Popular romance scams and how to avoid them

Romance scams are one of the more devastating forms of online scams, both from an emotional and financial perspective. The FTC fielded more than 60,000 reports of romance scam fraud in 2024, and median losses were $2,000.

You can guard your safety — and your money — by knowing how to recognize a romance scam, and how to avoid their pitfalls.

1. Online dating scams

What is an online dating scam?

A scammer will set up a fake online dating profile (Hinge, Bumble, Tinder, Match.com, OkCupid, Facebook, etc.) and build a relationship with the victim online before eventually asking for money for a fabricated reason: travel, medical emergencies, family issues. etc.

This tactic is especially effective because it relies on the emotional vulnerability of the victim. The scammer will profess their love and devotion early on, and spend time acting as someone supportive, giving the victim all their attention so that they can manipulate them more easily.

How to spot an online dating scam

There are a few ways to do this, including:

• Spot the fake photo. Fake profiles will also use fake photos, either stock ones from online, stolen ones from Facebook accounts, or even AI ones. You can copy the image into a Google Reverse Image Lookup to be sure.
• Note if you're getting "love bombed," or bombarded with intense claims or love or adoration that come too soon and too often.
• Be wary if someone avoids video calls or in-person meetings. This is a big red flag that should cause you to stop the conversation immediately.
• Treat a request for money as the ultimate red flag. Never trust anyone online – especially someone you've never met – with your money or personal information.

How to avoid an online dating scam

There are a few tactics you can use to make sure you don't fall for an online dating scam.

First, as mentioned above, reverse image search their photos. As an added step, also scan their social media presence for clues that they're a real person: tagged photos, real posts, comments.

Next, if you're not entirely sure, ask for a video call or an in-person meetup (in a public setting). If the other person refuses or makes endless excuses, it's safe to assume the profile is fake and you can walk away before any damage is done.

If they ask for money directly (cash, gift cards, crypto, payment app transfers) immediately break off contact.

2. Military romance scams

This scam still primarily occurs on online dating sites or apps, but can also occur on social media apps in general (some even on email!)

What is a military romance scam?

In a military romance scam, the scammer pretends to be a deployed soldier (often in a war zone), claiming they need money for special leave papers, communication with family, or some other personal emergency.

How to spot a military romance scam

It's pretty easy to spot this one, as it's a very particular scam – if the person you're talking to claims to be deployed military personnel, be very wary.

• As with online dating scams. try a reverse image search and beware of love bombing.
• Be suspicious if they resist giving specifics about their role, unit, or base. Another red flag is if they seem to be available to chat all the time, despite military "duties."
• And as always, the biggest red flag should be if they start asking for money – note that the military does not require soldiers to pay to go on leave, and it provides housing, medical care, and food.

How to avoid a military romance scam

Be vigilant and do your research: Look up the profile's picture, name, and social media accounts. If the conversation seems odd, and especially if they request money, cease all contact.

3. Sugar daddy/mommy scams

Made more popular in recent years, this is a sneaky one that can do a lot of financial harm.

What is a sugar daddy/mommy scam?

In this scam, the scammer will almost always be the one initiating, reaching out on social media, dating apps, or even forums, stating that they want to "spoil" you with money, gifts, or a weekly allowance. The arrangement is "no strings attached," without any physical contact.

The scammer pretends to be rich, and all they want is to spoil someone deserving (in some cases, they may ask for pictures or certain actions in return). Once they gain your trust, they ask you to provide them with your banking information so they can deposit money for you. In some cases, they might ask you to buy gift cards for them to "prove your loyalty."

Ultimately, they use your banking information to loot your accounts use gift cards you bought them to scam others.

How to spot a sugar daddy/mommy scam

Anyone that offers you money without ever meeting you (whether in person or on video call) is a red flag. Some even scammers send fake checks or send you money via Venmo, CashApp, etc., only for the check to bounce or the digital money transfer to be reversed.

Do not trust any money offers, and certainly do not offer any banking or personal information to a person you never met.

How to avoid a sugar daddy/mommy scam

Do not engage with any incoming requests/messages that claim they "want to spoil you." And as always, without a real meet-up, do not trust anyone online.

A guide to romance scams

What is a romance scam?

A romance scam is a type of online scam that leads the victim to believe that they are in a romantic relationship with the scammer. The victim never meets the scammer in real life, and is ultimately manipulated into sending money or sharing banking credentials with the scammer.

How to identify a romance scam

Romance scams have some common elements to watch for:

• A tragic backstory (widow/widower, no living family, stuck in a foreign country).
• Professions of love too soon and too intensely.
• Requests for money.
• Pressure to move the conversation away from a dating app to a platform like WhatsApp or Messenger.

How to avoid romance scams

Romance scams are a hard pill to swallow, but you can avoid them by doing your research.

• Reverse image search the profile photo of the person you're talking to. A fake or stock photo, or one being used by multiple names, is a giveaway.
• Look up the person's name online – see if you can find their social media accounts and validate they're a real person with real online activity (comments, posts, tagged photos).

• Ask for a video call or an in-person meeting (in a public place). It's really easy to verify you are talking to the person that's on their profile photo when you can actually meet them.

How to report romance scams

If you have fallen victim to a dating scam, it's important to take action.

• If you have sent money, act fast. Contact your bank or financial provider and ask if can freeze or reverse transactions.
• If you shared financial information or login credentials, immediately change the passwords. Call the financial institution to ask if there are other safeguards you can put in place.
• Report the scammer to the dating site so it can take action against the fake profile.
• Report the incident to federal authorities: The FTC has a Report Fraud site, and the FBI has an Internet Crime Complaint Center to accept reports.

Frequently asked questions about romance scams