{"id":136594,"date":"2024-04-24T06:01:17","date_gmt":"2024-04-24T13:01:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/?p=136594"},"modified":"2024-07-31T10:17:52","modified_gmt":"2024-07-31T17:17:52","slug":"online-dating-scams-and-how-to-spot-them","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/privacy-identity-protection\/online-dating-scams-and-how-to-spot-them\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Spot Dating Scams"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">For years now, the popularity of online dating has been on the rise\u2014and so have the number of online romance scams that leave people with broken hearts and empty wallets.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/texas\/news\/i-team-how-ai-is-revolutionizing-internet-fraud\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">In a recent CBS News story<\/a>, one Texan woman was scammed out of $3,200 by a scammer claiming to be a German Cardiologist.\u00a0 After months of exchanging messages and claiming to be in love with her, he said that he&#8217;d been robbed while on a business trip in Nigeria and needed her help.<\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">According to the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC), <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ftc.gov\/news-events\/blogs\/data-spotlight\/2021\/02\/romance-scams-take-record-dollars-2020\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">the reported cost of online romance scams was $1.14 billion in 2023<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"none\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b><span data-contrast=\"none\">How do online dating and romance scams get started?<\/span><\/b><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">Dating and romance scams aren\u2019t limited to online dating apps and sites, they\u2019ll happen on social media and in online games as well. However, the FTC reports that the scam usually starts the same way, typically through an unexpected friend request or a message that comes out of the blue.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><center><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-190140 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Reported-fraud-losses-by-contact-method.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1313\" height=\"719\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Reported-fraud-losses-by-contact-method.jpg 1313w, https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Reported-fraud-losses-by-contact-method-300x164.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Reported-fraud-losses-by-contact-method-1024x561.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Reported-fraud-losses-by-contact-method-768x421.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Reported-fraud-losses-by-contact-method-205x112.jpg 205w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1313px) 100vw, 1313px\" \/><\/center><span data-contrast=\"none\">With that initial introduction made, a chat begins, and a friendship (or more) blossoms from there. Along the way, the scammer will often rely on a mix of somewhat exotic yet believable storytelling to lure the victim in, often involving their job and where they\u2019re working. Reports say that scammers will talk of being workers on an offshore oil rig, members of the military stationed overseas, doctors working with an international organization or working in the sort of jobs that would prevent them from otherwise easily meeting up in person.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">With the phony relationship established, the scammer starts asking for money. The FTC reports that they\u2019ll ask for money for several bogus reasons, usually revolving around some sort of hardship where they need a \u201clittle help\u201d so that they can pay:<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"6\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-aria-posinset=\"1\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">For a plane ticket or other travel expenses.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233279&quot;:true,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"6\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-aria-posinset=\"1\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">For medical expenses.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233279&quot;:true,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"6\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-aria-posinset=\"1\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">Customs fees to retrieve something.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233279&quot;:true,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"6\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-aria-posinset=\"1\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">Gambling debts.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233279&quot;:true,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"6\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-aria-posinset=\"1\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">A visa or other official travel documents.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233279&quot;:true,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">The list goes on, yet that\u2019s the general gist. Scammers often employ a story with an intriguing complication that seems just reasonable enough, one where the romance scammer makes it sound like they could really use the victim\u2019s financial help.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b><span data-contrast=\"none\">Common types of online dating scams<\/span><\/b><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">People who have filed fraud reports say they\u2019ve paid their scammer in a few typical ways.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">One is by wiring money, often through a wire transfer company. The benefit of this route, for the scammer anyway, is that this is as good as forking over cash. Once it\u2019s gone, it\u2019s gone. The victim lacks the protections they have with other payment forms, such as a credit card that allows the holder to cancel or contest a charge.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">Another way is through gift cards. Scammers of all stripes, not just romance scammers, like these because they effectively work like cash, whether it\u2019s a gift card for a major online retailer or a chain of brick-and-mortar stores. Like a wire transfer, once that gift card is handed over, the money on it is highly difficult to recover, if at all.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">One more common payment is through reloadable debit cards. A scammer may make an initial request for such a card and then make several follow-on requests to load it up again.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">In all, a romance scammer will typically look for the easiest payment method that\u2019s the most difficult to contest or reimburse, leaving the victim in a financial lurch once the scam ends.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b><span data-contrast=\"none\">How Do You Avoid Getting Tangled Up in an Online Dating or Romance Scam?<\/span><\/b><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">When it comes to <\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">meeting new people online, the FTC suggests the following:<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"2\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-aria-posinset=\"1\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Never send money or gifts to someone you haven\u2019t met in person\u2014even if they send you money first.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233279&quot;:true,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"2\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-aria-posinset=\"2\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Talk to someone you trust about this new love interest. It can be easy to miss things that don\u2019t add up. So pay attention if your friends or family are concerned.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233279&quot;:true,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"2\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-aria-posinset=\"2\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Take the relationship slowly. Ask questions and look for inconsistent answers.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233279&quot;:true,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"2\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-aria-posinset=\"2\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Try a reverse-image search of any profile pictures the person uses. If they\u2019re associated with another name or with details that don\u2019t match up, it\u2019s a scam.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233279&quot;:true,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">Scammers, although arguably heartless, are still human. They make mistakes. The stories they concoct are just that. Stories. They may jumble their details, get their times and dates all wrong, or simply get caught in an apparent lie. Also, keep in mind that some scammers may be working with several victims at once, which is yet another opportunity for them to get confused and slip up.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b><span data-contrast=\"none\">Protecting Yourself Further From Scams on Your Social Media Accounts<\/span><\/b><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">As mentioned above, some romance scammers troll social media and reach out through direct messages or friend requests. With that, there are three things you can do to cut down your chances of getting caught up with a scammer:<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">1. Go private<\/span><\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and others give you the option of making your profile and posts visible to friends only. Choosing this setting keeps the broader internet from seeing what you\u2019re doing, saying, and posting, which can help protect your privacy and give a romance scammer less information to exploit.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">2. Say \u201cno\u201d to strangers bearing friend requests<\/span><\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Be critical of the invitations you receive. Out-and-out strangers could be more than a romance scammer, they could be a fake account designed to gather information on users for purposes of cybercrime, or they can be an account designed to spread false information. There are plenty of them too. In fact, in Q4 of 2023 alone, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/transparency.fb.com\/data\/community-standards-enforcement\/fake-accounts\/facebook\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">Facebook took action on 693 million fake accounts<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\">. Reject such requests.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">3. Protect yourself and your devices<\/span><\/b><\/h3>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/en-us\/identity-theft\/protection.html?path=blogs\">Online protection software like ours can help you spot fakes and scams<\/a>. Features like Text Scam Detector use advanced AI to detect scam links in texts, email, and social media messages before you click. Our Personal Data Cleanup can keep you safer still by removing your personal info from sketchy data broker sites \u2014 places where scammers go to harvest useful info on their victims. And if the unfortunate happens, we offer $2 million in identity theft coverage and identity restoration support.\u200b<\/p>\n<h2><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Put an End to it<\/span><\/b><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">If you suspect that you\u2019re being scammed, put an end to the relationship and report it, as difficult as that may feel.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Notify the FTC <\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">at\u202f<\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.reportfraud.ftc.gov\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">ReportFraud.ftc.gov<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> for support and next steps to help you recover financially as much as possible. Likewise, notify the social media site, app, or service where the scam occurred as well. In some cases, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/consumer-cyber-awareness\/top-signs-of-identity-theft\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">you may want to file a police report, which we cover in our broader article on identity theft and fraud<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\">.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">If you sent funds via a gift card, the FTC suggests filing a claim with the company as soon as possible. <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.consumer.ftc.gov\/articles\/paying-scammers-gift-cards#Report\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">They offer further advice on filing a claim here,<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> along with a list of contact numbers for gift card brands that scammers commonly use.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Lastly, go easy on yourself. If you find yourself a victim of online dating or romance fraud, know that you won\u2019t be the first or last person to be taken advantage of this way. By reporting your case, you in fact may help others from falling victim too.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>For years now, the popularity of online dating has been on the rise\u2014and so have the number of online romance&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1407,"featured_media":190155,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[10670,13],"tags":[12217,12214,12208,12211,5676],"coauthors":[15735],"class_list":["post-136594","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-tips-tricks","category-privacy-identity-protection","tag-common-online-dating-scams","tag-how-do-online-dating-scams-works","tag-how-to-avoid-online-dating-scams","tag-how-to-prevent-online-dating-scams","tag-online-dating-scams"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>How to Spot Dating Scams | McAfee Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"For years now, the popularity of online dating has been on the rise\u2014and so have the number of online romance scams that leave people with broken hearts\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How to Spot Dating Scams | McAfee Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"For years now, the popularity of online dating has been on the rise\u2014and so have the number of online romance scams that leave people with broken hearts\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/privacy-identity-protection\/online-dating-scams-and-how-to-spot-them\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"McAfee Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/McAfee\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-04-24T13:01:17+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-07-31T17:17:52+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/300x200_Valentines.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"300\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Jasdev Dhaliwal\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@McAfee\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@McAfee\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Jasdev Dhaliwal\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/privacy-identity-protection\/online-dating-scams-and-how-to-spot-them\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/privacy-identity-protection\/online-dating-scams-and-how-to-spot-them\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Jasdev Dhaliwal\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/#\/schema\/person\/49b8ff7075f52333a95710a8340c326f\"},\"headline\":\"How to Spot Dating Scams\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-04-24T13:01:17+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-07-31T17:17:52+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/privacy-identity-protection\/online-dating-scams-and-how-to-spot-them\/\"},\"wordCount\":1209,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/privacy-identity-protection\/online-dating-scams-and-how-to-spot-them\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/1000x563_Blog_Spot-Dating-Scams.png\",\"keywords\":[\"Common online dating scams\",\"How do online dating scams works\",\"How to avoid online dating scams\",\"How to prevent online dating scams\",\"online dating scams\"],\"articleSection\":[\"How To Guides and Tutorials\",\"Privacy &amp; 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