What You Need To Know About Romance Scams

What Is a Romance Scam?

You meet someone special on a dating website or app. Soon they want to email, call, or message you off the platform. They say it’s true love, but they live far away — maybe for work or because they’re in the military. Then they start asking for money. Maybe it’s for a plane ticket to visit you. Or emergency surgery. Or something else urgent.

Romance scammers create fake profiles on dating sites and apps or contact you through popular social media sites like Instagram or Facebook. The scammers strike up a relationship with you to build up trust, sometimes talking or chatting several times a day. Then, they make up a story and ask for money.

The Lies Romance Scammers Tell

Romance scammers adjust their story to what they think will work in each situation.

Scammers say they can’t meet you in person. They might say they’re living or traveling outside the country, working on an oil rig, in the military, or working with an international organization.
Scammers will ask you for money. Once they gain your trust, they’ll ask for your help to pay medical expenses (for them or a family member), buy their ticket to visit you, pay for their visa, or help them pay fees to get them out of trouble. They may even offer to help you get started in cryptocurrency investing.

How to Avoid Losing Money to a Romance Scammer

Here’s the bottom line: Never send money or gifts to a sweetheart you haven’t met in person.

If you suspect a romance scam:

Stop communicating with the person immediately.
Talk to someone you trust. Do your friends or family say they’re concerned about your new love interest?
Search online for the type of job the person has plus the word “scammer.” Have other people posted similar stories? For example, search for “oil rig scammer” or “US Army scammer.”
Do a reverse image search of the person’s profile picture. Is it associated with another name or with details that don’t match up? Those are signs of a scam.

Signs you're part of a romance scam

Romance scammers and catfishers are expert con artists. Dating scams involve elaborate stories and social engineering tricks designed to manipulate you into giving away your money. It's easy to miss the signs of a romance scam (or any type of scam for that matter), because they’re subtly meant to build emotional attachments that overpower your common sense.

Here are some red flags that likely signal you’re falling for a romance scammer online:

Fake dating profiles

Scammers need to build a believable identity across many different platforms, so they keep their online profiles minimal. But, many scammer profiles follow a similar format, which can help you spot a romance scam or catfish scam.

Here are some ways to spot a fake dating profile:

They have an attractive profile photo. Imposters tend to choose a profile picture that appeals to victims. Often, they use photoshop images of actors and models, or stock images.
They have very few photos. Romance scammers' photos usually give them away — fake dating profiles likely have only a few, professional-looking photos. Many avoid pictures of people, preferring to show hobbies or animals instead.
They have few friends. If someone contacts you on social media and has a suspiciously low number of connections, friends, or followers, this may signal that you’re interacting with a fraudster.
They don’t live or work near you. Romance scammers often claim to have jobs that conveniently keep them abroad for long periods. Army romance scams or oil rig scammers are pervasive, so if your potential love interest claims they are in the military or on an oil rig, proceed with caution.