Romance Scams

Romance scams seem especially cruel to me. They involve a lot of work, and a lot of manipulation, and when the victim finds out it devastates their life in a couple of ways. Worst of all, many feel humiliated — which keeps them from coming forward.

It starts with a very aggressive suitor on a dating app. They often claim to want to meet you, but something always comes up. They often propose marriage after only a few days. No matter what the scenario, they will eventually ask for money. Most often, they claim it’s for medical expenses for a family member. 

One thing experts say is to beware of anyone who seems too perfect — both in their profile and the way they interact with you. Other red flags include:

• Asking for your bank account information
• They claim to be out of the US for a job
• You’re on a dating app

Experts have come up with a few ideas to help you prevent romance scams before they start:

• Be careful what you post on social media. Scammers use information obtained from public profiles to tailor their pitches. 
• Run any images of the person through Google’s Reverse Image Search to see where else it has appeared — go to Google Images and click the camera icon in the search bar. 
• Go over their social media profiles with a fine-toothed comb. Look for red flags, like if all their posts are reposts from their other accounts.
• Don’t get pressured into feeling rushed. Slow down, hang up the phone on them mid-sentence if you have to, and set your phone to silent.
• Never commit to anything until you can call them back at their headquarters.

The thing about romance scams is that they knock reasonable people out of their regular, predictable orbits. It’s a common lesson we’ve seen all over the place: If it seems too good to be true, it probably is.

If you need help with scams, we’re kind of good at that. Contact us to learn more.