In this edition

• Crimes of the Heart: Online Romance Scams Inflict Devastation
• Pizza and Serving Sizes
• The Works Pizza

About the Newsletter

How can you tell if your new online connection is a criminal? Learn the red flags of a potential scam. This month also shares a healthy fun recipe- learn how to make your own pizza!

Crimes of the Heart: Online Romance Scams Inflict Devastation

By Kathy Stokes

Kathy Stokes is the Director of Fraud Prevention Programs, in the AARP National Office. As head of the AARP Fraud Watch Network, Kathy is responsible for educating older adults about protecting their assets from scams and fraud.

A man holding a bouquet of flowers.

February brings Valentine’s Day, but online romance scams escalate year-round. A romance scam isn’t about romance at all. It’s about criminals preying on people looking for social connections online — whether via a dating site, an online game or a neighborhood listserv. Online dating is more common than ever, but so is the destruction caused by ruthless criminals who steal money and break hearts. How can you tell if your new online connection is a criminal? Here are the red flags of a potential scam:

• While playing an online game, browsing your social media feed, or looking at likely partners on dating apps or sites, up pops an invitation to connect.
• You accept the invitation and find yourself communicating with this new friend a lot and they suggest you move to another mode of communication.
• A romantic relationship develops quickly, even though you don’t get to meet in person — perhaps they are working abroad or serving in the military in another country.
• Eventually, they begin requesting money — to travel to see you, to help close a deal or more recently, to show you how to invest in cryptocurrency.
• The relationship ends when the fake love interest disappears or you realize it was a scam. 

Even though romance fraud is at an all-time high, you have the power to protect yourself from this deceptive crime:

• Engage your inner skeptic when meeting new people online; it’s too easy for dishonest people to pretend to be someone they aren’t.
• If you have a photo of the person, use your browser’s image search feature to see if it is associated with anyone else.
• If anyone asks for money whom you’ve only met online, chances that it is a fraud are extremely high.

If you find yourself engaged in an online romance scam:

• Cut off contact immediately.
• Notify the platform on which the initial contact took place.
• File a police report. If you get pushback from the police, be persistent. You’ve experienced a crime and having it documented may help with financial recovery down the road. 

If you’ve been targeted by this or other fraud schemes, you are not alone. Find support by calling AARP’s free Fraud Watch Network Helpline at 877-908-3360. You can also sign up for free online support sessions to help with emotional recovery. Fraud criminals know no bounds — it can happen to any of us. Know that it is not the victim’s fault; it’s the fault of the criminal who commits the crime.
Join us for a free training on romance scams on February 22.

Register here for training

Pizza and Serving Sizes

A person grabbing a slice of homemade pizza.

This guide will help you decide what’s right for you. Let’s start with the Nutrition Facts that appear on every carton of pizza sold in your grocer’s freezer case. Look for the serving size right at the top of the panel. Pizza serving sizes are defined by the USDA and FDA so labels are consistent, allowing for comparison between products. (It’s not a recommendation for how much to eat.) The serving size consists of two components, the fraction of a pie and the weight. The weight should be relatively consistent between pizzas, but the fraction of the pie can vary considerably depending on the size of the pizza, toppings, type of crust, etc. Check the Nutrition Facts panel to find the serving size – shown in grams and expressed as a fraction of the pizza (for example, 1⁄3, 1⁄4, 1⁄5 or 1⁄6).

The second week in February is time to get your pizza on! The Great American Pizza Bake challenges you to bake your own. It cost less to make your own and you can make it the way you like. It’s easy to do and you know exactly what’s in it.

The Works Pizza

Courtesy of Cooking Matters

A pizza with a variety of toppings.

Ingredients

• 1 large onion
• 1 medium green bell pepper
•  1 medium red bell pepper
•  8 ounces button mushrooms
• 2 medium tomatoes
• 1 (6-ounce) block mozzarella cheese
• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 1 frozen or refrigerated whole wheat pizza dough, defrosted
• Non-stick cooking spray
• ¼ teaspoon dried basil
• ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce, no salt added

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450°F.
2. Rinse and peel onion. Rinse peppers, mushrooms and tomatoes. Dice onion, peppers and tomatoes into ½-inch pieces. Slice mushrooms ¼-inch thick.
3.  Grate cheese.
4. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat oil. Add onions, mushrooms and peppers. Cook for 3 minutes.
5. Put vegetables in a strainer. Stir in tomatoes. Let sit 3–5 minutes to drain liquid.
6. While veggies are draining, shape dough into a 12-inch pizza round. Use your fingers to stretch and spread the dough.
7. Coat a baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray. Place pizza dough on sheet.
8. Mix dried basil and dried oregano into tomato sauce. If using dried parsley, add now. Spread a layer of sauce across dough.
9. Sprinkle cheese across dough. If using pepperoni, add a layer of slices now.
10. Bake pizza until cheese is melted and crust is browned on the sides and bottom, about 10 minutes. Remove from oven.
11. Add vegetable mixture. Return to oven and bake until pizza is cooked through, 5–10 minutes more. Remove from oven.
12. Let rest for 2 minutes. Using a sharp knife, cut into 8 pieces.

Chef's Notes

• Make your own dough using a Cooking Matters ® whole wheat pizza dough recipe (visit the link below). Or, look for prepared whole wheat pizza dough in the refrigerator section of your store.
• Make mini pizzas using English muffins or pita bread for the crust.
• Top pizza with any vegetables you like — broccoli, red onion, zucchini or others.
• Instead of using canned tomato sauce, make your own.

Learn how to make your whole wheat pizza dough here

Published by: Stokes, K., 2023, Healthy LIVING while aging! (2023-02), Extension | University of Nevada, Reno

An EEO/AA Institution. Copyright © 2024, University of Nevada Cooperative Extension.
A partnership of Nevada counties; University of Nevada, Reno; and the U.S. Department of Agriculture