WASHINGTON, D.C., USA — If you've seen the Netflix docudramas "Tinder Swindler" and "Dirty John," you've seen classic cases of romance scammers at work.
These criminals are pros at winning trust by wooing their targets while they manipulate them to steal their hearts -- and their money. They usually leave them brokenhearted and broke.
Editor's note: The video above originally ran in 2021.
In 2021, some 24,000 romance scams victims in the U.S. reported losing around $1 billion in romance scams, according to the FBI. And those are just the cases that were reported to law enforcement.
How to spot a romance scam
- The con artists typically use a fake identity and operate on dating and social media sites.
- They often work quickly to build a relationship and even shower their unsuspecting victims with flowers and gifts to win their trust.
- A lot of these con artists appear to live lavish lifestyles to help convince the victim that they are wealthy.
- Some operate only online, while others wine and dine their victims in person.
- Eventually, they all ask for money. They'll tug on the victim's heartstrings by concocting stories about medical emergencies, business deals or unexpected bills.
- Once they get they money, they vanish and begin hunting their next victim.
Romance scam red flags
- Beware if someone seems too perfect
- They quickly ask you to communicate directly
- If they promise to meet in person but come up with excuses to avoid it. If you haven’t met the person after a few months, for whatever reason, you have good reason to be suspicious.
- If they try to isolate you from friends and family
- If they request explicit photos or financial information that could later be used to extort you.
- If someone you meet online needs your bank account information to deposit money, don't fall for it.
Tips to avoid becoming a victim of romance scams
- Be careful what you post and make public online. Scammers can use details shared on social media and dating sites to better understand and target you.
- Watch out for strangers who contact you on social media. They often create fake profiles with photos of someone else and try to win the victim over by pretending to be a single parent, widow or widower or member of the military.
- Research the person’s photo and profile using online searches to see if the image, name, or details have been used elsewhere. If the profiles were recently created and the person doesn't have many posts or friends, they could be fake.
- Go slowly and ask lots of questions.
- NEVER send money, cryptocurrency, or gift cards to anyone you have only communicated with online or by phone even if you think you're madly in love.
- Finally, if you suspect an online relationship is a scam, stop all contact immediately and file a complaint with the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at www.ic3.gov. You can report scams whether or not you’ve lost money.