Scammers, both male and female, make fake dating profiles, sometimes using photos of other people — even stolen pictures of real military personnel. They build relationships — some even fake wedding plans — before they disappear with your money. Sign up for FTC Consumer Alerts at FTC. Your complaint can help protect other people. It really makes a difference. CFG: Translation Menu Español CFG: Secondary Menu Report Fraud Read Consumer Alerts Get Consumer Alerts Visit ftc.

Online Dating Scams. Breadcrumb Home Feature Pages Pass It On Imposter Scams Vea esta página en español. Share this page. Never wire money, put money on a prepaid debit card, or send cash to an online love interest.

Pass this information on to a friend. Want to know more? Online Dating Scams Article. Online Dating Scams Bookmark. It's also why people who are vulnerable and isolated are such desirable targets—since they're yearning for a connection. You should look out for any matches that are overly flattering and overly devoted early on in your communication when you haven't even met.

Moving the relationship very quickly was also one of the red flags of the Tinder Swindler. A common line among online dating scammers is that they want to meet you, but when the time comes, there is always some unexpected issue. Since the scammer is not the person they claim to be, they don't want to meet in person.

This is also the reason why so many scammers claim to work in another country or be on military deployment—it provides them with an excuse for not being able to meet up.

In fact, many scammers use photos of military personnel and soldiers on their profiles. The inability to meet you may even be the supposed reason they first try to solicit money from a victim. They may claim to need money to buy a ticket to travel to meet you. Sometimes, they'll say that border officials detained them and that they need money for their release.

Scammers might avoid phone calls or voice and video chats. However, many can fake their accents or put on a specific voice. However, a catfish will not appear in a video chat since they use fake profile images. Be wary if your match is never willing to video chat or always makes excuses about their camera being broken.

Most smartphones now have built-in selfie cameras, which makes video chatting relatively easy. Some people may initially hesitate to appear on video chat out of shyness.

But it's a red flag if someone professes love, yet won't let you talk to them over video after weeks of communication. Inevitably, a catfish or scammer will request money from you, as this is the ultimate goal of most scammers.

There are a variety of scenarios that they may invent—from family emergencies, health issues, or travel problems. Particularly inventive scammers may even trick you into sending them money by purportedly sending you a package that requires customs fees. Scammers don't necessarily work alone, so you may receive a phone call or documents from someone posing as a third party to request fees.

Some scammers even request financial help or financial investment related to their fictional business. If any kind of financial request comes from your suitor, this is the biggest sign that you are the target of a scam. Crypto and Bitcoin dating scams are another popular type of lure used to attract victims. Another online dating scam doesn't request money from victims, but turns them into "money mules". Rather than trying to get money from the victim, these scammers make you an accomplice in money laundering.

One example includes the scammer sending money to the victim, who then sends them an Amazon card or another kind of gift card. Other times they might send you money and ask you to send it to another account for them. Sometimes, scammers may ask a victim to open a bank account for them. If your online suitor asks you to get involved in these types of financial transactions and exchanges, it's likely that they're a scammer trying to lure you into illegal activities.

Some scammers don't bother with catfishing, rather using more efficient ways to exploit victims. This is especially true on online dating apps where bot profiles are prevalent. If a match sends you a link to an app, game, service, or website they say they want you to try out, this is often a ploy to get you to supply financial information or download malware. It is essentially the online dating version of phishing and is a very popular tactic for scammers on dating apps like Tinder.

Besides spotting a potential scammer, there are a few precautions you can take to avoid online dating scams. Firstly, use reverse image searches and services like the reverse lookup tool on Social Catfish to verify a person's online identity.

You should check that the same image isn't appearing across a variety of profiles under different names. Certain dating apps allow you to choose to match only with verified profiles.

This just grazes the surface of online dating scams statistics. Oftentimes, a romance scammer starts on dating sites or apps. But scammers have increasingly begun on social media , too. After connecting with the victim through a fake profile, they'll strike up a conversation and start building a relationship by regularly chatting with them. Once the victim starts to trust the romance scammer and believes they have a truthful relationship, the cybercriminal will make up a story, ask the victim for money, and vanish.

How can you identify a scammer? Well, you probably have a sense of what's considered normal behavior online. But it might be hard to see through an online dating scam when emotions are involved.

If you want to know how to tell if someone is scamming you online, here are some telltale signs a cybercriminal may be the one sweeping you off your feet. One of the first giveaways of a romance scammer is their background. Fakers often pose as someone who is stationed abroad to create a reason for why they can't meet in person. Some common stories include:.

A legitimate dating profile usually has plenty of photos of the person in different situations, with one or two that show the person's whole body, not just part of their face. The individual might also include links to their Instagram or Facebook accounts. In contrast, a dating profile might be fake if the person doesn't list any details. Or maybe their interests and hobbies just about exactly match yours — the similarities might be too good to be true. Romance scammers want to act fast before their targets catch on to their tactics.

For this reason, they like to gain your trust right out the gates. Some common approaches include:. Many online dating sites offer some safety features, and if you move your conversation off them to talk using text messages or other chat options, you lose them. Plus, the person will have your phone number, which could make it harder to cut communication. Romance scammers want to keep their identities a secret. One way to keep you from questioning their identity is a promise to come visit.

They may even have you pay for plane tickets or other travel costs. But they'll cancel at the last minute, providing an elaborate reason for why they can't see you after all. A romance scammer may ask you to send money for things like:. An alternate money scam to watch for: They may send you money!

This could rope you into a "money mule" scheme, whereby the scammer asks to deposit money into your bank account, distribute the funds to other people, or deliver packages. In fact, these requests could be tied to money laundering. These are ways to get cash quickly while remaining anonymous. Plus, the transactions are hard to reverse.

Once you send a little bit of money, they might even ask for more. Online dating scams can often end with victims losing money and, in some cases, even being pulled into criminal activity. Besides the financial costs, there may be emotional costs, too. You may feel heartbroken, depressed, or embarrassed after someone you trusted scammed you.

Simply knowing how a romance scammer operates can help you identify and avoid one. Remember some of the red flags and lies romance scammers tell:. A few basic cybersecurity best practices can help protect you against internet scams. Consider that the more you share, the more scammers know about you — and know how to lure you. For this reason, consider keeping your online dating profiles anonymous by using different usernames on sites or even different emails to protect your privacy.

Also, be careful what you make public on social media. The internet can be an incredible place for community, developing friendships, and sometimes even relationships. For this reason, set up a phone or video chat early on in your communications with an online love interest. If they dodge the opportunity, they may be a romance scammer. These could be used as blackmail later. In the age of social media and online dating, everyone has a digital presence waiting to view.

Do your homework on your cyber sweetheart by viewing their social media profiles. If their profile is pretty bare or they have no connections, take it a step further with a reverse image search to see whether their photos are on other sites. To do this:. Google will show you the websites where the image appears online.

If it shows up on a stock photo site or seems to belong to someone else entirely, then it could be part of a scam. Don't give out your financial information, top off a cash reload card, or send gifts or money to someone you haven't met face to face. Never wire money to a stranger or pay anyone with gift cards. Especially if your other cyber half is located outside of the U. consulate or embassy if they ask for help or money. Always consider the possibility of it being a scam, even if you contacted them first.

It may be nearly impossible to recover money after you've been scammed. But reporting these incidents helps federal investigators look for commonalities and may help lead them to perpetrators.

The unfortunate truth is that too many people have been a part of a love story that never ends in a happily ever after. Some of the proof is in these online dating scam statistics. Loneliness — especially during COVID isolation periods — and the development of new technologies have contributed to the rise of romance scams in the past years.

Romance scams can affect your emotional wellbeing and sense of trust, and can also be costly and irreversible. Online dating scams happen all over the world, but certain demographics tend to be more susceptible. Some people associate the use of stalkerware, a software that enables someone to monitor a person's device without their knowledge, with romance scams.

But the two are distinctly different. Romance scams are designed to trick you for financial gain from someone from afar. Stalkerware is used by someone close to you or in a relationship with you to spy on you, and it could put lead to harm.

Like romance scams, stalkerware is also on the rise. Falling in love can be great. But before you let someone steal your heart online, keep these romance scam warning signs and online dating pointers top of mind. Copyright © NortonLifeLock Inc. All rights reserved. NortonLifeLock, the NortonLifeLock Logo, the Checkmark Logo, Norton, LifeLock, and the LockMan Logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of NortonLifeLock Inc.

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Other names may be trademarks of their respective owners. Online Scams. facebookShareLinkText twitterShareLinkText linkedInShareLinkText. Written by Clare Stouffer, a NortonLifeLock employee.

February 4, What is a romance scam? Some of the most common online dating scams include these: Fake dating sites : Scam dating sites claim to be legitimate but are actually filled with scammers or underpopulated. These websites are created to mine your information. Photo scams : Scammers will convince the victim to send their personal information in exchange for intimate photos of the scammer.

Military romance scams : Scammer will pose as a military member likely deployed. They build trust by using military jargon and titles, then ask for money to cover military-related expenses, such as flights home. Intimate activity scams : Scammer connects with the victim on multiple social media websites.

Once they become closer, the scammer convinces the victim to undress and then threatens them with the recordings. Code verification scams : Scammers will send a fake verification code through email or text, posing to be a dating app or website. Once the victim clicks on it, it will ask for their personal information, including Social Security Number and credit cards.

A romance scammer may ask you to send money for things like:. They also avoid phone calls because they will not have a local number, and if they do, it will be an online VOIP number, which would cause suspicion to the average person. FBI, Internet Crime Report Online dating scams and older adults Dating scams can happen with people of all ages, but are especially risky to older adults. com and paste the image. It really makes a difference.

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