Romance scams: how online relationships turn into requests for money
An online sweetheart you've never met in person needs money, or wants to teach you to invest.
Could you spot it?
2 quick examples. Decide scam or legit for each.
How it works
They find you on a dating app or social media and move the chat to a private messaging app. They're attentive and consistent for weeks. They can't video call or meet because they're overseas, on an oil rig or deployed. Then there's an emergency, a customs fee, a plane ticket, or a crypto opportunity they want to share.
AI now writes their messages around the clock and can fake photos and even short video calls.
Red flags
- They want to move to WhatsApp, Telegram or another private app quickly.
- There's always a reason they can't meet or video chat properly.
- Any request for money, gift cards or crypto, or an investing tip.
- They ask you to keep the relationship secret.
What it looks like
For six weeks you've been chatting every day with Daniel, who you met on a dating app. He's an engineer on an offshore oil rig. You've never met or video called.
The tells:
- Always far away, so you can never meet.
- A sudden money problem with a specific amount.
- Flattery and trust, right before the ask.
A training example written for this site. Names, numbers and links are made up, and links are disabled.
What to do
- Never send money or crypto to someone you haven't met in person.
- Search their photos with a reverse image search.
- Talk to a friend or family member about the relationship.
If you already paid or shared information
- Contact the company you used to pay (your bank, card company, gift card company, payment app or wire service) right away and ask them to reverse the payment.
- If you shared a password, change it now and turn on two-factor authentication.
- If you gave out your Social Security number or other ID details, go to IdentityTheft.gov for a recovery plan.
- Report it to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. For scams that happened online, you can also report to the FBI at ic3.gov.
From FTC: What to do if you were scammed.
Latest alerts about this scam
No recent FTC, CISA or FBI alerts are tagged with this scam. The guidance below still applies.
Sources
Related scams
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