Romance & Social Global High risk
Romance Scam
An online partner you have never met in person eventually needs money for a crisis.
- Who scammers target
- Lonely, widowed or recently separated adults of any age
- Typical reported loss
- $2,000 – $100,000 per case
- Why people fall for this
- The emotional relationship is real to the victim, and the first request for money is always small and reasonable.
How it works
- 1A profile with attractive photos matches with you and moves fast emotionally.
- 2They always have a reason not to video call: offshore work, deployment, bad signal.
- 3After trust is built, a crisis appears — customs fees, medical bills, a blocked account.
- 4Each payment leads to another, larger request.
Real-world example
After four months of daily messages, Susan's partner — an "engineer on an oil rig" — needs $4,500 to release equipment from customs. Six payments later he stops replying.
- They declare strong feelings very quickly and never video call.
- Photos look professional; a reverse image search shows another person.
- Money requests arrive as a one-time emergency, then repeat.
- Do a reverse image search on their photos early.
- Never send money, crypto or gift cards to someone you have not met in person.
- Talk to a friend or family member before sending anything — isolation is the scammer's tool.
- Report the profile to the platform and to your national fraud service.
What it looks like
Unknown contact
"I just need this once, then I fly to you"
Wait, why do I need to scan?