Beware Scammers Selling Bad Romance
“I felt a real soul connection right away,” a woman said of the man she met on Facebook. He claimed they had a mutual friend and their relationship progressed. They sang together, prayed together and talked about what happened on church on Sunday. He told her he needed money to finish up a construction job in California and would pay her back within 48 hours. Despite never meeting him in person, the woman decided to help him out. But the man kept telling stories about why he needed more money, and she kept sending it for the next two years. Eventually she lost everything she had, to the tune of $2 million.
This woman now tells her story for the FBI as a cautionary tale for how people can fall victim to romance scams. Criminals are preying on vulnerable people online, convincing them they are a perfect match so they can get to their bank account. Nearly 70,000 people reported a romance scam in 2022, according to information released by the Federal Trade Commission this month, and victims lost a reported $1.3 billion. Forty percent of people who fell victim last year said scammers first contacted them on social media, while 19 percent said contact began on a website or app.
Criminals study the information people share online and use it to target their victims and convince them they’re the perfect partner. The scammers’ goal is to get people to quickly fall in love and send them money or bank account information—saying whatever necessary to make that happen. According to the FTC, some of scammers’ most common lies are:
“I or someone close to me is sick, hurt, or in jail”
“I can teach you how to invest”
“I’m in the military far away”
“I need help with an important delivery”
Professional investigators like myself are often tasked with digging into people’s backgrounds and seeing if their claims appear legitimate. As a general rule, people shouldn’t send money to individuals they haven’t met in person. A bit of online sleuthing can also help suss out predators. Try:
Conducting a reverse image search of the photos the person has provided you. Are the photos associated with names and details that differ from what the person told you? That would be a warning sign.
Googling some of the sweet messages the person sent you. You may find that the romantic love poem she wrote “just for you” was taken from elsewhere online or even shows up on a website dedicated to exposing scammers.
Reviewing their social media profiles. Be wary if the information on the profiles doesn’t line up with the what the person told you; if there are no photos of the person with friends or relatives; if they do not interact with anyone they appear to know outside of the Internet; or if there are anomalies in someone’s friends list that suggest they may be misrepresenting who they are.
Conducting a reverse phone lookup. Search the phone number the person has used to contact you and see if it is connected to the person they’ve presented themselves as. SpyDialer and True People Search are both good options. These searches are not always accurate but are still a good resource to check.
Online dating isn’t all bad—I met my husband online. But it’s important to be careful, approach situations with a healthy skepticism, and do NOT send anyone money.
Visit the FTC website for more information on romance scams and what to do if you think you’ve been a victim.