. But they have also become an easy target for consumer scams.

Venmo’s online help center warns users about fake prizes and cash rewards, calls from Venmo or payments from strangers.

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One newer scam involves a stranger sending users money, then contacting them to say they sent the money by mistake. The scammer will then request the user to send the money back as a new payment.

So how can you protect your digital wallet?

Venmo warns to never exchange payments with unknown users. Those who get a payment from someone they do not know should contact the company as soon as possible to reverse the payment, rather than send the unknown person money. The company also recommends blocking users who sent unsolicited payments or requests.

Another step involves changing settings in the app. The default view for payment feed is “public,” but those who don’t want others to see their transactions can adjust the privacy setting to “friends only” or switch entirely to “private.” That would mean the only way to see items is under the “me” tab and the list of personal transactions.

“I have my feed on private. It’s so weird to me that you can see everyone else’s transactions. I don’t know why people do that,” said user Jason Yellen, of Ridgewood, Queens.

Venmo, which is owned by Paypal, said it updates info to help users avoid common scams.

“Venmo’s feature where you put in the last four numbers, I’ve found that helpful as an extra layer to make sure you’re not being scammed,” said Noelie Zeichik, of Hell’s Kitchen.

Anyone who believes they have become a victim of a scam to contact the app’s support team.

You’ve probably heard of email phishing — what about quishing?

It’s the latest trick by scammers to get victims’ money, and possibly even steal identities. So how does it work, and how can you protect yourself?

“We went from phishing to smishing, which is text messages, to now quishing,” said Brian Rauer, the executive director and general counsel for the Better Business Bureau of Metro New York.

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Rauer said the BBB has seen an increase in so-called “quishing” scams, which involve using QR codes.

“It will lead to you to a phishing website which will extract your personal information, your financial information,” said Rauer, who added that it “also could download malware onto your device.”

QR codes are convenient for parking meters and restaurants — but are also convenient for scammers. The BBB has reported more fake parking sites that are used to trick people into giving personal information, and are a double-edged sword for victims.

“You A) Haven’t paid for the parking, so you could end up with a ticket or being towed. And B) It could lead to malware being downloaded onto the site there and possible future identity theft,” Rauer said.

There are other ways scammers are looking to go after victims via quishing, like through cryptocurrency ads and romance scams.

“They may offer you this incredible deal, you can double, triple your money with crypto. So one of the two things. Either way, they want to get you to bite,” Rauer warned. “They’ll give you that QR code, it will send you to that digital wallet and your money is gone. And by the way, so is the romance.”

There are ways to avoid becoming a victim of a fraudulent website. According to Rauer, there is one thing that the scams try to do to influence potential targets.

“With all these scams, there’s a sense of urgency created. This false sense of urgency. They don’t want you to check,” he said.

He also advised people look for signs of tampering on signs with QR codes and to make sure it actually belongs to the restaurant or business. And always check the URL after scanning the code.

“Anyone can stick something on the back of a dispenser in a restaurant or on the back of a door,” Rauer said. “Independently verify — is this the real business?”

The BBB said that QR code scanner apps can also help spot fake sites.

There are around 400,000 people applying every week to process or renew their U.S. passports, and the routine wait time is quite long: 10 to 13 weeks. Even “expedited service” takes seven to nine weeks to get a passport issued.

So what can be done to get a passport sooner? And what about emergencies?

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Travelers have complained about only being able to apply by mail, or in-person at select places.

Those traveling in 14 days or less qualify for Urgent Travel, but need to make an appointment at a passport agency office via telephone. Andres Rodriguez, a community relations officer for the U.S. Department of State, said those who desperately need a passport should keep trying to secure one of those appointments.

“Continue calling our 877 number, perhaps daily, to try and secure an appointment at one of our agencies. Keep in mind you do need to be traveling within 14 days and you will be asked to provide an itinerary to prove that,” said Rodriguez.

If it’s not an urgent request, try to apply in person at a passport acceptance fair. There is some good news coming: The federal government is finalizing a pilot project to upload applications and documents online, which they said should soon be operational. They also aim to add more staff to help address the backlog.

“What we are doing now is focusing on hiring. Some of the long-term efforts do include modernization,” Rodriguez said. “We hope to relaunch that pilot by the end of the year. Modernization and the ability to apply or renew online will be game-changing for us.”

But before that goes live, anyone planning on traveling internationally within a year is urged to check passport expiration dates in order to give plenty of time to get a renewal, and to avoid a potential travel disaster.