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Romance Scams
Romance scams start slow, often with a flirtation on social media. Scammers use an assumed name and stolen photos to create their online persona. Sometimes, but not always, they suggest trading intimate photos and videos. Eventually, they ask for what they're really after: money.
These scammers are attentive. Many send multiple reminders throughout the day to say they love you or are thinking of you. Some use call-center teams or artificial intelligence to generate messages or hold video chats with their targets.
Once you feel like you're in a special relationship, the scammers usually request you send money. They may invent a problem and ask you to send money to help them resolve it. Or, they claim to be rich and suggest an "investment" they claim will make you rich too. Because the scammers continually find reasons for you to send payments, the financial losses can be very high. Some people lose track of how much they've paid.
Romance scams affect men and women, singles and married people, young people and older people. The relationships are supposed to feel exclusive, but romance scammers always target multiple people at the same time. These scams can last months or years and be financially and emotionally devastating.
Protect Yourself
- End relationships with online friends who ask for money or gifts. It can be emotionally hard to "break up," but real people who care about you won't ask you for money. The minute an online friend asks for financial help, a gift, or suggests an investment, end it.
- Watch for common scam personas and stories. Scammers often pretend to work in professions that keep them afar (like members of the military, oil rig workers, or aid workers). They use these types of jobs as an excuse for canceling plans to meet in person.
- Be wary of flattering messages from celebrities. Some scammers pose as celebrities. Initially, they may suggest you pay a fee to gain special access to them. If you pay, they heat up the relationship and ask for more payments.
- Never share intimate photos with someone you only know online. Scammers use these to blackmail people who want to stop paying.
Romance scams are emotionally complicated and can be difficult to end. If you are sending money to someone you only know online, or if you know someone who is, please call Scam Squad for help.