Online Safety
02.18.25
Romance scams are one of the more devastating forms of online scams, both from an emotional and financial perspective. According to the FTC, in 2023, more than 64,000 Americans were convinced to hand over $1.14 billion to a romance scammer. And those are the just the reported numbers, so in practice, they're probably even larger.
With February being a romance-heavy month, it's important to stay safe by knowing how to recognize a romance scam, and how to avoid one.
1. Online Dating Scams
What is an online dating scam?
A scammer will set up a fake online dating profile (Hinge, Bumble, Tinder, Match.com, OkCupid, Facebook, etc.) and build a relationship with the victim online before eventually asking for money for any fabricated reason: travel, medical emergencies, family issues.
This tactic is especially effective because it relies on the emotional vulnerability of the victim. The scammer will profess their love and devotion early on, and spend time acting as someone supportive, giving the victim all their attention so that they can manipulate them more easily.
How to spot an online dating scam
There are a few ways to do this, including:
Spot the fake photo. Fake profiles will also use fake photos, either stock ones from online, stolen ones from Facebook accounts, or even AI ones. You can copy the image into a Google Reverse Image Lookup to be sure.
Note if you're getting "love bombed." Being love bombed just means being bombarded with professions of love, adoration – intense claims that come too often, too soon.
They avoid video calls or in-person meetings. This is a big red flag that should cause you to stop the conversation immediately.
They ask for money. Never trust anyone online – especially someone you've never met –with your money or personal information.
How to avoid an online dating scam
There are a few tactics you can use to make sure you don't fall for an online dating scam.
First, as mentioned above, reverse image search their photos. As an added step, also scan their social media presence for clues that they're a real person: tagged photos, real posts, comments.
Next, if you're not entirely sure, ask for a video call or an in-person meetup (in a public setting). If the other person refuses or makes endless excuses, it's safe to assume the profile is fake and you can walk away before any damage is done.
2. Military Romance Scams
This scam still primarily occurs on online dating sites or apps, but can also occur on social media apps in general (some even on email!)
What is a military romance scam?
In a military romance scam, the scammer pretends to be a deployed soldier (often in a warzone), claiming they need money for special leave papers, or some other personal emergency.
How to spot a military romance scam
It's pretty easy to spot this one, as it's a very particular scam – if the person you're talking to claims to be a deployed military personnel, be very wary of whether this is a real person or another fake profile.
You can spot it using the same methods listed for the online dating scams, but the biggest red flag should be if they start asking for money – note that the real military does not require soldiers to pay to leave.
How to avoid a military romance scam
Be vigilant and do your research: Look up the profile's picture, name, and social media accounts. If the conversation seems odd, and especially if you're requested money, cease all contact and report the account for spam.
3. Sugar Daddy/Mommy Scams
Made more popular in recent years, this is a sneaky one that can do a lot of financial harm.
What is a sugar daddy/mommy scam?
In this scam, the scammer will almost always be the one initiating, reaching out on social media, dating apps, or even forums, stating that they want to "spoil" you with money, gifts, or a weekly allowance. The arrangement is "no-strings attached," without any physical contact.
The scammer pretends to be rich, and all they want is to spoil someone deserving (in some cases, they may ask for pictures or certain actions in return, though it's not common in a scam.) Once they gain your trust, they ask you to provider them with your banking information so they can deposit you their money. In some cases, they might even ask you to buy gift cards for them to "prove your loyalty."
Ultimately, they use your banking information to steal your accounts, and have you buy gift cards for them that they can then use in other scams elsewhere.
How to spot a sugar daddy/mommy scam
Anyone that offers you money without ever meeting you (whether in person or on video call) is a red flag. Some scammer send fake checks even, or send you money via Venmo, CashApp, and the like, only for the check to bounce and the digital money transfer be reversed.
Do not trust any money offers, and certainly do not offer any banking or personal information to a person you never met.
How to avoid a sugar daddy/mommy scam
Do not engage with any incoming requests/messages that claim they "want to spoil you." And as always, without a real meet-up, do not trust anyone online.
A guide to romance scams
What is a romance scam?
A romance scam is a type of online scam that leads the victim to believe that they are in a romantic relationship with the scammer. They never truly meet the scammer in real life, and are ultimately manipulated into sending money or sharing personal/banking information with the scammer.
How to identify a romance scam
There are commonalities to most romance scams that are easy to identify:
tragic backstory (widow/widower, no living family, stuck in a foreign country).
Profess their love too soon and too intensely.
Ask for money.
Ask to move the conversation away from the dating app (WhatsApp, Messenger).
How to prevent romance scams
Romance scams are a hard pill to swallow, but you can avoid them by doing your research.
Reverse image search the profile photo of the person you're talking to. That way, you can verify if it's a fake photo.
Look up the person's name online – see if you can find their social media accounts and validate they're a real person with real online activity (comments, posts, tagged photos.)
Ask for a video call or an in-person meeutp (in a public place.) It's really easy to verify you are talking to the person that's on their profile photo when you can actually meet them.
If you have any questions or comments, send us a note at [email protected]!
