Romance Scams

Red Flags

• Never send money or gifts to someone you have not met in person.
• Be incredibly cautious of people saying they need money for emergency expenses.
• Be on guard if a person is “working abroad” or is from another country.
• Meet the person you have connected with in-person within five days.
• People who confess love quickly are normally scammers.
• Scammers will ask you to create a new bank account to commit online bank fraud. Scammers will deposit stolen money into the new account and ask you to wire money out of the country. 
• Have a healthy skepticism with people you meet online, even if they are charming.
• If you suspect someone is an imposter online, ask someone you trust for their opinion.
•  If using Google Chrome, verify if the person’s photo is real by right clicking their photo and selecting “Search Google for image.” If the photo appears on other sites with a different name, it is probably being used as a scam.
• Limit the personal information you share online. Keep your communication limited to the dating site or in person.

Reporting the Scam

• Filing a report can help others from getting scammed and can assist law enforcement with stopping scammers.
• Contact your bank immediately if you suspect you sent money to a scammer.
• File a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission at https://ReportFraud.ftc.gov/# or the FBI at https://ic3.gov
• Report the incident to the dating site.