Romance Scams

Romance scams are particularly heinous, as they prey on the victim’s vulnerability and desire to be loved. In a romance scam, the fraudster targets their victims on professional and social media sites, directly messages the victim online, and quickly builds rapport or romantic interest.

Once a connection is established, the fraudster will suggest moving communications to an external platform from where the connection was originally made – typically WhatsApp, Telegram or GoogleChat to name a few, although other platforms may also be used.

Romance scammers are adept at creatively pressuring their victims to quickly establish a romantic relationship where the victim trusts the fraudster and remains hopeful for an in-person connection.

The criminals may pose as business professionals who travel and/or work out of the country to keep the reality of meeting one day on the horizon but alas, an in-person meeting will always be discussed but never obtained. Be mindful of virtual connections due to artificial intelligence capabilities (AI) known as deep fakes. 

• Be mindful of online interactions requesting to go off-platform to apps such as WhatsApp, Telegram or GoogleChat to name a few, although other platforms may also be used.
• Beware of pressure to keep the relationship a secret from family and friends.
• Beware of broken promises to meet in person.
• Beware of requests for money, whether immediate or weeks/months into a “relationship.”
• Many requests for funds are due to emergencies and will deploy pressure tactics to receive payment.
• If payment requests are honored, fraudsters will continue requesting additional funds over time and typically increase the amount being requested.
• Beware of “relationship” conversations turning into financial investment discussions as this is a sign of a romance scam transforming into an investment scam and typically targets high earners and/or retired individuals.
• Be mindful of the information posted online.
• Research your potential match by searching their profile pic and name online.
• Reverse image search via google can easily be completed to determine if the pic is used in other capacities online or associated to other names/identities.
• Report suspicious activity to the appropriate platform where the connection was established.
• Talk to a friend or family member about your interactions online to gain additional trusted perspective.