Protect yourself from romance scams
What is a romance scam?
A romance scam uses an online persona to charm you and manipulate your emotions to get money. Using a fake profile on social media or an online dating site, a scammer will find a target and gain their trust. Once they gain your confidence, that’s when they share a story about a sick relative or a personal emergency and ask you for money, often promising that it would only be a short-term loan.
How romance scams work
A scammer initiates a relationship
A scammer reaches out to you over social media or on an online dating site or app, using a fabricated profile and fake (but attractive) picture. They begin sending you a lot of messages, escalating the relationship quickly by making declarations of love, even proposing.
The scammer can’t meet you in person
Despite their declared affection, the scammer will never agreed to meet you in person. They’ll say they’re travelling, visiting family, or out of town for work.
You’ll “help” the scammer by sending money
Once they establish the online relationship, the scammer will share their fake tale of woe: They need life-saving surgery, their relative needs bail money, they were robbed while travelling home and need money for a safe return.
Then, once you send the money, the scammer will cut off all contact.
Romance + cryptocurrency = scam
Recently, there’s been a surge in romance scams that aim to get targets to invest in cryptocurrency schemes. Ask yourself: Why is this person I’ve never met in person so keen to help me make money on an investment opportunity? Chances are, it’s a scam. Learn more about cryptocurrency and investment scams.
How to protect yourself from romance scams
- Never send money to someone you haven’t met in person, unless you can verify their identity.
- Never share your banking details or confidential information with anyone online.
- When getting to know someone online, verify their identity – you can search for them on Google (try searching their name plus “scam” to start), use an image search to check whether their photo is real, etc.
- Take a close look at how they communicate with you – scammers often juggle multiple targets, so they may get details wrong in their messages, including your name.
- Beware of online relationships that discourage you from talking about them with your friends and family.
How to report a romance scam
If you think that a romance scam has compromised your banking or personal information, report the incident to Meridian by calling 1-866-592-2226.
Helpful resources