Wednesday, 19 February 2025 Category: Nuggets Hits: 51

Romance Scams - what is it?

In romance scams, a criminal uses a fake online identity to gain a victim's affection and trust. The scammer then uses the illusion of a romantic or close relationship to manipulate and/or steal from the victim. The scam usually ends when the victim realizes they are being scammed or stops sending money. However, people are often slow to believe the reality, and the stigma of falling for such the deception may deter them from reporting the fraud to the police.

You meet someone special on a dating website or app. Soon they want to email, call, or message you off the platform. They say it’s true love, but they live far away — maybe for work or because they’re in the military. Then they start asking for money. Maybe it’s for a plane ticket to visit you. Or emergency surgery. Or something else urgent.

Romance scammers create fake profiles on dating sites and apps or contact you through popular social media sites like Instagram or Facebook. The scammers strike up a relationship with you to build up trust, sometimes talking or chatting several times a day. Then, they make up a story and ask for money.

The Lies Romance Scammers tell

Romance scammers adjust their story to what they think will work in each situation.

• Scammers say they can’t meet you in person. They might say they’re living or traveling outside the country, working on an oil rig, in the military, or working with an international organization.
• Scammers will ask you for money. Once they gain your trust, they’ll ask for your help to pay medical expenses (for them or a family member), buy their ticket to visit you, pay for their visa, or help them pay fees to get them out of trouble. They may even offer to help you get started in cryptocurrency investing.
• Scammers will tell you how to pay. All scammers, not just romance scammers, want to get your money quickly. And they want your money in a way that makes it hard for you to get it back. They’ll tell you to wire money through a company like Western Union or MoneyGram, put money on gift cards (like Amazon, Google Play, iTunes, or Steam) and give them the PIN codes, send money through a money transfer app, or transfer cryptocurrency. 

Scammers do these things to pressure you into acting immediately by paying money. But it’s a scam.

How to Avoid Losing Money to a Romance Scammer

Scammer may ask victim to send money for travel or business expenses, family emergencies and needs, or for investment opportunities. Scammer may ask victim to open bank accounts to receive money from business associates for projects or investments.

Never send money or gifts to a sweetheart you haven’t met in person.

If you suspect a romance scam:

• Stop communicating with the person immediately.
• Talk to someone you trust. Do your friends or family say they’re concerned about your new love interest?
• Search online for the type of job the person has plus the word “scammer.” Have other people posted similar stories? For example, search for “oil rig scammer” or “US Army scammer.”
• Do a reverse image search of the person’s profile picture. Is it associated with another name or with details that don’t match up? Those are signs of a scam.

How do i know if the person i am talking to online is real?

Scamdalf recommends taking the following precautions when you're using dating sites and social media to meet people: Cross-check and verify. Conduct an online search to cross-check the person's name, photo, location, email address and other details for legitimacy.

You might be dealing with an online scammer if they request sensitive personal information, money, or insist on speaking on a chat app of their choice. You might be dealing with an online scammer if they request sensitive personal information, money, or insist on speaking on a chat app of their choice.

If you suspect someone is a scammer, ask them to set up a video call on Google Meet or a similar service. Just like in catfish scams, a romance scammer will avoid showing you their real face — chances are, they don't look like their pictures. If you do have a call, be careful to keep yourself safe.

These scammers will often impersonate someone else and likely only have one or two images of the person they're pretending to be. In contrast, authentic dating site users often have multiple pictures of themselves in various situations ranging from face shots to full body shots

How to avoid Romance Scams?

1. Be careful who you meet online. Do not get too close to people you met online, either from social networking sites like Facebook and X, or even from dating applications. Experts said that it’s a red flag if the person you’re talking to online has inconsistent details about his/her life, or refuses to talk to you via video call or in person.
2. Beware of overly-affectionate behavior. Authorities said if you are interested in someone, take time to get to know him/her first to avoid getting scammed. “If someone you’ve just met online starts professing love quickly, it’s a red flag,” the experts added.
3. Do not send money to people you only met online. Do not send money, either via online banking or cryptocurrency, to people you only met online. Authorities said people should always be skeptical about requests for money.
4. Be careful with what you share online.Avoid giving personal and private information. Do not send photos and videos, too. These things might be used to blackmail you or steal your identity.