Romance Scams

What is it?

A romance scam is a devastating emotional and financial crime. Scammers steal photos of attractive individuals (often military personnel or doctors) from the internet and create fake profiles on dating apps or Facebook. They target lonely or vulnerable people, showering them with love and affection for months. Once the victim is deeply emotionally invested, the scammer invents a sudden, catastrophic emergency and begs the victim to wire them money.

How it works (The Teardown)

1. The Approach: The scammer “matches” with you on a dating app or sends a friend request on Facebook. They are intensely complimentary and move very quickly, declaring their love within a few weeks.
2. The Excuse: They always have a reason why they cannot meet in person or do a video call. The most common excuses are: “I am deployed in the military overseas,” “I am an oil rig worker on a remote platform,” or “I am a doctor on an international charity mission.”
3. The Emergency: After months of texting and emailing, a sudden crisis strikes. They claim they were arrested, they need emergency surgery, or they need help paying for a plane ticket to finally come visit you.
4. The Demand: They ask you to send them money. Because they are “overseas,” they cannot accept normal banking transfers. They insist you send the money via wire transfer (Western Union), Apple Gift Cards, or Bitcoin.
5. The Drain: If you send the money, the emergencies will never stop. They will continue to drain your bank account until you have nothing left.

How to identify this scam

• They refuse video calls: If a person you are dating online refuses to get on a FaceTime or Skype video call to prove who they are, they are a scammer.
• They ask for Gift Cards: No legitimate emergency in the world (like a hospital bill or an airplane ticket) can be paid for using Apple iTunes or Target gift cards. If someone asks you to buy gift cards and read them the numbers off the back, it is a scam.

How to avoid it

• Reverse Image Search: If you are suspicious, save the person’s profile picture to your computer. Go to images.google.com, click the camera icon, and upload the photo. If you see that exact same photo being used by a doctor in London and a military general in Texas, you are talking to a scammer.
• Keep your money: Never, under any circumstances, send money to someone you have never physically met in real life.

What to do if you are affected

1. Cut ties: Stop communicating immediately. Realize that the person you thought you were talking to does not exist.
2. Report to the app: Report the fake profile to the dating app or social media platform so the account can be deleted before they target someone else.
3. Notify your bank: If you wired money, notify your bank. While wire transfers are almost impossible to reverse, reporting it creates a paper trail for law enforcement.