Then come requests for money — perhaps to set up a reliable internet connection, pay for flights home or supplement supposed limitations on military medical coverage or retirement planning.

In many cases, these scammers work with one or more accomplices who pose as doctors or lawyers to extract a steady stream of money. Military romance scams can drag on for months or even years before victims finally get suspicious. Military romance scams are so common that the US Army has produced a detailed fact sheet on spotting romance scammers posing as American soldiers posted abroad, which you can read here.

After an intense courtship period, the scammer asks the victim to connect with them via webcam so they can chat. The scammer then reveals their true identity.

They claim to have made a video recording and threaten to share the video with mutual social media friends or post the recording online unless the victim sends money. Once the victim complies, the cycle begins — demands increase until the victim finally refuses. A slightly different proposition to regular scam websites , scam dating sites are dating services that claim to offer legitimate meetups but are either severely underpopulated or awash with scammers.

A popular scam involves sites that ask you to create a profile specifically to mine your information. answers to common security questions. You may receive an offer for a free premium membership or some other exclusive perk in exchange for completing a survey that contains similar questions to those used for banking.

You should never reveal any information that can be used to access private or financial details, no matter what incentives you are being offered. This is one of the common Tinder scams. It involves an email or text asking you to verify your Tinder account. The message may claim that Tinder is updating its records and asking you to verify your account.

In other iterations of the scam, an online Tinder match may ask you to verify before engaging in any future communication.

In these examples, the scammer encourages you to click on a third-party link to verify your account. Once you click through, you'll be asked for personal data like your name, address, phone number, email, Social Security number, birth date, and even your bank account or credit card details. Tinder does include verified accounts, but this is done in-house at Tinder. To get the blue check-mark next to their profile name, users are directed by the app to take a series of selfies, which are then compared to the photos on their profile to check they match.

Malware is a common threat online, including on dating sites. On Tinder, for example, a match may have several exchanges with you and then offer you further information on their personal web page or even fake Facebook or Instagram profiles. These pages aren't legitimate, however. Instead, you're being directed to a web page that contains malware and spam that can allow scammers to steal your personal data, leading to identity theft and financial fraud.

Generally, whenever anyone on an online dating site is keen to direct you to another site, it should be considered a potential red flag. This is where the scammer encourages the victim to send their contact details in exchange for intimate photos of the scammer.

A young woman contacts the victim to say she cannot remove the gold from her country since she cannot pay the duty or marriage taxes. Needless to say, the scammer never arrives. Scammers are skilled at playing on emotions and grooming their victims over time.

Narratives that often appear in online dating scams include:. You often hear the terms catfishing or catfish scams in relation to romance fraud. Catfishing refers to someone creating a fictional persona or identity on a social media or dating site to target a specific victim. Besides financial gain, catfishing motivations can sometimes be simply to cause distress or harm or possibly enable the perpetrator to carry out a fantasy or wish fulfilment. The term derives from a MTV documentary called Catfish.

Regardless of platform or app — Facebook catfish scams, Instagram dating scams, Plenty of Fish scams, Snapchat meetup scams, and so on — warning signs of online dating scams include:. They try to move you off the dating app or site quickly:. This is because online dating apps often have customer care teams who monitor strange behavior.

If they notice a user sending the same message to numerous users, or other unusual activity, they may flag it as suspicious. To avoid this, scammers try to move you to another platform such as WhatsApp or similar. The discussion turns romantic very quickly. A common trend in catfish scams is for the imposter to get very serious very quickly. They may bombard you with extravagant compliments and claim to be falling in love with you. Victims usually report that this shift occurs early on.

The scammer asks you a lot of questions about yourself. This is because the more they know about you, the easier you will be to manipulate. The scammer will spin a tale about him or herself as well and may invite you to start talking over the phone. This stage can last for weeks, even months. If someone is telling untruths, it can be easy to forget what they have said before.

Also, scammers sometimes operate in teams, with different people hiding behind one identity. Catfish scams use attractive profile pictures to keep the victim hooked. Often, these are pictures of actors or models or perhaps even a stock image.

A reverse image search will show if their profile picture has been used anywhere else on the internet. To check, you can run suspicious text through an online search to see if any matches come up.

People who are scammed generally report that the other person made constant excuses to avoid going on camera. The obvious reason is that they don't look like the person in their profile picture. They also want to avoid being identified to prevent being tracked down afterwards. A common theme in catfish scams is for the imposters to create elaborate stories involving illness, family tragedies, or major accidents that generate sympathy and help to postpone a face-to-face meeting.

If your potential date has a life story that seems unbelievable, it could be a scam. Fraudsters try to cultivate long-distance relationships because it means they have an excuse not to meet their target. This gives them time to groom their victim and obtain their trust. The stories they tell will include a reason that makes it challenging to meet in person. Or else they arrange to meet up with their target, only to cancel at the last moment.

All the grooming and manipulation — which may take weeks or months — is leading up to a request for money. They may give various reasons but, needless to say, your answer should be no.

Romance fraud is often under-reported since victims can be too ashamed or embarrassed to tell people once they realize they've been fooled. Different jurisdictions around the world will have different agencies to which you can report a romance scam — for example:. If you have lost money, you should also contact your bank as soon as possible to explain what has happened.

In general, an important way to stay safe online is by using a comprehensive antivirus solution, such as Kaspersky Total Security , which protects you against hackers, viruses, and malware. Online dating scams often prey on vulnerable users. However, by understanding common catfishing scams and how to avoid fraudsters, you can bypass romance fraud and forge genuine connections instead.

Sometimes, they'll say that border officials detained them and that they need money for their release. Scammers might avoid phone calls or voice and video chats.

However, many can fake their accents or put on a specific voice. However, a catfish will not appear in a video chat since they use fake profile images. Be wary if your match is never willing to video chat or always makes excuses about their camera being broken. Most smartphones now have built-in selfie cameras, which makes video chatting relatively easy.

Some people may initially hesitate to appear on video chat out of shyness. But it's a red flag if someone professes love, yet won't let you talk to them over video after weeks of communication. Inevitably, a catfish or scammer will request money from you, as this is the ultimate goal of most scammers. There are a variety of scenarios that they may invent—from family emergencies, health issues, or travel problems. Particularly inventive scammers may even trick you into sending them money by purportedly sending you a package that requires customs fees.

Scammers don't necessarily work alone, so you may receive a phone call or documents from someone posing as a third party to request fees. Some scammers even request financial help or financial investment related to their fictional business. If any kind of financial request comes from your suitor, this is the biggest sign that you are the target of a scam. Crypto and Bitcoin dating scams are another popular type of lure used to attract victims.

Another online dating scam doesn't request money from victims, but turns them into "money mules". Rather than trying to get money from the victim, these scammers make you an accomplice in money laundering. One example includes the scammer sending money to the victim, who then sends them an Amazon card or another kind of gift card. Other times they might send you money and ask you to send it to another account for them. Sometimes, scammers may ask a victim to open a bank account for them.

If your online suitor asks you to get involved in these types of financial transactions and exchanges, it's likely that they're a scammer trying to lure you into illegal activities. Some scammers don't bother with catfishing, rather using more efficient ways to exploit victims. This is especially true on online dating apps where bot profiles are prevalent. If a match sends you a link to an app, game, service, or website they say they want you to try out, this is often a ploy to get you to supply financial information or download malware.

It is essentially the online dating version of phishing and is a very popular tactic for scammers on dating apps like Tinder. Besides spotting a potential scammer, there are a few precautions you can take to avoid online dating scams. Firstly, use reverse image searches and services like the reverse lookup tool on Social Catfish to verify a person's online identity. You should check that the same image isn't appearing across a variety of profiles under different names. Certain dating apps allow you to choose to match only with verified profiles.

For example, Tinder offers a background check feature. You should also keep up-to-date on the different types of dating scams emerging, especially those related to the platform you're using. Not all dating scams involve prolonged catfishing, and certain mobile dating app scams differ from dating website scams.

Finally, never reveal too much information about yourself to someone you've never met. A catfish will use your financial situation and whether you're vulnerable to determine whether you're an ideal target. If you receive overly flattering introduction emails or messages on an online dating site, simply don't respond. On mobile dating apps, don't match with profiles that seem suspicious. Furthermore, never send intimate images of yourself to an online acquaintance—scammers are now using these types of pictures for blackmail and extortion schemes.

Finally, if warning signs pop up and you are unable to verify the person's identity, cut off communication immediately.

Millions of people around the world use online dating sites and apps. And there are many success stories of people finding love and companionship online. But as well as the successes, there are also online dating scams — and these are on the rise. Online dating scams — also known as romance scams or romance fraud — take place when someone believes they have made a connection or match through an online dating site or app — but the person they are talking to is, in fact, a scammer using a fake profile.

The scammer manipulates or grooms the other person to gain their trust over time — ultimately so they can either ask them for money or obtain enough personal information about them to steal their identity. This type of crime is on the rise. In , the US Federal Trade Commission received 11, complaints about dating and romance scams. By , that figure had risen to 52, In the UK, the equivalent figure was £68 million. The coronavirus pandemic — which prevented in-person meetings and led to people spending more time online — provided conditions that romance scammers could exploit.

While anyone can fall victim to romance scams, older people often suffer a heavier financial loss. Scammers target older people because they are more likely to have assets such as retirement funds or homes, which they can steal.

It is believed that around two-thirds of romance fraud victims are women , with an average age of This overview explains common online dating scams, the signs of a romance scammer, how to report a dating scammer, and how to protect yourself from online dating fraudsters. Most dating scams start innocently enough. Scammers may create fake profiles which look as appealing as possible and wait for victims to reach out and begin the conversation.

Or they may contact victims themselves, perhaps claiming common interests or a distant, mutual connection. Once a scammer has you hooked, the possibilities are limitless, but here are some of the most well-known variations:. With military romance scams, fraudsters may use the name and likeness of an actual soldier or create an entirely fake profile.

They send out legitimate-seeming messages, perhaps introducing themselves as near the end of their careers, often with older children and typically widowed under tragic circumstances. The messages are riddled with military jargon, titles, and base locations, which sound impressive. They start to build a strong emotional connection, but before physical introductions can occur, the "soldier" is deployed.

Then come requests for money — perhaps to set up a reliable internet connection, pay for flights home or supplement supposed limitations on military medical coverage or retirement planning. In many cases, these scammers work with one or more accomplices who pose as doctors or lawyers to extract a steady stream of money.

Military romance scams can drag on for months or even years before victims finally get suspicious. Military romance scams are so common that the US Army has produced a detailed fact sheet on spotting romance scammers posing as American soldiers posted abroad, which you can read here.

After an intense courtship period, the scammer asks the victim to connect with them via webcam so they can chat. The scammer then reveals their true identity. They claim to have made a video recording and threaten to share the video with mutual social media friends or post the recording online unless the victim sends money. Once the victim complies, the cycle begins — demands increase until the victim finally refuses. A slightly different proposition to regular scam websites , scam dating sites are dating services that claim to offer legitimate meetups but are either severely underpopulated or awash with scammers.

A popular scam involves sites that ask you to create a profile specifically to mine your information. answers to common security questions. You may receive an offer for a free premium membership or some other exclusive perk in exchange for completing a survey that contains similar questions to those used for banking. You should never reveal any information that can be used to access private or financial details, no matter what incentives you are being offered.

This is one of the common Tinder scams. It involves an email or text asking you to verify your Tinder account. The message may claim that Tinder is updating its records and asking you to verify your account. In other iterations of the scam, an online Tinder match may ask you to verify before engaging in any future communication. In these examples, the scammer encourages you to click on a third-party link to verify your account. Once you click through, you'll be asked for personal data like your name, address, phone number, email, Social Security number, birth date, and even your bank account or credit card details.

Tinder does include verified accounts, but this is done in-house at Tinder. To get the blue check-mark next to their profile name, users are directed by the app to take a series of selfies, which are then compared to the photos on their profile to check they match.

Malware is a common threat online, including on dating sites. On Tinder, for example, a match may have several exchanges with you and then offer you further information on their personal web page or even fake Facebook or Instagram profiles. These pages aren't legitimate, however. Instead, you're being directed to a web page that contains malware and spam that can allow scammers to steal your personal data, leading to identity theft and financial fraud.

Generally, whenever anyone on an online dating site is keen to direct you to another site, it should be considered a potential red flag. This is where the scammer encourages the victim to send their contact details in exchange for intimate photos of the scammer.

A young woman contacts the victim to say she cannot remove the gold from her country since she cannot pay the duty or marriage taxes.

Needless to say, the scammer never arrives. Scammers are skilled at playing on emotions and grooming their victims over time.

Narratives that often appear in online dating scams include:. You often hear the terms catfishing or catfish scams in relation to romance fraud. Catfishing refers to someone creating a fictional persona or identity on a social media or dating site to target a specific victim. Besides financial gain, catfishing motivations can sometimes be simply to cause distress or harm or possibly enable the perpetrator to carry out a fantasy or wish fulfilment.

The term derives from a MTV documentary called Catfish. Regardless of platform or app — Facebook catfish scams, Instagram dating scams, Plenty of Fish scams, Snapchat meetup scams, and so on — warning signs of online dating scams include:.

They try to move you off the dating app or site quickly:. This is because online dating apps often have customer care teams who monitor strange behavior. If they notice a user sending the same message to numerous users, or other unusual activity, they may flag it as suspicious. To avoid this, scammers try to move you to another platform such as WhatsApp or similar. The discussion turns romantic very quickly. A common trend in catfish scams is for the imposter to get very serious very quickly.

They may bombard you with extravagant compliments and claim to be falling in love with you. Victims usually report that this shift occurs early on. The scammer asks you a lot of questions about yourself. This is because the more they know about you, the easier you will be to manipulate.

The scammer will spin a tale about him or herself as well and may invite you to start talking over the phone. This stage can last for weeks, even months. If someone is telling untruths, it can be easy to forget what they have said before. Also, scammers sometimes operate in teams, with different people hiding behind one identity. Catfish scams use attractive profile pictures to keep the victim hooked. Often, these are pictures of actors or models or perhaps even a stock image. A reverse image search will show if their profile picture has been used anywhere else on the internet.

To check, you can run suspicious text through an online search to see if any matches come up. People who are scammed generally report that the other person made constant excuses to avoid going on camera. The obvious reason is that they don't look like the person in their profile picture. They also want to avoid being identified to prevent being tracked down afterwards. A common theme in catfish scams is for the imposters to create elaborate stories involving illness, family tragedies, or major accidents that generate sympathy and help to postpone a face-to-face meeting.

If your potential date has a life story that seems unbelievable, it could be a scam. Fraudsters try to cultivate long-distance relationships because it means they have an excuse not to meet their target. This gives them time to groom their victim and obtain their trust. The stories they tell will include a reason that makes it challenging to meet in person. Or else they arrange to meet up with their target, only to cancel at the last moment. All the grooming and manipulation — which may take weeks or months — is leading up to a request for money.

They may give various reasons but, needless to say, your answer should be no. Romance fraud is often under-reported since victims can be too ashamed or embarrassed to tell people once they realize they've been fooled. Different jurisdictions around the world will have different agencies to which you can report a romance scam — for example:. If you have lost money, you should also contact your bank as soon as possible to explain what has happened.

In general, an important way to stay safe online is by using a comprehensive antivirus solution, such as Kaspersky Total Security , which protects you against hackers, viruses, and malware. Online dating scams often prey on vulnerable users.

However, by understanding common catfishing scams and how to avoid fraudsters, you can bypass romance fraud and forge genuine connections instead. Romance scams are on the rise. We use cookies to make your experience of our websites better. By using and further navigating this website you accept this. Detailed information about the use of cookies on this website is available by clicking on more information.

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Home Home Security Resource Center Threats. Fake dating sites A slightly different proposition to regular scam websites , scam dating sites are dating services that claim to offer legitimate meetups but are either severely underpopulated or awash with scammers. This not only helps you avoid scams but can also protect you from creeps and cyberstalkers. Or they may contact victims themselves, perhaps claiming common interests or a distant, mutual connection. The scammer needs money to complete their education before they can visit the victim. The stories they tell will include a reason that makes it challenging to meet in person.

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