Online Dating Scam – Is Your Date After You or Your Money?

During the last decade and a half, online dating has become a real thing. It has made a huge impact on the way people meet and interact. However, it has also opened the gates to a new breed of fraudulent schemes.

An online dating scam, also known as a romance scam, targets individuals searching for love and interaction online. Financial swindlers aim to abuse people’s emotions by creating fake profiles on dating apps and pretending to be interested in a romantic relationship. Their foul intention is to financially exploit the unsuspecting victim.

Find out what dating scams are, how they work, what the common types are, which red flags you should look out for, and how to report a romance scammer.

What is an Online Dating Scam?

The vast majority of love scams online involve fake profiles on a dating website or app, which are identity theft using photos and information stolen from someone else. They then try to caress their victims’ feelings to gain their trust through affection.

According to the FBI, “the criminals who carry out romance scams are experts at what they do and will seem genuine, caring, and believable. Con artists are present on most dating and social media sites.” Once they establish a connection, victims are required to send money or share personal information.

How Romance Scams Work?

Romance scams follow a similar pattern, the FBI points out. Fraudsters intend to establish a relationship as quickly as possible, endear themselves to the victim, and gain trust. They go as far as to propose marriage and make plans to meet, but that never happens. Ultimately, they ask for money.

The more they cook up the scheme, the more money they are likely to squeeze out. Due to the framework of such scams, police have drawn an analogy with “fattening” and the operation has been termed “pig butchering”.

America’s Federal Trade Commission (FTC) reports that in 2022, nearly 70,000 people reported a romance scam, with losses accumulating to a staggering $1.3 billion. Con artists often use dating app scams to target people looking for relationships.

Yet, reports of romance scams that begin with unsolicited private messages on social media platforms are even more common, the FTC stresses. Many people reported that the scammer then quickly started Telegram or WhatsApp scams dating.

A Victim Has Reached Out To Us

Recently, a victim contacted our agency and said he had fallen prey to an unscrupulous dating scammer claiming to be a woman from Sweden working for a clothing company.

“She told me she was Swedish woman living in with her sister in Ghent Belgium and she was a financial analyst for a clothing company…” the user said, adding that they began chatting on Telegram.

“We talked about our history life ambitions dreams etc. About a good week later she asked if I was interested in making some extra money.” It took just one week for the scammer to lay the trap.

The victim was enticed into buying crypto via https://www.polex-pro.xyz/, which turned out to be a clone site.

“I contacted the poloniex site and then I realized that the site I was using is a clone site because the woman told me I was not registered as a user.”

His losses are devastating, to say the least…

Common Types of Dating Scams

There are multiple ways scammers go about realizing their devious plots. For instance, a Tinder scam flows differently than dating scams on Facebook, although they share similarities. Hence, we have drawn four common deceptive tactics often found in these schemes.

You have catfishing, money extortion, crypto fraud, and investment scams. Let’s discuss each closely and explain concisely how they work.

Catfishing

Catfishing is when a scammer creates a fake identity and uses it to lure unwary romance-seekers into a relationship. It can also be considered identity theft. The term comes from the documentary and TV show of the same name, which analyzed the origin of this phenomenon.

Money Extortion

When it comes to money extortion, the virtual trickster manipulates the victim into sending them money, often by stressing to be in a desperate situation or financial crisis. The latter are pushed into either transferring their funds via a wire.

Note that this method often goes in combination with other malicious tactics to increase the likelihood of its success. Beware of unknown sources that send you messages calling for urgent action.

Online Dating & Crypto Scam

Some cyber wrongdoers target victims who are interested in investing in cryptocurrencies. Using fake accounts to gain their trust, scammers attempt to convince potential victims to invest in fraudulent crypto exchanges and platforms.

They then convince the unwary users to send them their crypto assets, which are challenging to track, making the fund recovery process difficult. Be careful who you share your info with.

Online Dating & Investment Scam

Some dating site scams eventually present you with a one-off investment opportunity. Phonies first try to gain your trust through fake honesty or flirting, and then miraculously pose as investors or financial advisors, offering fake or non-existent ventures.

Once you send your money, they simply vanish, leaving you in financial ruin. This scheme can easily be avoided by verifying the identity of your contact.

How to Protect Yourself from Romance Fraud

Avoiding dating scams is easy if you follow the steps we outlined below. Carefully read through these and remember to stick to them when encountering an unknown online entity on dating sites or apps.

• Be wary of individuals who profess their love instantly or make unrealistic promises. Swindlers are often impatient and try to rush the process of manipulating victims into sending money.
• Utilize reverse image search tools to verify the authenticity of your interlocutor’s photos. If they appear on multiple websites or social media platforms, it’s usually a red flag.
• Never send money to someone you’ve chatted with online, especially if you haven’t met them in person and talked to them. Urgent medical emergencies or travel expenses are the usual reasons why scammers need money immediately.
• Protect your personal information and avoid sharing sensitive data such as your address, phone number, or financial info with someone you recently met online.
• Search for an online dating scammer list to find your suspect. These lists usually contain names of notorious romance cheats.

What to Do If Scammed?

If you suspect you have fallen victim to an online dating scam, do not despair. It’s important to take immediate action and mitigate the damage. There’s always a chance to recover the funds you lost. Here are some guidelines you should stick to:

• Cease all contact with the scammer immediately.
• Report the scam to the dating website or app you used. They might be able to take action against the fraudster and prevent them from deceiving others.
• Inform law enforcement about the scheme.
• Contact your bank or financial institution and report the fraud. They may be able to help you recover your money.
• Seek support. Emotional distress is real. Get help from friends, family, or a professional counselor.
• Contact a chargeback company to help you with the chargeback procedure.

Losing money to someone who had claimed to have affection for you can be cruel. For all those who experienced such pain, we extend our helping hand. Assisting you in recovering your funds is the least we can do. Book a consultation with us and we’ll see what the next step is!