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Love can find people anywhere. Today, such a feeling transcends distances—especially with the rise of online dating and matchmaking.

Building relationships can be exciting. However, some criminals seek to take advantage of people’s best intentions.

Romance scams are becoming more frequent as more people make their connections online. Here is what you need to know to protect your identity and finances from cybercriminals.

Why Romance Scams Are So Dangerous

The vast majority of scams manipulate victims’ emotions. Security experts have identified common “emotional triggers” that cause potential victims to fall for fraud and identity theft. Thieves try to elicit a specific response from their prospects that will cause them to take action.

Romance scams exploit a person’s goodwill, compassion, and empathy. They derive much of their power from the human need to connect and feel connected.

It is often out of love or concern that someone moves to act on behalf of another. Thieves will attempt to exploit your capacity to care for others when they conduct a romance scam.

Knowing this, it can be easy to fall prey to a scammer’s charms if you aren’t careful. When using the Internet to chat or connect with others, keeping your wits sharp is essential. You must know when you are being manipulated to protect your identity and finances.

How Romance Scams Spread

While “romance” can mean different things to many, there is a unifying thread—romance involves making friends and feeling wanted. A scammer tries to twist this behavior to serve their ends.

Due to the widespread use of the Internet, romance scams are now very common. Scammers create spoofed profiles to pose as people looking for relationships.

Romance scams are commonly found on:

• Social media platforms
• Dating websites and apps
• VoIP and chat programs
• Online gaming services

The Internet allows fraudsters to cast a wide net, taking advantage of people’s trust and innate need for attention while remaining anonymous.

Fraudsters use fake identities to attract potential marks. Often, scam profiles use fake or doctored photos to present the veneer of legitimacy.

When a thief attracts a prospect, they may try to advance the possibility of a relationship quickly. Communication moves away from the original platform and into more personal channels like phone, texting, or email. From here, a thief may try to ask for money or other information.

Thieves will misuse new technology to deceive people. Traditionally, fraudsters would scrape other people’s social media to use their photos for romance scams. On top of that, the rise of generative AI simplifies the creation of fake images.

Chatbots can also help scammers craft more believable stories with a strong command of language and grammar. As time passes, simply doing a spellcheck will not be enough to identify a scammer.

Common Warning Signs of a Romance Scam

On its surface, a romance scam looks like its relatives, smishing and vishing. However, the primary difference is how it manipulates emotions. Again, these theft attempts thrive on a person’s need for validation or affection.

Know the signs of a potential romance scam. You may be falling for a trick if:

• Things are moving very quickly. Fraudsters act fast to get paid and move to the next victim efficiently. They are also wagering on a target’s eagerness to enter a relationship.
• A scammer can’t meet in person. Thieves may make excuses as to why they can’t meet in person. For instance, it is very common for romance scammers to claim they are working a job overseas or are part of the military.
• There’s a move to talk off-platform. A thief may want to speak to you through phone, text, or email, so the original platform cannot moderate the conversation. This is a dangerous request because contact information can be used to create more false identities to propagate scams.
• Requests photos or videos of you. Fraudsters may use the information you send to build another fake identity. Depending on what you send them, they may use the material as blackmail to extort you in the future.
• Asks for money. Money is the endgame for many romance scammers. They may ask for a wire transfer or a payment in gift cards. Often, these requests are accompanied by an emotional story, such as a medical emergency or wishing to pay for a visa.

Another thing scammers may try is forcing a prospective victim into secrecy. This is a tactic employed to alienate the victim from friends and family.

Protect Yourself Against Romance Scams

Wanting to make connections with others is natural. It is a facet of the human experience. At the same time, you must take measures to protect yourself and your finances from bad actors.

First, remember your fundamentals when it comes to scam prevention. Beyond that, you can protect yourself from romance scammers by doing the following:

• Take things slowly. When making friends, you want to ensure you’re a good fit. Ask questions, and don’t rush into a relationship. Beware of inconsistencies in a person’s stories and details.
• Avoid oversharing. Sharing personal information gives scammers power over you, which only worsens if you share photos. Also, keep your account credentials to yourself so a scammer won’t be able to hijack your account later.
• Practice due diligence. You can verify the legitimacy of someone’s profile by using a reverse image search and looking up a person’s profile. Check for inconsistencies and see if their information has been used elsewhere. If the photo they use has a different name attached to it, then you have reason to be suspicious.
• Never send money or cryptocurrency. Remember that scammers love a quick payday. If someone on a dating site is quick to ask for money or is trying to get you to invest in something, you are probably getting scammed.

Many dating apps and sites should have provisions in their Terms of Service to combat fraudulent behavior. If you suspect someone is trying to scam you, report their profile to the platform’s moderation team.

You can also contact law enforcement or agencies like the Federal Trade Commission to investigate potential scams. This article from the federal government is a good start for more information on how to identify and guard against romance scams.

First Florida is committed to protecting your financial information. Visit our Scam and Fraud Education page for financial security updates and advisories.