Romance fraud originates from criminal networks that operate in many parts of the world, including: West Africa and Southeast Asia.
Scammers use a variety of methods to find victims, including:
Creating fake profiles on dating sites and apps
Contacting people through social media
Using classified sites and online forums
Scammers often try to build trust with their victims by:
Chatting several times a day
Adjusting their story to what they think will work
Moving the conversation to a more private method, such as email or phone
Falling in love quickly and declaring strong feelings
Scammers may use a variety of tactics to get money from their victims, including:
Asking for money to pay for an emergency
Asking for money to pay for travel to meet them
Asking for money to make an investment
Claiming to be sick, hurt, or in jail
Claiming to have shipped you a valuable package that requires you to send money for “customs” or some other made-up fee
Convincing you to share explicit photos and then threatening to share them with your social media contacts
To stay safe from romance fraud, you can:
❌Stay within the messaging function of the dating app
❌Be suspicious of any requests for money from someone you have never met in person
❌Be cautious about how much personal information you are sharing online
❌Don't send money, allow access to your bank account, or transfer money on their behalf
Various AI Sources
