Romance Scam - Love and Financial Fraud - How to Protect Yourself

Key Red Flags

• Rapid Intimacy ("Love Bombing"): Scammers profess strong feelings quickly and try to move conversations away from dating sites to private channels (text, email).
• Refusal to Meet: They often claim to be working or traveling overseas, frequently making excuses to avoid video chats or in-person meetings.
• Financial Requests: They will eventually ask for money for a crisis, such as hospital bills, travel, or investment opportunities.
• Strange Payment Methods: Requests often involve wire transfers, gift cards, or cryptocurrency, which are difficult to trace and reverse.
• Story Inconsistencies: Their stories may change over time, and they may use scripts or stolen photos.

Protect Yourself

• Do Not Send Money: Never send money or give financial details to someone you have only met online, no matter how convincing the story.
• Perform a Reverse Image Search: Use tools to check if their profile picture belongs to someone else.
• Research the Person: Search for their name, photos, or details online to see if others have reported them.
• Go Slow: Ask specific, probing questions to check for consistency in their story.

If you believe you are a victim, stop all communication immediately, report it to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) or your local law enforcement, and contact your bank to report fraudulent transactions.