Pretends to be a new love
Romance scam
Is an online love interest who asks me for money a scam?
Yes. If someone you never met in person asks for money, gift cards or crypto, it is a scam. Stop sending money and tell someone you trust.
Real organizations never do this. Stop. Hang up or delete it.
Also searched as: romance, online dating, met online, Facebook friend, soldier overseas, oil rig worker, sweetheart scam, catfish, love interest asking for money
Draft: we're still checking this page. The quotes below are word for word from their sources.
What to do
On the phone right now?
- Stop. Hang up or close the message. Don't tap anything.
- Check. Call a number you already have, like the one on your card or bill.
- Talk to someone you trust before you pay anyone.
If anyone is in danger right now, call 911.
If you already paid
- Call the company you paid through right away: your bank, card company, gift card company, or the wire or Zelle service. Ask them to stop or reverse the payment.
- Call the Justice Department's National Elder Fraud Hotline at 1-833-372-8311, Monday to Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Eastern.
- Report it at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. If it happened online, report it at IC3.gov too.
General information, not legal or financial advice. If you've lost money, contact your bank and report it.
How it works
1 They reach you by
- Social media
- Website
- Phone call
- Text message
2 They pretend to be
- A new love or friend
- Investment expert
3 They ask for
- Money
- Gift cards
- Crypto
- Wire or Zelle
- Secrecy
- Personal details
What it can look like
Example pattern, not a real message
Pretends to be a new love. What gives it away:
- Pay with gift cards
- Pay with crypto
- Keep it a secret
Warning signs
- They tell you to buy gift cards and read them the numbers. No real agency or company asks to be paid that way.
- They want payment in cryptocurrency, or tell you to use a Bitcoin machine. That money is very hard to get back.
- They tell you not to tell your family or your bank. That keeps you from getting help.
- They push you to send a wire transfer or Zelle payment. That money is very hard to get back.
- They contacted you, then ask for your Social Security, Medicare or bank numbers.
- They say you must pay right now or something bad will happen. Real organizations give you time to check.
Why we say this
Washington Man Pleads Guilty to Wire Fraud and Money Laundering After Defrauding Victim of More Than $330,000 in Romance Scam
A man posed as two fictional women online for about four years and convinced a Portland victim to send money for living costs, nursing school, and supposed escapes from trafficking. The victim lost more than $333,000, much of it from retirement savings, and the man has pleaded guilty.
According to court documents, between September 2020 and May 2024, Ham created fictitious personas of two women and used them to deceive an adult victim.
2 more quotes from this source
Ham falsely told the victim that the women needed financial assistance for living expenses, nursing school tuition and to escape prostitution and sex trafficking.
In total, Ham stole $333,249.52 from the victim, much of it from the victim’s retirement savings.
Scam Center Strike Force Expands Reach to Target Global Crime Syndicates; Charges Scammers Based in Africa and Tied to China
Six people based in Africa were charged in the U.S. with posing as women on dating sites and apps to lure Americans into fake crypto investment websites. Once victims connected their crypto wallets, the scammers allegedly drained the funds without their knowledge.
The Strike Force announced charges against six Africa-based scammers, with connections to Southeast Asia and China, which targeted Americans with fake Nonfungible Token (NFT) investment scams.
2 more quotes from this source
In the scheme, scammers posed as beautiful women who met victims on dating websites, eventually enlisting them to connect their cryptocurrency wallets to fraudulent websites associated with the NFT investments.
Once connected, the scammers willed the victims to continue to fund their cryptocurrency wallets, and then surreptitiously pulled money from the victims' wallets without their knowledge.
What To Know About Romance Scams
Scammers use fake profiles on dating apps and social media. They build trust, then invent a story and ask for money. They often want it by wire, gift card, app or crypto.
You meet someone special on a dating website or app. Soon they want to email, call, or message you off the platform. They say it’s true love, but they live far away — maybe for work or because they’re in the military. Then they start asking for money.
6 more quotes from this source
Once they gain your trust, they’ll ask for your help to pay medical expenses (for them or a family member), buy their ticket to visit you, pay for their visa, or help them pay fees to get them out of trouble. They may even offer to help you get started in cryptocurrency investing.
Here’s the bottom line: **Never send money or gifts to a sweetheart you haven’t met in person.**
Talk to someone you trust. Do your friends or family say they’re concerned about your new love interest?
Do a reverse image search of the person’s profile picture. Is it associated with another name or with details that don’t match up? Those are signs of a scam.
Tell them you paid a scammer and ask them to refund your money.
Notify the social networking site or app where you met the scammer, too.
Looking for love? Watch out for scammers
A short FTC alert on the usual romance scam pattern. The person moves you off the app, can't meet, then asks for money or pushes crypto or stock investing.
Never send money or gifts to a love interest you haven’t met in person.
2 more quotes from this source
**Do a reverse image search of the person’s profile picture.** Is it associated with another name or with details that don’t match up?
If you paid a scammer, your money might be gone already. No matter how you paid, it’s always worth asking the company you used to send the money if there’s a way to get it back.
Is that person you met online really a military servicemember…or a scammer?
A 69-year-old Mesa woman was contacted by a man claiming to be a Navy officer stationed overseas, who built a romance and then pressed her for money. She ended up selling her house and losing her life savings to what was a fake relationship.
They say they’re in the military — but scammers especially like to pose as military servicemembers stationed overseas.
2 more quotes from this source
The short answer is this: if your online friend asks for money, for any reason, they’re a scammer.
Their online chats can feel real and quickly turn to talk of love or even marriage.
Romance Scams
The FBI's guide explains how romance scammers use fake identities to win trust and then ask for money. It lists warning signs and how to report. It also warns that people who give their bank details may be used as money mules.
In romance scams, a criminal uses a fake online identity to gain a victim's affection and trust. The scammer then uses the illusion of a romantic or close relationship to manipulate and/or steal from the victim.
5 more quotes from this source
Scammers may propose marriage and make plans to meet in person, but that will never happen. Eventually, they will ask for money.
If someone you meet online needs your bank account information to deposit money, they are most likely using your account to carry out other theft and fraud schemes.
Visit ic3.gov, the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), to report romance scams.
Beware if the individual seems too perfect or quickly asks you to leave a dating service or social media site to communicate directly.
Never send money to anyone you have only communicated with online or by phone.
Read This Before You Send Money to Someone You Met Online - AOL
The article warns that people who meet someone online and then get asked for money are often facing a romance-style scam, with requests framed as medical, travel, or family emergencies. It advises checking the person's identity with photo searches and video calls, treating gift card or crypto requests as a warning sign, and reporting quickly if money has already been sent.
Romance scammers, for instance, can be patient, convincing and highly personal in their ruses.
4 more quotes from this source
Some scammers pose as different avatars, hoping to win over your friendship right before asking for money. These same money requests will appear to be for genuine, urgent reasons, such as medical emergencies, travel snags, investment opportunities or family issues.
Scammers will often move conversations to social networks like WhatsApp, where it is more difficult to report fraud and get your money back.
If someone who requested money also tells you how to approach the bank, requests secrecy, uses urgency tactics or asks for gift cards or crypto, immediately disengage.
If you have already sent money to a scammer, immediately contact the bank, payment app, gift card company or crypto platform you used.
Bel Air Police Warn Residents Of $168K Lost In 2 Scams
Bel Air police reported two online scam cases that cost victims about $168,000 combined, with one lasting roughly two years. In both, scammers used fake identities to build online relationships and then asked for money.
"Scammers often impersonate celebrities, military personnel or other individuals to make their stories believable. They may spend months building relationships before asking for money through gift cards, payment apps or wire transfers," the police department stated.
3 more quotes from this source
Someone you've only met online begins asking for money.
They make excuses about why they cannot meet in person.
"Anyone can become a victim of fraud. There is no reason to be embarrassed about reporting a scam or asking for help. Stop. Verify. Talk to someone you trust."
6 Africa-based scammers charged after dating scheme drained Americans' crypto wallets
Six people based in Africa were charged in the U.S. with posing as women on dating sites and apps to lure Americans into fake crypto investment websites. Once victims connected their crypto wallets, the scammers allegedly drained the funds without their knowledge.
Once victims connected their wallets, the scammers allegedly drained the funds without their knowledge.
2 more quotes from this source
Prosecutors say his phones contained scripts telling workers to use victims’ feelings to get them to invest, as well as employment records showing bonuses tied to the money stolen.
She urged people to be cautious, saying, “Never connect your cryptocurrency wallet to a website recommended by someone that you met online.”