We all know about the Nigerian prince and his piles of gold—just say no! But you may be less familiar with the just-handsome-enough guy on match.com who seems too good to be true, or the beautiful woman on FarmersOnly.com who seems to ask a lot of intrusive questions. If you’re not on your toes, you could be the target of a romance scam.

 

How do they work?

Someone is active on a dating site and provides just enough information about themselves—where they live, what they like to do, preferences—for someone to engage. The scammer reaches out (with fake photos and information) and begins building rapport. As time goes on and feelings for the scammer grow, the scammer makes small requests for money (help paying for a medical expense or for a plane ticket to come and visit). These requests escalate over time, some leading to financial ruin for those seeking a love match.

 

The FTC estimates that nearly $550 million was paid to romance scammers in 2021—up 80% from the year before.

 

How can you recognize a scammer?

They’re too good to be true. A little bit of digging leads to a dead end (that is, their dating app profile is the only sign they exist!). They make up excuses for why they can’t meet in person or even appear on a video chat app like FaceTime. And finally, they ask for money and are very specific about how they want to get paid (Western Union, gift card, etc.).

 

How can you protect yourself?

If you suspect you’re about to be scammed, break contact immediately. Don’t ever send money or give someone access to your accounts. Use a reverse image app like TinEye to search for the person’s picture (Real? AI generated? In a news article about scammers?). And again, don’t ever send money.

If you think you’ve been scammed (or are about to be) alert the dating site immediately and reach out to the FTC at http://reportfraud.ftc.gov/ to report the scammer. It’s a jungle out there; make sure you protect your heart AND your wallet in the pursuit of romantic bliss!