What is a Romance Scams?
How It Works — Step by Step
- Scammer creates an attractive, often military or professional profile (doctor working abroad, engineer on an oil rig)
- Initiates contact and quickly develops an intense emotional connection — this phase can last weeks or months
- Claims they cannot meet in person due to being overseas for work, military deployment, or family emergency
- After building trust, introduces a financial crisis: medical emergency, stuck at customs, investment opportunity, flight home
- Requests money via wire transfer, gift cards, cryptocurrency, or cash apps
- Once money is sent, escalates demands until victim cuts off contact or runs out of money
Top Countries (Victims)
Top Platforms Used
⚠️ Warning Signs
- Profile photos look too perfect — often stolen from models or military personnel
- Claims to be working overseas (oil rig, military, UN, doctors without borders)
- Moves communication off dating apps to WhatsApp/Telegram very quickly
- Intense affection very early in the relationship (love bombing)
- Always has excuses for why they can't video call or meet in person
- Story inconsistencies when questioned
- First money request comes with emotional manipulation and urgency
✅ How to Protect Yourself
- Reverse image search all profile photos immediately
- Never send money to someone you haven't met in person
- Video call early — scammers will avoid this or use recordings
- Tell a trusted friend or family member about the relationship
- Be skeptical of anyone who falls in love unusually quickly
- Research the occupation they claim — verify details are realistic
Real Cases from Our Database
My friend is preparing to give $ to her online partner to runaway I’m concerned about my best friend, but I’m not sure if I’m being paranoid. She’s(FriendA) in a long-distance relationship with someon...
alvaro andres valarezo sandoval arrest in 2013 i became a victim of a man named Alvaro Andres Valarezo Sandoval of Ecuador. over a month ago marks a year since he was sentenced to federal prison for c...
[US] I was targeted in a sextortion scam yesterday and I'm barely holding it together… I (35M) just need to get this off my chest because I can’t even function today. I'll give some context first. I ...
Is this a classic “wrong number” love scam? Why open like that? I think this is a scam text opening but my question is why would they choose this line over other better ones?? Is it a cultural differe...
Fell for a Romance Scam So, feeling like the prize idiot, but here goes. Last two weeks I fell pretty hard for a Romance Scam. The lucky part, is, I did \*not\* lose any money from this, just emotiona...
[US] Possible Romance Scam? So I’m in a situation with a possibly fake lady who has agreed to attend a Vegas trip with me. So this girl and I suddenly became friends on Facebook. I can’t remember who ...
SIM card romance scam? Situation: The company I work for rents a large piece of wooded property. We have no mailbox there but there is a small home where the landlord lives. He has been the victim o...
A minor I know had her Snapchat account taken over by her ex and is blackmailing her. What can we do? Someone I am close to is dealing with a really serious situation and I'm trying to find out what o...
[US] Extorted for video chat…..I know…. So pretty self explanatory. I’ve been in a relationship for 17 years, things get stale from time to time so I ventured to the internet. I’m away for a week and ...
[US] "pairr.social" dating site scam link? I was sent a link on a dating app for this supposed dating site, which claims to have hundreds of thousands of users but has virtually no information on it a...
[UK]I met a scammer online Just sharing this as a reminder to stay careful online. A random guy messaged me and claimed to be a scaffolding engineer, half Thai and half Korean, based in the UK. We cha...
I have been a victim of sextortion Two days ago I fell victim of sextortion. I was basically talking with a man through Tinder. We connected on both Instagram and WhatsApp and eventually the conversat...
📋 Where to Report Romance Scams
- FBI IC3 (ic3.gov)
- FTC (reportfraud.ftc.gov)
- Dating platform where contact was made
- Local police if large amount involved