When reading “romance scam” it’s common that the first thing that comes to mind is falling for the classic “Nigerian Prince” scam. However, romance scams have become far more complex and difficult to spot, as malicious actors are adapting to today’s online dating landscape.

Leveraging platforms like Tinder and Bumble, scammers have set their sights on these popular apps and even social media. According to Adage, consumers have lost $770 million to fraud scams started on social media in 2021. Also, the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) declared that in the first half of 2021 they received over 1,800 complaints related to online romance scams, resulting in losses of approximately $133.4 million (source: https://www.ic3.gov/Media/Y2021/PSA210916).

Romance scams can be part of a much larger cybercriminal ecosystem. International cyber gangs will even use dating sites to recruit victims as “money mules” and use them to unknowingly launder funds, according to AARP. Often, scammers prey on easy victims that are experiencing loneliness, which was very common during lockdowns caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Red Flags

If your friend or relative has started a new online relationship, or even if they’ve been in one for several months, it’s important to check in and look for any red flags. Here are some of the red flags you should watch out for:

Request For Money

A request for money is a major red flag of a scam. Scammers may pressure you into sending money for “urgent” matters, such as medical expenses. They may also say it’s for a plane ticket to visit you. Never send money to someone you haven’t met in person. Scammers may also ask for payment in the form of pre-loaded gift cards or wire transfers.

Promising The Moon

Scammers may often make and break promises to come see you in person. The person claims to live far away, overseas, or be in the military.

Overly Expresing Feelings

The relationship is moving fast and the person professes love quickly. This is classic textbook manipulation for victims that seek connection.

Change The Communication Platform

There’s pressure to move the conversation off the platform to a different site or want to continue the conversation through text. Dating platforms search for scammers on their sites. Scammers will want to move their victim off-platform to avoid any detection or getting banned. These will likely ask for personal email or phone number to continue the conversation, promising even live face time.

What To Do If You Fell For A Romance Scam

If you believe that you or a loved one is the victim of a scam, it is important to take the following steps:

1. Cease communications with the scammer immediately and take note of any identifiable information you may have on them, such as their email address or phone number.
2. Contact your bank or credit card company if you’ve given them money.
3. File a police report with your local precinct.
4. Report the scammer to the FTC at ftc.gov/complaint and the FBI at ic3.gov.
5. Notify the website or app where the scammer was encountered.

Falling for a scam is nothing to be ashamed of. It can happen to anyone at any age, regardless of experience or knowledge. It’s enough to have a difficult day and lose focus. That’s all it takes to fall for this.s By speaking out, reporting scams, and encouraging others to do the same, you can help protect others from becoming victims.